The Telegraph experts explained why "Zircon" is not a superweapon

The Telegraph experts explained why "Zircon" is not a superweapon

The downing of the Russian Zircon missile was a new humiliation for Russian President Volodymyr Putin, as Ukrainian air defense shot down another of his supposedly invincible weapons.

This is reported by The Telegraph .

According to the publication, the Zircon missile is unlikely to reach speeds of up to Max 9 (about 11,025 km/h), as stated by the Russians.

If a missile actually approached its target at 8M or 9M, it would be difficult to defend against, especially if it maneuvered unpredictably. However, most experts are skeptical about this, because at such speeds it would move inside a self-generated bubble of ionized plasma. This would make it impossible to hit a moving target such as a ship, and even during a ground attack would limit the missile to relatively inaccurate inertial guidance,” the publication writes.

Analysts also said that the Russian Federation often exaggerates its military capabilities. In particular, they recalled another of Putin’s six “superweapons” - the Kinzhal-type missile. The Kremlin reported that it was impossible to shoot down, however, Kyiv was able to prove the opposite with the help of Patriot systems.

“It is likely that Zircon is not what it seems to be. And it is quite possible that it was approaching Kyiv no faster than the supersonic Calibr. It’s too early to tell, but it’s likely that the Zircon, like the Kinzhal, is not the game-changing superweapon Putin says it is. It seems that the Russian dictator has once again been made a fool,” the publication writes.