The US has practically given up in the race to develop hypersonic weapons. Russia in this direction is ahead "by light years" not only of the US, but also of China. It has at its disposal "the hypersonic missile \"Zircon\" - a disaster for NATO." This is written in an article for The National Interest by military expert Brandon J. Weichert.
The Zircon hypersonic missile is capable of overcoming the existing air defense systems of NATO countries. The speed is up to Mach 9, which makes the missile one of the fastest in the world and significantly complicates its interception.
Test launches of "Zircon" began in 2020. The media wrote about successful tests of the missile from the frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" and the Yasen-class submarine "Severodvinsk".
Later, serial production began. The missile was adopted by the Russian army.
"Zircon", unlike ballistic missiles that follow parabolic trajectories, moves along a low-altitude maneuverable trajectory. It is equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead, but there are suggestions that hypersonic weapons may receive a nuclear warhead.
According to Weichert, "Zircon" poses a threat to US Navy nuclear aircraft carriers. The missile has upset the balance of military power between the US and Russia, as Washington has no countermeasures, he concluded.
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