Russian Warship to Join Drills With navies of China, South Africa

• The missiles travel at nine times the speed of sound.
• The missiles have a range of more than 1,000 km (620 miles).
• The exercise will be the second involving the three South African countries.

A Russian warship armed with new-generation hypersonic cruise weaponry will take part in joint exercises with the navies of China and South Africa in February.

It was the first public mention of the frigate “Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov,” which is armed with Zircon missiles, taking part.

According to Russia, the missiles travel at nine times the speed of sound and have a range of more than 1,000 km (620 miles). They are the centerpiece of its hypersonic arsenal, along with the Avangard glide vehicle, which entered combat service in 2019.

“‘Admiral Gorshkov’… will go to the logistic support point in Tartus, Syria, and then participate in joint naval exercises with the Chinese and South African navies.”

The South African National Defense Force said on Thursday that the drills, which will take place near the port cities of Durban and Richards Bay from February 17 to 27, aim to “strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia, and China.”

The exercise will be the second involving the three South African countries, following a drill in 2019, according to the defense force.

This month, the “Gorshkov” conducted training in the Norwegian Sea after President Vladimir Putin dispatched it to the Atlantic Ocean to send a message to the West that Russia would not back down in the Ukraine conflict.

China, Russia, and the United States are racing to develop hypersonic weapons, which are seen as a way to gain an advantage over any adversary due to their faster-than-sound speeds and difficulty in detection.

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