Hypersonics

 

Zircon, Russia’s newest hypersonic anti-ship missile, will radically shift the balance of power on the high seas

The Zircon hypersonic missile will reportedly be tested three more times by the end of the year. Fired from the Russian Navy frigate Admiral Gorshkov, it will be expected to strike an ‘aircraft carrier’ type of naval target.

The first of the three planned tests is expected to take place in late October or early November.

Zircon hypersonic missiles are considered some of the most promising weapons against carrier battle groups – and no surprise there. Modern aircraft carriers are any navy’s greatest attack power at sea, and it’s the aircraft carriers that tip the scales of a military battle. 

During the local conflicts of the past decades, aircraft carriers proved to be a very effective means of war. However, they are very expensive in terms of construction and maintenance, with a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier costing up to $13-14 billion. Currently, only nine countries can boast ships like this.

For instance, the US Navy has 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers that operate as part of a carrier strike group (one aircraft carrier accompanied by escort vessels, i.e. a battle group) or carrier strike force (several aircraft carriers accompanied by escort vessels). Aircraft carriers are the core of these operational formations. The US has 67 carrier squadrons and 731 jets.