{"id":63101,"date":"2023-01-05T14:27:26","date_gmt":"2023-01-05T14:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2023\/01\/05\/russias-hypersonic-missile-armed-ship-to-patrol-global-seas\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:37:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:37:33","slug":"russias-hypersonic-missile-armed-ship-to-patrol-global-seas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/01\/05\/russias-hypersonic-missile-armed-ship-to-patrol-global-seas\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia\u2019s hypersonic missile-armed ship to patrol global seas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday sent a frigate armed with the country\u2019s latest Zircon hypersonic missile<\/a> on a trans-ocean cruise in a show of force as tensions with the West escalate over the war in Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia touts that the Zircon missile can evade any Western air defenses by flying at an astounding 7,000 mph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a glance at the ship and its weapons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pride of the Russian Navy<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Commissioned by the Navy in 2018 following long trials, the Admiral Gorshkov is the first ship in the new series of frigates designed to replace the aging Soviet-built destroyers as a key strike component of the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armed with an array of missiles, the ship is 130 meters (427 feet) long and has a crew of about 200.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, it circled the world oceans on a 35,000-nautical-mile journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intensive tests<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The Admiral Gorshkov has served as the main test bed<\/a> for the latest Russian hypersonic missile, Zircon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An illustration shows the Russian hypersonic missile Zircon. (AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, the Zircon has undergone a series of tests<\/a>, including launches at practice targets. The military declared the tests successful, and Zircon officially entered service last fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zircon is intended to arm Russian cruisers, frigates and submarines, and it could be used against both enemy ships and ground targets. It is one of several hypersonic missiles that Russia has developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new weapon<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Putin has hailed Zircon as a potent weapon<\/a> capable of penetrating any existing anti-missile defenses by flying nine times faster than the speed of sound at a range of more than 1,000 kilometers (more than 620 miles).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putin has emphasized that Zircon gives the Russian military a long-range conventional strike capability, allowing it to strike any enemy targets with precision.<\/p>\n\n\n\t