MOSCOW – The Russian Navy has successfully test-fired a potential hypersonic missile, the country’s military said on Monday.
The Admiral Gorshkov frigate in the White Sea launched a Zircon cruise missile, hitting a practice target 400 kilometers (215 nautical miles) away, the Defense Ministry said. The launch was the latest in a series of Zircon tests, which are expected to be operational next year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the Zircon will be able to fly at nine times the speed of sound and have a range of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). Putin has stressed that its deployment will significantly boost the capabilities of the Russian military.
Zircon is designed to equip Russian cruisers, frigates and submarines. It is one of several hypersonic missiles being developed in Russia.
The Kremlin has made modernizing its arsenal a top priority amid tensions with the West after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014.
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