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Russia says it has test-fired another hypersonic missile
The Russian navy on Saturday conducted another test of a prospective hypersonic missile, a demonstration of the military's long-range strike capability amid the fighting in Ukraine.
The Defense Ministry said the Admiral Gorshkov frigate of the Northern Fleet in the White Sea launched the Zircon cruise missile in the Barents Sea, successfully hitting a practice target in the White Sea about 1,000 kilometers (540 nautical miles) away.
[...] Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Zircon is capable of flying at nine times the speed of sound and has a range of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). Putin has emphasized that its deployment will significantly boost the capability of Russia's military.
Previously: Russia Reports First Combat Use of Hypersonic Missiles
US Tested Hypersonic Missile but Kept It Quiet to Avoid Escalating Tensions With Russia
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Thexalon on Monday May 30 2022, @05:54PM (8 children)
"Oh, yes, we totally don't have any of those already. And if we did have them, absolutely none of them would be aimed at Moscow. And you totally don't see my fingers crossed behind my back as I'm saying this."
A truly great military has no need to strut around like a peacock, they just get the mission done and let that speak for itself.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by pkrasimirov on Monday May 30 2022, @08:04PM (3 children)
The point of MAD is to let everyone know they are vulnerable to missile attacks. I don't see a problem in that. But making this claim while the field grunts loot washing machines, ipads, and alcohol for own personal use, even at the price of commiting war crimes, makes it look absurd.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Thexalon on Monday May 30 2022, @08:22PM (2 children)
I mean, Vlad has gone out of his way to remind everyone he has nukes and thus is immune from any external threats from non-suicidal countries several times. As for the US, they have plenty of all 3 of the nuclear triad (subs, missiles, bombers) and everyone knows it.
But on the hypersonics, the only people that seem to be taking this as a serious threat are the people who want the current US political leadership to seem "weak" whatever that means. I'm not sure how crippling a long-time foe's forces without losing a single one of the US's own troops to do it is "weak" rather than "smart" or "straight out of the 36 Strategems playbook". But as far as I can tell those sorts seem to think that how war works is that the leaders of the two sides scream at each other for a while until one of them decides that it's not worth it, which might be what you'd do if you were a chimpanzee but not a human who can think and stuff.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by pkrasimirov on Monday May 30 2022, @10:53PM
I completely agree with you. Vlad's way before 24 Feb was intolerant postures and CGI PR. After the date it were hallucinations about great success ("everything goes to plan") and great doom ("existence threatened, ready nukes") at the same time. Now he's back at the PR it seems.
Not sure what crippling at the moment you are talking about, the long-time foe proved already pretty crippled to me. And about the single US troop there are quite a number of foreign volunteers, with the most numerous group from the US.
Screaming is what Vlad does since a while ago because that's pretty much left what he can do anymore. And dreaded nukes, albeit there are speculations not everybody will push the button in the mad case he gives the order.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 30 2022, @11:38PM
The problem is that the once-great empire they admire is failing, sabre rattling is all that it really has left, everyone now knows it, and the fatal wounds are entirely self inflicted. That leaves the supporters and patsies with nothing but straws and the nuclear boogeyman to grasp at. It would be pathetic if innocent people weren't dying for it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 30 2022, @11:22PM (3 children)
US has not had a successful war since 1990 and still had to go back a decade later under false pretense, to really get it 'done'.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Thexalon on Tuesday May 31 2022, @02:31AM (2 children)
... if you ignore the Kosovo War, in which the US accomplished its mission with the loss of only a handful of troops and equipment. You could also make a good argument that US intervention in Colombia has proven completely successful.
Although as a Marine buddy of mine points out, if their actions have made it to the news, odds are pretty good they've screwed up.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 31 2022, @04:58AM (1 child)
was there boots on the ground in Kosovo?
then again your buddy is right, sucessful action always less newsworthy, is why Chrimea so quietly became Russian afterall.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Tuesday May 31 2022, @05:38AM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosovo_war#NATO_losses [wikipedia.org]