Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a frigate armed with the country's latest Zircon hypersonic missile on a trans-oceanic cruise on Wednesday, escalating tensions with the West over the Ukraine conflict.

Russia claims that the Zircon missile can overcome any Western air defense system by flying at a staggering speed of 7,000 miles per hour (11,265 km/h).

The Admiral Gorshkov, ordered by the Russian Navy in 2018 after extensive testing, is the first in a new series of frigates designed to replace ageing Soviet-built destroyers.Putin hailed the Zircon as a powerful weapon capable of penetrating any existing missile defense system by flying nine times the speed of sound at a range of more than 1,000 kilometers (more than 620 miles).

Putin pointed out that zircon gives the Russian military a long-range conventional strike capability, allowing it to accurately strike any enemy target.

Russia's hypersonic weapons push comes as the United States is working on its own conventional fast global strike capability, which envisages hitting enemy strategic targets with key-guided weapons anywhere in the world within an hour. It is the Russian Navy's primary strike force.

Armed with an array of missiles, the ship is 130 meters (427 feet) long and has a crew of about 200. In 2019, it circled the world's oceans on a 35,000-nautical-mile journey.

Admiral Gorshkov served as the main test site for Russia's newest hypersonic missile, the Zircon. Over the past few years, Zircon has undergone a series of tests, including throwing at various practice targets. The military declared the tests successful, and the Zircon officially entered service last fall.

Zircon is designed to arm Russian cruisers, frigates, and submarines and can be used against enemy ships and ground targets. This is one of many hypersonic missiles that Russia has developed.
Putin hailed the Zircon as a powerful weapon capable of penetrating any existing missile defense system by flying at nine times the speed of sound at a range of more than 1,000 kilometers (more than 620 miles).

Putin pointed out that zircon gives the Russian military a long-range conventional strike capability, allowing it to accurately strike any enemy target.

Russia’s hypersonic weapons drive emerged as the U.S. has been working on its own conventional prompt global strike capability that envisions hitting an adversary’s strategic targets with precision-guided conventional weapons anywhere in the world within one hour.
Putin hailed Zircon as Russia's answer to the problem, saying the new weapon has no rival, giving Russia a strategic advantage.

Months before ordering the invasion of Ukraine, Putin warned the United States and its NATO allies that Russian warships equipped with zircon would give Russia the ability to attack "decision centers" of the enemy within minutes if deployed in neutral waters.

Speaking via video link during Wednesday’s sendoff ceremony, Putin again praised zircon as a "unique weapon" without an "equivalent for it in any country in the world."

In response, the Pentagon said it was monitoring the ship and did not think it presented a threat that could not be countered."We will continue to routinely monitor its activities as we maintain awareness of our operating environment," said Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Roger Cabiness.

Russia has already commissioned the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles for some of its ground-based intercontinental ballistic missiles that constitute part of Russia’s strategic nuclear triad. Putin has hailed the Avangard’s ability to maneuver at hypersonic speeds on its approach to the target, dodging air defenses.

The Russian military has also deployed the Kinzhal hypersonic missiles on its MiG-31 aircraft and used them during the war in Ukraine to strike some priority targets. Kinzhal reportedly has a range of about 1,500 kilometres (about 930 miles).

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to Putin on Wednesday that Admiral Gorshkov will patrol the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean, but didn’t give further details.

Shoigu said the Admiral Gorshkov’s crew will focus on "countering the threats to Russia and maintaining regional peace and stability jointly with friendly countries." He added the crew will practice with hypersonic weapons and long-range cruise missiles "in various conditions."

Some military experts say a single, hypersonic missile-armed warship is no match for the massive naval forces of the U.S. and its allies.

Others, however, pointed out that Putin's plan to escalate the conflict in Ukraine may have something to do with the frigate's potential deployment so close to American shores.

In a commentary, pro-Kremlin political analyst Sergei Markov stated: "This is a message to the West that Russia has nuclear-tipped missiles that can easily pierce any missile defenses."