{"id":16692,"date":"2025-09-16T06:20:49","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T06:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=16692"},"modified":"2025-09-16T06:20:49","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T06:20:49","slug":"russia-tests-hypersonic-missile-at-natos-doorstep-and-shares-the-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=16692","title":{"rendered":"Russia Tests Hypersonic Missile at NATO\u2019s Doorstep\u2014and Shares the Video"},"content":{"rendered":"


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On Sunday, Russia<\/span> released images of its launch of a 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missile from a frigate in the Barents Sea, in the Arctic Ocean, near NATO borders. The launch comes against a backdrop of rising tensions with the West, just days after several Russian drones<\/a> violated the airspace of North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries Poland and Romania.<\/p>\n

The Zircon test is part of the Zapad 2025 joint maneuvers with Belarus, a week of military exercises aimed at assessing defensive and coordination capabilities between the two allied countries. It also serves to show that Russia’s military force has not lost its strength, despite heavy losses more than three years after the start of the invasion of Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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In the video originally shared on Telegram, the crew aboard the frigate Admiral Golovko fires the Zircon at a target in the Barents Sea, an area bounded to the west by the Norwegian Sea. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the target was destroyed in a direct hit by its hypersonic missile, which can reach a distance of up to 1,000 kilometers and travel at Mach 9\u2014nine times the speed of sound.<\/p>\n

The images also show exercises with Sukoi Su-34 supersonic fighter-bombers, a two-seater fighter-bomber that can carry up to eight tons of armament and can fly up to 2,485 miles (4,000 kilometers) without refueling (or more than 4,350 miles, or 7,000 km, with external tanks).<\/p>\n

There is evidence that Russia has employed hypersonic missiles against civilian targets in Ukraine, such as the Zircon or Kinzhal, which are virtually impossible to intercept. This is not only because of their speed, but also because of their maneuvering capabilities, allowing them to change course mid-flight to evade defense systems (albeit in a limited way).<\/p>\n

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