Moscow. November 18. INTERFAX-AVN - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Russian President Vladimir Putin about a new successful test launch by the Northern Fleet of a hypersonic missile "Zircon", the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the successful firing of a hypersonic Zircon missile in the White Sea from the frigate Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Earlier on Thursday, the Russian military announced a new successful test launch of a hypersonic missile "Tsikron" from the frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" in the White Sea.
"The shooting was carried out at a marine target position located in the waters of the White Sea. According to objective control data, the flight of the hypersonic missile corresponded to the specified parameters. The target was hit by a direct hit. Surface ships and naval aviation of the Northern Fleet were involved in providing firing and closing the area," the report says.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that the crew of the Admiral Gorshkov frigate fired another Zircon missile as part of the final test cycle of hypersonic missile weapons.
Prior to that, the military reported successful test launches of the Zircon from the frigate of the Northern Fleet Admiral Gorshkov, in particular, in July of this year, as well as in December, November and October 2020.
On October 4, the Russian military conducted the first test launch of a hypersonic missile "Zircon" from a nuclear submarine of the Northern Fleet.
In October, the former chief of the General Staff of the Russian Navy, Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, told Interfax that the Zircon would significantly strengthen the potential of the Russian fleet.
"The high-speed characteristics of the rocket are beyond doubt. No one has protection from Zircon," Kravchenko said at the time.
"In the near future, submarines will also be equipped with Zircons - this will strengthen the capabilities of our Navy to fight, including with aircraft carrier groups," the admiral said.
On November 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the tests of the Zircon missile are being completed, it will enter service with the Russian fleet in 2022.
As Interfax reported, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on August 24 at the military-technical forum "Army-2021" signed a contract for the supply of Zircon missiles (Tactical Missile Armament Corporation, KTRV)
On November 8, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the contract for the supply of Zircons to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is of a long-term nature.
In February 2019, in a message to the Federal Assembly, the President of the Russian Federation announced that the Zircon missile would be capable of hitting ground and surface targets at a range of over 1,000 kilometers at a speed of about Mach 9. In December 2019, the president said that according to the plan, work is underway on the Zircon hypersonic missile, not only sea-based, but also land-based.
