Insider:

Russia’s Zircon hypersonic missile can do two things: fly at almost 7,000 mph, which makes it very hard to shoot down, or hit a moving ship. But it can’t do both.

That’s the conclusion of a British expert who says that the Zircon is a powerful weapon with major limitations.

“The operational deployment of the Zircon is an important development, but one whose significance should not be exaggerated,” according to Sidharth Kaushal, a naval warfare expert at the Royal United Services Institute, a British defense think tank.

President Vladimir Putin has touted Russia’s hypersonic weapons as being “invincible.” Russian officials claim the 3M22 Zircon can travel at Mach 9, or about 6,900 mph, which may be too fast for current tactical anti-missile defenses.

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