Russia: “Putin hails the Successful test of Zircon hypersonic missiles”
As world powers race to develop advanced weaponry, Russia has carried out a number of successful tests of its Zircon hypersonic cruise missile.
Speaking at a government meeting on Friday, Putin said that the salvo launch of the missile had been conducted overnight.
This was however the first time that Russian authorities reported a successful simultaneous launch test of several Zircon missiles.
“The tests were conducted successfully, immaculately,” Putin said in televised remarks.
“This is a big event in the life of the country and a considerable step in strengthening Russia’s security and improving its defense capability,” he added.
A spokesman for the Russian defense ministry could not provide further details when reached by AFP.
Putin revealed the development of the new weapon in a state of the nation address in February 2019, saying it could hit targets at sea and on land within a range of 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) at a speed of Mach 9.
Russia, the United States, France and China have all been experimenting with so-called hypersonic glide vehicles — defined as reaching speeds of at least Mach 5.
