It is planned to carry out five launches for sea and coastal targets
MOSCOW, October 30. /tass/. State tests of the newest hypersonic anti-ship missile "Zircon" from the surface carrier - the frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" - will begin in November this year. This was reported to TASS by a source close to the Russian Defense Ministry.
"The state tests of the Zircon will begin in November and continue in December 2021. In total, it is planned to carry out five launches for sea and coastal targets," he said.
The Reutov NPO of Mechanical Engineering (part of the Tactical Missile Armament Corporation), where the Zircons were developed and produced, did not comment on this information to TASS.
According to the agency interlocutor, if the launches are successful, a decision will be made to adopt the Zircon into service as a strike weapon for surface ships.
On October 4, two launches of the hypersonic missile "Zircon" from the nuclear submarine "Severodvinsk" opened the way for state tests of the missile from the surface carrier - the frigate "Admiral Gorshkov". Initially, it was assumed that one or two launches would be carried out in 2021. On September 29, another source told TASS that flight design tests of this missile from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate had been successfully completed.
At the Army-2021 forum, a contract was signed for the supply of Zircons to the military department. This contract will be executed until 2025.