Russia Successfully Tests Hypersonic Missile Again "Hits Target Flying at 8000km/h"

New Maritime-Launched Hypersonic Cruise Missile 'Chircon'

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russia's Ministry of Defense announced on the 19th (local time) that it has once again succeeded in the test launch of the new sea-launched hypersonic cruise missile "Tsirkon."

The missile, launched from the White Sea, reportedly flew at a speed of about Mach 7 (8,568 km/h) and hit a ground target along the coast of the Barents Sea.

This follows a series of successful test launches in October, November, and December of last year.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated in a press release that the 4,500-ton frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" of the Northern Fleet launched the Tsirkon missile and successfully struck a ground target 350 km away.

The Ministry explained, "The tactical and technical performance of the missile was confirmed during the test process."

Hypersonic weapons, capable of striking anywhere on Earth within an hour at speeds of at least Mach 5 (6,120 km/h), are regarded as next-generation weapons that can neutralize missile defense systems.

The Tsirkon is known to have the capability to fly over 1,000 km at speeds up to Mach 9 and strike both ground and sea targets.

Russia has been conducting test launches of the Tsirkon missile since 2016 and is believed to have carried out about 10 test launches so far.

The Tsirkon missile is expected to be deployed operationally on Russian Navy surface ships and submarines once the test launches are completed.