A Russian frigate armed with hypersonic missiles sails across the English Channel towards the Atlantic

The carrier of the Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missiles, the frigate Admiral Golovko was sighted in the English Channel. This presence aims to “show the Russian flag and ensure Russian naval presence in operationally important areas of the World Ocean.”

The Channel under close surveillance. A Russian Navy frigate equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles is carrying out exercises in the English Channel. It will continue these operations in the Atlantic Ocean, according to a press release from the Northern Fleet released by the Tass and RIA news agencies.

“The Northern Fleet frigate Admiral Golovko has completed its crossing of the English Channel and is currently continuing missions in areas of the Atlantic Ocean,” says the Russian Navy.

Still according to the press release, this ship is carrying out anti-terrorism exercises by training to repel attacks from aerial and maritime drones. Training which serves as a message to those who would like to attack this building which will enter service in 2023. The other objectives of this deployment are to “show the Russian flag and ensure the Russian naval presence in operationally important areas of the world ocean “, specifies the press release from the Northern Fleet.

The journey started on November 1st. The frigate left Severomorsk harbor with a group of ships including the supply ship Vyazma.

Hypersonic strategy

Just before its commissioning, then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the warship would be equipped with Zircon missiles first tested in October 2020. It reaches speeds of Mach 9 to reach maritime and land targets.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, he covered a distance of 450 kilometers in just four and a half minutes. In 2021, other test firings were carried out in the Russian Arctic from an Admiral Gorchkov-class frigate, but also from a diving submarine.

The hypersonic strategy was launched on the orders of Vladimir Putin. As early as 2023, Russia began arming its fleet with Zircon missiles. With the Avangard hypersonic glider which entered service in 2019, it constitutes the centerpiece of the Russian hypersonic arsenal and develops its deterrent force.

The passage of a Russian frigate armed with a Zircon missile through this area is not a first. In January 2023, the frigate Gorchkov was seen off the coast of Boulogne-sur-Mer in the Strait of Pas-de-Calais.