Equipped with the latest technology, the pride of Russia, the Admiral Gorshkov, sailed into Richards Bay Harbor on Wednesday. The ship has hypersonic missiles.
The flagship of the Russian Navy, the Admiral Gorshkov, is a so-called multipurpose frigate, armed with Zircon hypersonic missiles containing Russia’s most advanced weapon technology.
They are said to be difficult to repel, as they are able to fly controlled to their target at up to five times the speed of sound.
The range of Russian missiles is said to be 900 kilometers. Equipped with nuclear warheads, hypersonic missiles are currently the most important deterrent of the Russian armed forces.
China and the United States are currently developing their own versions of similar missiles.
Admiral Gorškov is participating in ten-day military exercises on the east coast of South Africa together with the Chinese and South Africans. The ship sailed into the port of Richards Bay on Wednesday.
The joint exercises of the three countries will start on Friday. South Africa talks about routine exercises, but in the current world situation, where Russia is waging an aggressive war against Ukraine, they have been criticized. The fear is that the exercises will endanger relations with Western powers.
On top of everything, the timing of the exercises is precisely the anniversary of the Russian attack, which infuriates the Western countries.
South Africa, like China, has not condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
The Russian Navy would like dozens of new frigates
The Russian news agency TASS previously reported that the frigate would test a hypersonic missile during exercises.
Captain Oleg Gladkiy however, denied the claim.
– The exercises include helping a ship in trouble, helping a ship hijacked by pirates, and firing at naval targets. No hypersonic weapons are used.
The Russian government has ordered a total of eight frigates of the Admiral Gorškov class, says Military Today (switch to another service). Merivoimat has announced that 20–30 ships are sufficient.
It is designed to operate against other surface ships and submarines and to operate in escort missions. The ship’s gas turbine engines are manufactured in Ukraine.
In addition to hypersonic missiles, the armament includes Kalibr cruise missiles with a range of 2,500 kilometers.
On Tuesday, the absolute president Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would withdraw from the nuclear arms control treaty with the United States.
Source: Reuters