Russia and Belarus have kicked off their Zapad joint drills on September 12 with a bang—literally! 🚀
As part of these exercises, Russia's Northern Fleet put its Admiral Golovko frigate to work, firing a Zircon hypersonic cruise missile at a target in the Barents Sea. According to defense ministry data, it was a direct hit! 🔥
Hypersonic missiles like Zircon can zoom at over Mach 7 (seven times the speed of sound) and change course mid-flight—imagine a guided rocket with serious agility. It's cutting-edge tech that feels straight out of sci-fi. 🤯
Meanwhile, Sukhoi Su-34 supersonic fighter-bombers joined the action, practicing precision strikes on ground targets. These jets, nicknamed "Fullback" in NATO code, showcase Russia's effort to keep its air power sharp in fast-evolving scenarios.
Both Moscow and Minsk insist Zapad is purely defensive—no plans to gate-crash into NATO airspace. Yet after recent drone flights into Poland, NATO launched its "Eastern Sentry" monitoring operation to keep an eye on the skies.
Whether you're a Mobile Legends champ or a PUBG ace, Zapad drills feel like the ultimate co-op mission—only the boss drops hypersonic missiles instead of loot crates! 🎮
Stay tuned for more on how cutting-edge military tech shapes global security—and what it means for our ever-connected world! 🌍✨
Reference(s):
Russia launches missiles during joint military exercises with Belarus
cgtn.com