Russia Goes Hypersonic: the West Lagging Behind in Missile Technology Race

Remember all those times Global Geopolitics has warned that the Russians and Chinese were either on par or soon going to be more militarily advanced than America?

Just in case, here’s a few refreshers posted throughout the years:

WORLD WAR III? US fears China will win any conflict because strength of Red Army’s fleet

Nuclear Submarines and Hypersonic Missiles: China Is Making Game-Changing Weapons Advances

Global Ballistic Missile Threats Beginning to Outpace US Defense Capability

China, Russia, Iran Closing Gap with Smaller, Older U.S. Military

Russia claims to have super weapon that disables western satellites and long range arms

Chinese bought division of IBM that manufactures computing servers for U.S. Navy Aegis cruisers

China Tests ICBM With Multiple Warheads

‘Stolen’ J-31 can beat American jets in dogfight, says US pilot

Pentagon: Military Losing Technological Superiority to China

Photos show second China stealth fighter prototype has test flight

Silent Running

Obama’s Lost in Space

 

 

On March 30, the Russian Navy launched Kazan, the second upgraded Yasen-class project 885M submarine. The Navy will take delivery of the vessel in 2018. A total of seven Yasen class nuclear attack submarines are to be built by 2023. Kazan is an upgraded Project 885M design – an advanced version that is in many ways much more capable than the lead ship of the class, Severodvinsk, the first submarine in the series, entered service in 2016.

The Kazan’s armament includes 3M22 Zircon – a hypersonic cruise capable of speeds of around Mach 5.0-Mach 6.0 (7,400 kilometer per hour (4,600 mile per hour) expected to enter into production in 2018. At a cruising altitude of 30,000 m its kinetic energy at impact is 50 times higher than existing air-ship and ship-to-ship missiles. The projectile can travel covering 155 miles in 2.5 minutes, which is faster than a sniper’s bullet. The enemy will not have enough time to get scared, let alone react.

For comparison, the sea-based Kalibr cruise missile travels at a Mach 0.9 speed, but while approaching the target, its warhead speeds up to Mach 2.9.

Russian-Venezuelan Bank to Start Functioning in 2015 – Envoy

Venezuela’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation Juan Vicente Paredes Torrealba stated that the final document, which will allow the Russian-Venezuelan investment bank to begin operating, will be signed during the session of the Intergovernmental Russian-Venezuelan High-Level Commission in Kazan.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Russian-Venezuelan investment bank will officially begin operating this year, Venezuela’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation Juan Vicente Paredes Torrealba told Sputnik in an exclusive interview.

Russian Shipyard Makes History: 4 Subs Under Construction Simultaneously

Four of the most advanced nuclear-powered submarines in the world are now simultaneously under construction at Russia’s Sevmash shipyard for the first time in the country’s modern history, Russia media reported.

Eurasian Economic Union set to abandon dollar, euro — reports

The EEU countries could switch to national currencies in mutual payments by 2025-2030, the chairman of the board of directors of Russia’s National Payment Council, told the Izvestia newspaper

MOSCOW, December 2. /TASS/. Transactions in dollars and euros could be banned within the member-states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) — Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia, the Izvestia newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The EEU countries could switch to national currencies (ruble, Belarusian ruble, Kazakhstani tenge and Armenian dram) in mutual payments by 2025-2030, the chairman of the board of directors of Russia’s National Payment Council, Alexander Murychev told the newspaper.