Russia announced on Saturday (28) that it had carried out a new test with the hypersonic cruise missile Zircon, as it intensifies its offensive in eastern Ukraine.
The Zircon was launched from the frigate Amiral Gorchkov in the Barents Sea and hit a target located about 1,000 kilometers away in the Arctic waters of the White Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The video released by the ministry shows the missile being launched from a ship and flying into the sky on a steep trajectory.
Hypersonic weapons can travel at nine times the speed of sound. The Zircon missile has a maximum range of 1,000 kilometers and should equip the ships and submarines of the Russian fleet.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the Zircon as part of a new generation of “unparalleled” weaponry, and referred to the first official firing of the weapon, which took place in October 2020, as a “major event”.
Other test firings have already been carried out, mainly from the frigate Amiral Gorchkov and a submarine.
Russia announced in March that it had used Kinjal hypersonic missiles in its offensive in Ukraine that began in February, a feature it has not officially used until now, except for testing.
Kinjal hypersonic ballistic missiles and Zircon cruise missiles belong to a family of new weapons developed by Russia that Putin calls “invincible”.
The Russian Armed Forces suffered heavy losses of men and equipment in the three-month invasion of Ukraine, but continued to conduct high-level weapons tests to remind the world of their prowess in missile technology.
Last month, Moscow tested the launch of a new nuclear-capable intercontinental missile, the Sarmat, capable of carrying ten or more warheads and hitting the United States.
