The first warship fitted with new Zircon hypersonic missiles is set to begin routine service early next year, the Russian president has said
Putin provides details on Russia’s hypersonic missiles
The first naval vessel fitted with Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles is set to begin its routine combat duty early in January, Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed. The president made the remarks on Wednesday during a meeting with the country’s top defense officials.
“In early January next year, the Admiral Gorshkov frigate will enter combat service with the latest, I repeat once again, not having any analogues in the world, sea-launched Zircon hypersonic missile systems,” Putin stated.
At the meeting Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu also announced that silo-based Sarmat ICBMs are already being deployed into Russia’s strategic missile forces.
The new hypersonic missiles, officially known as the 3M22 Zircon, have been actively tested over the past few years, after first being announced by Putin back in 2019. The Admiral Gorshkov, a modern missile frigate with Russia’s Northern Fleet, has already performed multiple test launches of the new missiles.
Russia will continue to modernize nuclear arsenal – PutinREAD MORE: Russia will continue to modernize nuclear arsenal – Putin
Still, little is known about the weapon, which is heavily shrouded in secrecy. The projectiles are reportedly able to reach speeds of at least 9 Mach – just over 11,000kph – while retaining the ability to maneuver, making them effectively impossible to intercept. The projectiles can cover a distance of at least 1,500km (932 miles), Igor Krokhmal, commander of the Admiral Gorshkov, revealed early this year.
The new missiles reportedly fit into the standard launch tubes of Russia’s naval vessels, which are equipped with older missiles such as the cruise Kalibr or anti-ship Onix missiles. This compatibility potentially allows any Russian cruise missile-carrying vessel to be fitted with the Zircon. Apart from surface ships, the new missiles are expected to be fitted on certain cruise missile-capable submarines, after the first submarine test-launch of the Zircon performed by the nuclear-powered Severodvinsk late in 2021.
https://www.rt.com/russia/568671-putin-hypersonic-cruise-missiles/
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
Volker Turk has warned that efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in “certain quarters,” and urged countries to back Africa’s push.
Reparatory justice for historical crimes, including colonialism, enslavement, and the trade in enslaved Africans, is crucial to dismantling systemic racism, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said.
Speaking at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent on Tuesday, Turk linked present-day discrimination against people from the continent to the enduring legacy of colonialism and enslavement.
”Racism and dehumanizing rhetoric continue to permeate public institutions, communities, and online platforms,” he said, according to the UN Press Service. Turk noted that “digital technologies, including AI, are reproducing and amplifying existing biases against people of African descent.”
The remarks come weeks after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest...
The US VP had to defend President Trump’s Gaza policy at a rally on a Georgia college campus.
US Vice President J.D. Vance was forced to defend Washington’s policy in Gaza after he was booed and heckled at a key MAGA event on Wednesday.
Co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a conservative student group that has long been seen as a strong support base of President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement but is now showing apparent cracks.
Less than 15 minutes into a TPUSA event at the University of Georgia on Wednesday, Vance was interrupted by hecklers over US policy in Gaza, with one audience member shouting, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide!” As he attempted to respond, others shouted, “You’re killing children!” and “You’re bombing children!”
Vance replied by referring to Trump’s achievements as president, including securing a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, something he said the previous administration of Joe Biden failed to do.
“I ...
