THE Royal Navy’s entire fleet could be at risk of being sunk by Russian hypersonic missiles capable of reaching 7,000mph, MPs fear.
Vladimir Putin recently ordered his country’s Northern Fleet to be equipped with the Zircon weapons, which cover 100 miles in under a minute.
The tyrant has described the cruise missiles as invincible and has launched them against civilian targets in Ukraine.
They can be launched by submarines, warships or on land and Russia is believed to have around 40 — enough to destroy all of the Royal Navy’s frigates, destroyers and both aircraft carriers.
Former Chief of the Naval Staff Lord West said hypersonic missiles were “a very real threat and a genuine concern to those who want to maintain our defences”.
Zircons have a range of up to 600 miles and can be fitted with high explosive or nuclear warheads.
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But defence sources have warned they can fly so fast and with such energy that even if the warhead was filled with solid metal or concrete, it could still sink a ship.
In training exercises, Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon was able to shoot down a drone travelling at 2,800mph — less than half the speed of a Zircon missile.
Tory MP and ex-Army officer Ben Obese-Jecty and Labour MP Graeme Downie have both recently questioned the Government on the Zircon’s impact on UK defences.
Armed Forces minister and SBS veteran Al Carns said: “His Majesty’s Government announced up to £1billion of investment for Integrated Air and Missile Defence in the Strategic Defence Review.
“This is part of a comprehensive and integrated approach to deterring and defending against the range of strategic threats we face.”