MOSCOW – Russia announced on Monday that it has successfully test-fired a hypersonic ‘Tsirkon’ cruise missile from a submarine for the first time.
The country’s defence ministry, which launched the Tsirkon missile from Severodvinsk submarine in July in the Barents Sea, said that the missile had hit its chosen target.
Low-quality video footage released by the ministry showed the missile blasting off from the submarine and illuminating the water’s surface.
#Footage #RussianNavy to perform the first test launch of a #Tsirkon hypersonic missile from a nuclear submarine https://t.co/ndA9YevUrz#CruiseMissiles #MissileLaunch #WeaponTrials #Submarines #RussianWeapons pic.twitter.com/CWZEAWfgYz
— Минобороны России (@mod_russia) October 4, 2021
“The test-firing of the Tsirkon missile from a nuclear submarine was deemed successful,” the ministry said in a statement.
Reports said that footage released in July of the new advanced S-500 surface-to-air missile system appeared to have been deliberately blurred, making it harder for experts to examine.
Tsirkon would arm Russian cruisers, frigates and submarines.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the missiles would be capable of flying at nine times the speed of sound – Mach 9 – (6,900mph) and have a range of 1,000km.
He said that the deployment of the new weapon will strengthen Russian military capability.
Russia unveils first footage of S-500 surface-to-air missile system in action
