Russia has reportedly used five of its new hypersonic Zircon missiles to target Kyiv since the beginning of 2024. Russia claims that these sea-based missiles, boasting a range of 625 miles and capable of traveling at nine times the speed of sound, are part of its family of “superweapons” aimed at penetrating the U.S. missile defense system.
However, Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan argues that these supersonic missiles might be more bluster than an actual threat. He contends that the missiles can often be detected from long distances and intercepted relatively easily. Zeihan further suggests that their accuracy is weak, as they frequently fly “blind” and “deaf,” which results in them missing their intended targets.
Excerpted from Peter’s April 18 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:
Today, we’re talking about the “unstoppable” hypersonic missiles that the Russians have been hyping up over the past few years. Spoiler alert: this is just the handy work of the hyperbolic-Russian-propaganda-machine.
The hypersonics in question are the Kinzhal and Zircon, which are indeed some advanced missiles. However, we’ve already seen instances of these being intercepted with existing defense systems, such as the U.S. Patriot. There are also several other factors that help deconstruct this Russian lie, including flight path limitations, reduced accuracy and warhead size due to high speeds, and vulnerabilities at lower altitudes.
Sure, these are advanced weapons that should be taken seriously, but these are nowhere near the game-changing level that the Russians have made them out to be.