PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2019) KAMCHATSKY, February 24 (Sputnik) - State-owned broadcaster Rossiya 1, which is part of the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK), in the program Vesti Nedeli listed five US military decision-making centers that could become targets for Russia's hypersonic cruise missiles Zircon if Washington threatens to use its missiles against Russia.
These targets are the Pentagon, which hosts the supreme command and control bodies of the armed forces and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS); government control center in Camp David; Fort Ritchie, Maryland, which is the US president's control center and the JCS command center. These three sites are located on the East Coast of the United States. The two targets on the West Coast are McClellan, California, which hosts strategic offensive forces command, and Jim Creek, Washington, home to nuclear forces control center.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that advanced hypersonic missile Zircon would have a speed of 9 Mach (11,000 kph or 6,900 mph) and a flight range of over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). The president added that the missile was designed for sea-based carriers � serial submarines and surface ships, including those already manufactured and under construction.
Such missiles, in the event of a threat to Russia, will target US decision-making centers, which control missile defense systems deployed in Europe. Short-range and medium-range missiles can potentially be deployed in missile launchers of Europe-based US missile defense system.
On Thursday, retired Russian Rear Adm. Vsevolod Khmyrov said that Russian Navy vessels could fire 40 hypersonic cruise missiles Zircon at a time, which would successfully hit US Armed Forces' control centers.
Khmyrov recalled that the United States had deployed Mk41 systems for the launch of Tomahawk missiles in Romania, noting that similar systems were being deployed in Poland. The retired rear admiral noted that these systems would be controlled from centers located in North America. The United States believed that due to the long distance from Russia, in the event of a response from the Russian Armed Forces, these centers would remain inaccessible to long-range weapons, Khmyrov suggested.
