The Russian frigate “Admiral Gorshkov” is now sailing south along the Norwegian coast in international waters. The Norwegian Defense Forces are well aware of the ship’s movements and follow the voyage closely as long as it is in Norway’s immediate area. This is done, among other things, with the help of maritime surveillance aircraft, the P-3 Orion, and vessels from the Norwegian Navy, the Norwegian Armed Forces informs. Video meeting with Putin On Wednesday, there was a digital farewell ceremony for the ship at the Northern Fleet’s headquarters in Severomorsk, not far from the city of Murmansk. From Moscow, Putin proudly said the tour was “important, if not a very important event.” The president also said he was “confident that such powerful weapons will make it possible to defend Russia from possible enemies and secure national Russian interests.” Russian President Vladimir Putin said the new hypersonic missile is important for Russia’s security. Photo: The Russian Ministry of Defense The new Zircon missile should have a top speed of nine times the speed of sound, according to Russian defense authorities. Vladimir Putin claims that no other country has such a weapon. Russia has used another hypersonic weapon in Ukraine from aircraft. TEST: The hypersonic missile Zircon has previously been launched from the frigate Gorshkov in the Barents Sea. Photo: The Russian Ministry of Defense During the video conference, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu stated that the frigate will sail in the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean. Shoigu said no missile system is capable of shooting down missiles launched from the craft. Designed for Nuclear Weapons This is the first time the Zircon hypersonic weapon could potentially be used in warfare. The missile creates a gaseous substance around itself which will absorb radio waves. The gaseous substance makes the missile difficult to detect on radar. Whether the weapon system is intended to be used in the Ukraine war is unknown. From the Mediterranean, a missile may have to fly over NATO territory towards Ukraine. Turkey has warned all military vessels against sailing into the Black Sea. A report to the US Congress states that the Russian hypersonic weapon is designed to be used with nuclear weapons. An attack comes as a surprise Researcher Ståle Ulriksen at the Naval Academy believes that the high speed of the missile can have great military significance. – The missile can reach the target in three to four minutes, where a caliber missile – which they have used in Ukraine – might take a couple of hours. An attack therefore comes very surprisingly. That is the main difference, says Ulriksen. Researcher Ståle Ulriksen at the Norwegian Naval Academy says Russia has come a long way in developing hypersonic weapons in several areas. Hypersonic weapons are weapons that travel faster than five times the speed of sound. Photo: Naval Academy The US military expert and former navy captain Carl Schuster believes the deployment is a clear signal from Putin to the West. – Putin wants to show that Russia is still a global actor despite the costs and the international condemnation of the attack on Ukraine, Schuster tells CNN. Race for hypersonic weapons There is now a race between Russia, China and the USA to develop manoeuvrable hypersonic weapons. In recent years, Russia has led the way in this development in several areas, believes Ståle Ulriksen. – Yes, in some fields Russia is far ahead. This applies in particular to sea targets. The US military has long been concerned about falling behind in this arms race. This has also been openly acknowledged by high-ranking military officials. Former President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev believes that the Russian frigate with the hypersonic missile Zircon must be placed in the sea areas close to Washington. Medvedev claims “it will lead to an orientation to reality for everyone who poses a threat to Russia and Russia’s allies”.
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Putin has sent warships with new hypersonic missiles into the Atlantic – news Troms and Finnmark
