“Tonight, in the early hours of the morning, a hypersonic zircon shell was fired,” the Russian president announced during a government meeting broadcast on television, adding that the operation was “successful.”
“It is a great event for the country and an important step towards strengthening Russia’s security and defense capabilities,” the Russian leader added.
According to various Russian media, this is the first time that Moscow has announced the launch of Zircon missiles.
The first official launch of the Zircon missile dates back to October 2020, at the same time, other tests have already taken place in the Russian Arctic, from the frigate Admiral Gorchkov and a submerged submarine.
In an environment of heightened tensions with Western countries, particularly with Washington, Russia has doubled down on announcements of the development of new weapons that Putin presented as “indomitable,” such as Zircon missiles.
With a maximum range of about 1000 km, Zircon was installed on surface ships and submarines of the Russian fleet.
The first of a new generation of hypersonic Avangard missiles, capable of reaching Mach 27 speeds and changing course and altitude, was activated in December 2019, and Russia is now looking to develop weapons for use in space.
In mid-November, Russia destroyed a satellite orbiting the former Soviet Union, angering Westerners who accused Moscow of endangering the International Space Station by releasing a cloud of debris.
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