Putin sends new hypersonic cruise missiles into the Atlantic

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MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday sent a frigate towards the Atlantic and Indian Oceans armed with Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, which he said were unique in the world.

And at a video conference with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Igor Krokhmal, commander of the frigate “Admiral of the Fleet of the USSR Gorshkov”, Putin said that the ship was armed with hypersonic Zircon weapons.

“This time the ship is equipped with the latest hypersonic missile system,” Zircon, “unparalleled,” said Putin, who is locked in a confrontation with the West over his war in Ukraine.

“I would like to wish the ship’s crew success in their service for the good of the motherland.”

Shoigu said the Gorshkov will sail to the Atlantic, Indian and Mediterranean oceans.

“This ship, armed with a zircon, is capable of delivering accurate and powerful strikes against the enemy at sea and on land,” Shoigu said.

The hypersonic missile, known as Tsirkon or Zircon, can defeat any missile defense system, Shoigu said. Shoigu said the missiles fly at a speed nine times faster than sound and have a range of more than 1,000 km.

Russia, China and the United States are currently engaged in a hypersonic weapons race. Due to their speeds – more than five times the speed of sound – and maneuverability, these weapons are seen as a way to overwhelm any opponent.

Calculating the target of a hypersonic weapon is much more difficult than that of an ICBM.

(Reporting by Jay Faulconbridge). Editing by Andrew Cawthorne

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