On Sunday, Russia launched a zircon hypersonic cruise missile at targets in the Barents Sea. This action, which involved the Skoy SU-34 supersonic fighter-bomber, was part of a joint military drill with Belarus.
This strategic exercise, dubbed “Zapad,” commenced on September 12, with the goal of enhancing military command and coordination in case of an attack on either Russia or Belarus.
While Moscow and Minsk assert that the drills are purely defensive and they have no plans to target NATO members, the US-led military alliance initiated the “Eastern Sentry” operation following an incursion of Russian drones into Poland on September 9-10.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has provided video footage that shows the North Fleet’s Golovko frigate launching a zircon missile at a target in the Barents Sea.
In the footage, the missile is seen being fired upwards from the frigate before it angled toward the horizon.
The ministry stated, “According to objective surveillance data received in real time, the target was destroyed by a direct hit.”
Additionally, long-range anti-submarine aircraft from the North Fleet’s mixed air force are engaged in the exercise.
The crew of the SU-34 reported that they practiced bombing runs targeting ground objectives.
In 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned that the zircon missile could reach speeds of up to nine times that of sound, striking targets over 600 miles away, whether at sea or on land.
According to Russian media, the missile known as SS-N-33 by NATO, or the 3M22 zircon, has a range from 400 km to 1,000 km and carries a warhead weighing between 300 kg and 400 kg.
