As a warning to the West that Russia will not back down over the conflict in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday dispatched a frigate to the Atlantic Ocean armed with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles.
Due to their high speeds (above five times the speed of sound) and manoeuvrability, hypersonic weapons are considered a way to gain an advantage over any adversary. Russia, China, and the United States are competing to develop these weapons.
Putin claimed that the frigate carrying the name ‘Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov’ was outfitted with Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic weapons during a video conference with Sergei Shoigu, the minister of defence.
This time, the ship has the newest hypersonic missile system, called ‘Zircon,’ according to Putin. ‘I am confident that these potent weapons will effectively safeguard Russia from any potential external threats.’
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