Russia test launches Tsirkon hypersonic missile

Europe, News October 5, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

Russian Navy’s Severodvinsk nuclear submarine (K-560) successfully conducts the first test launch of the Tsirkon hypersonic missile.

The Russian military said that it was the first time had successfully test-fired a hypersonic “Tsirkon” missile from a submarine. The missile was launched against a simulated maritime target in the Barents Sea from the White Sea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised missile launch as a part of a “new generation of unrivaled arms systems”.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry statement, the hypersonic missile was launched from the Russian navy’s nuclear-powered attack submarine Severodvinsk from a depth of 131 feet and hit a test target in the Barents Sea.

“The test-firing of the Tsirkon missile from a nuclear submarine was deemed successful,” Russian Defense Ministry statement stated.

*Tsirkon *missile* launch – a shot from a video released by the Russian military*

The Russian military released a grainy video of a missile launch, showing missile flares lighting up the sky. “The test-firing of the Tsirkon missile from a nuclear submarine was deemed successful,” the Russian Defense Ministry statement stated.

Earlier in July, the Tsirkon missile had been test-fired previously from the ocean surface by a navy frigate. According to Russian President Putin, the missile can fly at nine times the speed of sound and has a range of 620 miles.

Hypersonic missiles fly much faster and are more agile than usual missiles, which makes them much more difficult for missile defense systems to intercept.

Russia’s new generation of weapons are often questioned by Western experts, however, military experts have recognized that the combination of speed, maneuverability, and altitude of hypersonic missiles makes them difficult to track and intercept.