Putin sends new hypersonic cruise missiles to Atlantic - Reuters

MOSCOW, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Wednesday sent disconnected a frigate towards the Altantic and Indian oceans equipped with caller hypersonic Zircon cruise missiles which helium said were unsocial successful the world.

In a video league with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Igor Krokhmal, commandant of the frigate named "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov", Putin said the vessel was equipped with Zircon hypersonic weapons.

"This clip the vessel is equipped with the latest hypersonic rocket strategy - 'Zircon' - which has nary analogues," said Putin, who is engaged successful a standoff with the West implicit his warfare successful Ukraine.

"I would similar to privation the unit of the vessel occurrence successful their work for the bully of the Motherland."

Shoigu said the Gorshkov would sail to the Atlantic and Indian oceans and to the Mediterranean Sea.

"This ship, equipped with 'Zircons', is susceptible of delivering pinpoint and almighty strikes against the force astatine oversea and connected land," Shoigu said.

Shoigu said the hypersonic missiles, known arsenic either Tsirkon oregon Zircon, could flooded immoderate rocket defence system. The missiles alert astatine 9 times the velocity of dependable and person a scope of implicit 1,000 km, Shoigu said.

Russia, China and the United States are presently successful a hypersonic weapons race. Because of their speeds - supra 5 times the velocity of dependable - and manoeuvrability, specified weapons are seen arsenic a mode to summation an borderline implicit immoderate adversary.

The people of a hypersonic limb is overmuch much hard to cipher than for intercontinential ballistic missiles.

Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne

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