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(CNN) - The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, presumed on Tuesday of the "unique" advances in hypersonic armament that his country has achieved, ensuring that other nations "are trying to reach us."
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Putin made the comments at a meeting of the board of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, adding that "no country has hypersonic weapons, much less hypersonic weapons of continental scope," according to a transcript published by the Kremlin.
Like Russia, the United States and China are also working on hypersonic projects. Beijing said earlier this year that it tested a hypersonic aircraft, while the US Air Force granted a contract to Lockheed Martin to develop a missile.
Russian President Vladimir Putin during his annual press conference in Moscow on December 19. (Credit: ALEXANDER NEMENOV / AFP via Getty Images)
Last year, also for this time, Putin made similar statements and said the new hypersonic missile system would come into operation in 2019, something that has not yet happened.
The Russian leader has already publicly displayed a series of advanced weapons that, he says, are capable of defeating the defenses of the United States and NATO, including a missile that can launch a warhead at a hypersonic speed.
However, analysts have previously expressed caution about Russia's boasting about its military capabilities as they are often not supported. In addition, the country has also experienced significant setbacks, including a fatal accident this year in a military testing ground.
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While the Kremlin has not confirmed details, it is suspected that the incident involved a nuclear-powered cruise missile known as Burevestnik or Skyfall.
On Tuesday, an advanced Russian Su-57 plane crashed during a test flight in the Khabarovsk region, Russian state news agencies reported.
The state agency TASS cited military industry officials who point out that a preliminary investigation concluded that the accident was caused by a technical failure of the aircraft control system.
The pilot was safely ejected, TASS reported.
Brad Lendon of CNN contributed to this report.
Weapons weapons Hypersonic engines Vladimir Putin
