Russia tests ship-based hypersonic missile

Russia reports another successful test launch of hypersonic missile

President Vladimir Putin had previously said the missiles could fly at nine times the speed of sound and it could hit almost any point in the world, even evading a US-built missile shield.

By Edward Era Barbacena

Moscow - Russia's military has reported another successful test launch of the new Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic cruise missile.

The missile was fired from the Admiral Gorshkov in the White Sea and hit a target on the coast of the Barents Sea, more than 217 miles (350km) away.

President Vladimir Putin has previously touted the weapon as part of a new generation of missile systems.

The defence ministry said the missile travelled at around seven times the speed of sound before hitting its target.

"The tactical and technical characteristics of the Tsirkon missile were confirmed during the tests," the ministry said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the Zircon missile would be capable of flying at nine times the speed of sound and have a range of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).

An earlier test launch took place in October, on Putin's birthday. Russia's leader hailed it as a “big event” for the country.

But some Western experts have questioned how advanced Russia’s new generation of weapons is, while recognising that the combination of speed, manoeuvrability and altitude of hypersonic missiles makes them difficult to track and intercept.

“Equipping our armed forces — the army and the navy — with the latest, truly unparalleled weapon systems will certainly ensure the defense capability of our country in the long term,” Putin said at the time.

Russia-US tensions

Putin announced an array of new hypersonic weapons in 2018 in one of his most bellicose speeches in years, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a United States-built missile shield.

The following year, he threatened to deploy hypersonic missiles on ships and submarines that could lurk outside US territorial waters if Washington moved to deploy intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe.

Washington has not deployed such missiles in Europe, but Moscow is worried it might.

Tensions between the two capitals are simmering over a range of issues including Belarus, Ukraine, NATO and human rights, with relations between Russia and the West currently languishing at post-Cold War lows.