What is known about the Zircon hypersonic missiles deployed by Putin on a ship that will patrol the oceans

the russian president Vladimir Putin sent a frigate armed with the Zircon hypersonic missile on a transoceanic tour on Wednesday, in a show of force at a time when tensions with the West are heightening over the war in Ukraine.

Moscow claims that the Zircon it can evade any western anti-aircraft defenses while traveling at an impressive speed of 11,265 kilometers per hour (7,000 miles per hour).

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Here’s a look at the ship and its weaponry:

THE PRIDE OF THE RUSSIAN NAVY

Put into operation in 2018 after a long series of tests, the Admiral Gorshkov She is the first ship in a new series of frigates that were designed to replace aging Soviet-built destroyers and to be a crucial strike component of the Russian Navy.

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Equipped with a missile suite, the ship is 130 meters (427 feet) long and has about 200 crew members.

In 2019 he went around the world on a journey of 35,000 nautical miles.

INTENSIVE TESTING

Admiral Gorshkov has been the main test bed for the Zircon.

In recent years, the Zircon has been subjected to a series of tests, which have included its launch against various test targets. The military declared the tests successful and the Zircon officially entered service late last year.

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The Zircon has been created for installation on cruise ships, frigates and submarines., and could be used against enemy ships and targets on land. It is one of several hypersonic missiles developed by Russia.

THE NEW WEAPON

Putin describes the Zircon as a powerful weapon capable of penetrating any anti-missile defense by flying nine times faster than the speed of sound, with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers (more than 620 miles).

The president has emphasized that the Zircon gives the Russian armed forces a long-range conventional strike capabilityallowing them to hit any enemy target with precision.

Russia has developed its hypersonic weapons at a time when the United States has been working on its own Conventional Rapid Global Strike capability.l, with which he envisions reaching strategic targets of the adversary with precision remote-controlled conventional weapons anywhere in the world in a period of one hour.

Putin declared that the Zircon is the answer to that, arguing that the new weapon is unmatched, giving the Kremlin a strategic advantage.

Months before ordering the invasion of UkrainePutin put the United States and its NATO allies on notice when he warned that Russian warships armed with the Zircon would give Russia the ability to attack adversary “decision-making centers” in a matter of minutes if they were launched from neutral waters.

Speaking via video during the assignment ceremony on Wednesday, Putin again praised Zircon, calling it a “unique weapon” for which “no country in the world has an equivalent.”

OTHER RUSSIAN HYPERSONIC WEAPONS

Russia has already commissioned Avangard hypersonic gliders for some of its ground-fired ICBMs which are part of Russia’s strategic nuclear triad. Putin has praised the Avangard’s ability to maneuver at hypersonic speeds on its approach to the target, dodging anti-aircraft defenses.

The Russian armed forces have also placed the Kinzhal hypersonic missiles in their MiG-31 fighters and have used them during the war in Ukraine to attack some priority targets. The Kinzhal reportedly have a range of about 1,500 kilometers (about 930 miles).

PATROL WORK

The Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigureported to putin Wednesday that Admiral Gorshkov will patrol the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean, but did not give further details.

Shoigu said that Admiral Gorshkov crew will focus on “countering threats to Russia, maintaining regional peace and stability together with friendly countries”. He also indicated that the crew will practice with hypersonic weapons and long-range cruise missiles “under various conditions.”

Some military experts say that a single ship armed with hypersonic missiles it is no match for the massive naval forces of the United States and its allies.

But others noted that the potential placement of the frigate near the US coasts could be part of Putin’s strategy to raise the stakes in the conflict over Ukraine.

“This is a message to the West that Russia has missiles with nuclear warheads that can easily pierce any missile defense,” pro-Kremlin analyst Sergei Markov said in a comment.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.