Zircon (officially: 3M22 Zircon) is an anti-ship hypersonic cruise missile that can reach speeds of over 9,500 kilometers per hour (6,000 miles per hour), around nine times faster than the speed of sound. It can accurately pinpoint targets at a range of more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). Its testing began aboard the Admiral Gorshkov ship in July 2021. Russia sees the weapons as a way to pierce the increasingly sophisticated U.S. missile defense systems. "This ship, armed with 'Zircons', is capable of delivering pinpoint and powerful strikes against the enemy at sea and on land," Shoigu said. The Zircon could easily break through the air-defense Patriot missile system that the U.S. pledged to Ukraine during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s December visit to Washington.