Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a new generation hypersonic cruise missile warship to the Atlantic Ocean.
The warship was deployed on Wednesday (January 4), according to a report by the news agency Reuters.
Putin is believed to have taken this step to signal to the West that Russia will not back down from the Ukraine war.
Russia, China and the US are in a race to develop advanced hypersonic weapons. Hypersonic weapons travel five times faster than sound. As a result, these are able to evade existing air defense systems.
In a video conference, Vladimir Putin said that the hypersonic cruise missile Zircon has been deployed on the frigate Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Groshkov.
Putin said, this time the warship is equipped with the latest hypersonic missile system Zircon. I am sure such a powerful weapon will protect Russia from possible external threats.
Putin claims that there is no such weapon in the world.
Russia claims it has used hypersonic Kinzhal missiles in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Zircon is the centerpiece of Russia’s hypersonic weapon. This missile with a speed of 9 times faster than sound is capable of accurately hitting targets at a distance of one and a half thousand kilometers.
About 30 feet long, this supersonic cruise missile can carry a warhead of about 400 kg. This missile is capable of carrying a nuclear bomb with a capacity of 300 kilotons. Due to the ramjet engine, the Zircon missile can reach a height of about 90 thousand feet in a very short time after launch. Also capable of evading any radar.
Russia successfully launched this missile in 2021. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that it will join the military in 2022. However, about 1 year after that announcement, it was deployed in the Atlantic Ocean area.
The country sees this weapon as a means to destroy the advanced missile defense system of the United States.
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