Russia’s navy will not fire its new generation “Zircon” hypersonic missile during a joint exercise with South Africa and China, a senior Russian naval officer said on Wednesday, contradicting an earlier Russian media report.
Captain Oleg Gladkiy, who is heading the Russian contingent, said during a media briefing in the town of Richards Bay that no test launch would take place as part of the planned artillery drills.
“The hypersonic weapon will not be used in the context of these exercises,” Gladkiy said. “There is no hidden meaning in the exercises that we are performing today.”
Russia, China and the United States are in a race to develop hypersonic weapons which are seen as a way to gain an edge over any adversary because of their speeds – topping five times the speed of sound – and manoeuvrability.
Along with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle which entered combat duty in 2019, the Zircon forms the centrepiece of Russia’s hypersonic arsenal. President Vladimir Putin has called it “unstoppable”.
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