The latest Russian weapons, including the Zircon missiles, will allow the Russian Federation, in case of war, to strike at a group of the US Navy. This opinion was expressed on December 17 by journalist Mark Episkopos.
"Russia in all its incarnations has always been a land power, where the Navy is used mainly to protect the vast borders of the country. The United States, in turn, needs a strong fleet to confront on a global scale," Episkopos wrote in an article for the National Interest magazine.
At the same time, the author of the article noted that Russia understands the threat from the US navy and creates weapons in case of confrontation.
"Retired Russian Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok wrote at the end of 2020 that the new Russian 3M22 Zircon, a cruise anti-ship hypersonic missile, "will radically change the balance of power on the high seas," Episkopos added.
On the same day, the Commander of the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) Sergei Karakayev said that Russia is developing new hypersonic strategic complexes that will replace the Avangard units when the United States finds means of countering them.
On December 16, military expert Dmitry Kornev told Izvestia that the Zircon hypersonic missile could indeed be put into service in 2022. Thus, he commented on the test launch of a missile from the frigate "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov" on a coastal target.
On November 29, Admiral Gorshkov performed a new test launch of the Zircon hypersonic missile from the White Sea at a range of more than 400 km. Admiral Gorshkov carried out the previous launch of the Zircon rocket on November 18 at a sea target from the White Sea. The target was hit by a direct hit.
On November 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that hypersonic missiles "Zircon" will begin to arrive in the Navy from next year. The Head of State added that the tests carried out confirmed the uniqueness of the Peresvet (laser weapon complex) and Avangard complexes. Tests of the "Zircon" are currently being completed.
Russian hypersonic weapons were presented in 2018. It includes the Avangard, Dagger and Zircon missiles.
