MOSCOW, Jan 4 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday sent a frigate to the Atlantic and Indian oceans armed with new hypersonic Zircon cruise missiles, which he says are unique in the world.
In a video conference with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Igor Krokhmal, commander of the Admiral of the Soviet Union Fleet Gorshkov frigate, Putin said the ship was armed with Zircon hypersonic weapons.
“This time the ship is equipped with the latest hypersonic missile system – the Zircon, which has no analogues,” said Putin, who is embroiled in a standoff with the West over his war in Ukraine.
“I want to wish the crew of the ship success in the service for the good of the Motherland.
Shoigu said Gorshkov will sail to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and to the Mediterranean Sea.
“This ship, armed with Zircons, is capable of delivering pinpoint and powerful strikes on the enemy at sea and on land,” Shoigu said.
Shoigu said the hypersonic missiles, known as Zircon or Zircon, can overcome any missile defense system. The missiles fly at nine times the speed of sound and have a range of more than 1,000 km, Shoigu said.
Russia, China and the United States are currently in a hypersonic weapons race. Due to their speed – more than five times the speed of sound – and maneuverability, such weapons are seen as a way to gain an advantage over any opponent.
The target of a hypersonic weapon is much more difficult to calculate than that of ICBMs.
Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne
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