Russia announced on Monday that it had successfully tested its new Zircon hypersonic cruise missile, part of the panoply of weapons developed by Moscow which ensures that they are unparalleled in the world.
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"
The frigate Admiral Gorchkov fired a hypersonic Zircon missile from the White Sea at a land target located on the coast of the Barents Sea,
" the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The missile was flying at Mach 7 and "
successfully hit the target 350 kilometers away
".
"A great event" for Russia
The first official launch of a Zircon missile dates back to October 2020, with Russian President Vladimir Putin hailing a “
big event
” for “the
whole country
”.
At least two more tests have since taken place, each time from Admiral Gorchkov.
Against a background of tensions with Western countries, Russia has multiplied in recent years the announcements of new weapons presented as "
invincible
" by Vladimir Poutine.
New generation hypersonic missiles
Zircon is one of them.
With a maximum range of around 1,000 kilometers, it is intended to equip surface ships and submarines of the Russian fleet.
Several other weapons such as the Kinjal hypersonic missile for the Air Force or the Bourevestnik nuclear-powered missile.
The first new generation Avangard hypersonic missiles, capable of reaching a speed of Mach 27 and changing course and altitude, were put into service with the Russian army in December 2019.
