The new Zircon hypersonic missile will force NATO to abandon its provocations on the border with Russia, experts with The Military Watch publication believe.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that new sea-based Zircon anti-ship missiles would be passed into service in early 2022. Russia had to develop the new missile in response to threats from NATO.
The US military experts believe that Russia's actions come natural since the buildup of NATO forces increases tensions in relations with the Russian leadership. In particular, NATO intends to deploy nuclear weapons in Eastern Europe. Western missile defense systems had already been deployed in Poland and Romania, not far from the borders of Russia. This cannot but raise concerns in the Kremlin. The experts concluded that the development of the Zircon missile was an asymmetric response that Moscow gave to NATO's unfriendly actions.
The development of the hypersonic Zircon missile is part of Russia's overall naval strategy. In addition, it is planned to create air and ground modifications of the Zircon missile.
The Russian Navy counts on smaller ships, such as corvettes and frigates, capable of carrying long-range cruise missiles. Western countries deploy such weapons only on cruisers and destroyers, The Military Watch said.
It is worthy of note that China also works on its own hypersonic missiles. China conducted a test of such a missile in the summer of 2021. It was reported that the Chinese missile orbited the globe during the test. Many experts then said that China's test launch confirmed the nation's superiority over the United States in the development of hypersonic weapons.