“Zircon” VS “Tomahawk”, Russia and the United States test missiles on the same day!
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on December 11 Successfully test-fired the “Zircon” hypersonic missile again On the same day, the U.S. Navy also announced Successfully test-fired the new “Tomahawk” cruise missile Is it a coincidence? Listen to expert analysis
Russia’s intensive test firing of “Zircon” missiles and large Russian ships have begun to equip
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on December 11 that the Russian Navy’s “Gorshkov” frigate once again tested the “Zircon” hypersonic missile.
This “zircon” was launched from the White Sea region, and after a 350-kilometer flight, it accurately hit the target with a maximum flight speed of over Mach 8.
This is the third time the Russian Navy has tested this type of missile in more than two months.
Russian President Putin has publicly disclosed the key performance indicators of the “Zircon” hypersonic missile: its flight speed can reach Mach 9 and a range of more than 1,000 kilometers, and it can be carried and launched by surface ships and submarines.
In early October this year, the frigate “Marshal Gorshkov” successfully tested the “Zircon” hypersonic cruise missile for the first time.
Russian media reported that the “zircon” missile has the following advantages: it does not require a special launching device, and it is suitable for all devices that can be used to launch “caliber” missiles. Putin also revealed that in addition to the ship-based version of “Zircon”, Russia is also developing a land-based version.
In addition, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the work of upgrading the large-scale surface ships of the Russian army with the “zircon” system has begun.
The United States tested the Tomahawk cruise missile on the same day and became famous in the Gulf War
Coincidentally, the U.S. Navy also announced on December 11 that the destroyer “Chafi” of the U.S. Navy successfully tested two new “Tomahawk” Block-V cruise missiles that day, and both hit their targets.
The “Tomahawk” cruise missile is a high-precision, subsonic, multi-purpose general long-range strategic cruise missile developed by the United States.
It is divided into submarine-launched, ship-borne, land-launched and air-launched. The “Tomahawk” Block-V missile has further improved navigation accuracy and communication capabilities.
“Tomahawk” cruise missiles were installed in the army in 1983, each worth 1.45 million US dollars. Since its service in 1983, the “Tomahawk” has participated in almost all major U.S. military operations in recent years.
In the Gulf War in the early 1990s, the Tomahawk cruise missile became famous in the first battle. The US military launched 228 Tomahawk cruise missiles with a success rate of 85%, destroying Iraq’s air defense system.
In many subsequent foreign wars, the US military’s consistent approach was to first use the “Tomahawk” missile to open the way.
Later, due to the restrictions of the “Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty”, it was removed from the army and air force and mainly equipped with surface ships and submarines of the US Navy.
Although the “Tomahawk” Block-V tested on December 11 is the latest model, its flight speed has not been substantially improved, and it is still a subsonic missile.
Expert: The United States deliberately made this “coincidence” to show its maritime combat capability
What does Russia’s frequent test-fire of “Zircon” missiles indicate? Why did the United States test missiles on the same day as Russia? Analysis by Du Wenlong, a special commentator of the main station:
