The Russian Navy's first frigate armed with a hypersonic missiles has been deployed to the waters around Ukraine.
TruNews host and founder Rick Wiles said the deployment of the Russian Admiral Gorshkov frigate could be a sign that Moscow and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are ramping up for a big confrontation this coming spring.
Wiles described the Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles carried by the frigate as "capable of delivering devastating strikes at sea and on land." According to Russia, these missiles are the centerpiece of Moscow's ballistic arsenal.
Wiles' co-host, Doc Burkhart, cited an article from the South China Morning Post about the frigate's deployment. According to him, things are indeed appearing to be ramping up as the vessel completed a joint exercise with the navies of China and South Africa. There is also the possibility of the frigate joining the Russia-Ukraine war, backing up ground troops.
Citing the Russian state-owned news agency TASS, Burkhardt said the Admiral Gorshkov set off for new waters on Feb. 27 after three days of naval drills on the waters of South Africa's Cape Town. The Admiral Gorshkov, the seagoing tanker Kama and other warships of the Russian Northern Fleet took part in artillery drills, minesweeping and maritime rescue operations during the exercises. (Related: Fully armed Russian Navy ships navigate between Britain and Ireland.)
Since 2015, the Russian Navy has been using the Admiral Gorshkov and three other frigates as platforms to test the powerful Zircon hypersonic missiles. The missiles proved to be capable of both penetrating NATO air defense systems and destroying surface targets in Ukraine.
The Admiral Gorshkov was the first Russian warship to be equipped with the Zircon missiles. During the inaugural test firing of the Zircon at the Barents sea in October 2020, the missile reached a speed of Mach 8 and an altitude of 28 kilometers (17.3 miles).
Russia also equipping its submarines with hypersonic missiles
While the TASS report did not mention if the Zircon anti-ship hypersonic cruise missile system was tested during the joint exercises, Chinese military experts said the frigate might be deployed in the Black Sea as reinforcement. Former Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) instructor Song Zhongping was among these experts.
According to Song, the Admiral Gorshkov could deploy the Zircon missiles to support the Black Sea Fleet's combat capability. The fleet was significantly weakened when its flagship, the Moskva guided missile cruiser, sank in April of last year. He added that the naval drills in Cape Town also sought to test the frigate's long-distance deployment capability.
Meanwhile, Burkhart pointed out that Russia is also growing its nuclear submarine fleet for a potential deployment to Ukraine. Citing a report by the news agency RIA Novosti, he mentioned that Moscow is set to add two nuclear submarines to its naval fleet.
According to the RIA Novosti report, the new submarines are part of the Borei-class submarines that run on nuclear power. The two submarines are also armed with 16 Bulava ballistic missiles, making them a vital nuclear deterrent.
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Watch the TruNews segment featuring Rick Wiles and Doc Burkhart discussing the deployment of the Admiral Gorshkov frigate below.
This video is from the TruNews channel on Brighteon.com.
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