Video: Russian frigate fires Tsirkon hypersonic missile at sea target for 1st time

Russia has successfully tested a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile — a move described by President Vladimir Putin as “a major event not only for the Armed Forces but also for the nation as a whole”.

On 6 October, the Russian Navy lead Project 22350 frigate Admiral Gorshkov, deployed in the White Sea, fired for the first time the new anti-ship hypersonic cruise missile at a sea target in the Barents Sea.

“The test-firing has been declared successful. The missile destroyed the target in a direct hit,” Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces, told Putin during a videoconference.

He added that the missile covered a distance of 450 kilometres at a hypersonic speed of over Mach 8. The missile reached the target in 4.5 minutes.

Following the state tests, the Tsirkon system will be deployed on submarines and surface ships, including the nuclear-powered Yasen-class submarine Severodvinsk and Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates.

So far this year, this has been the second known launch of the Tsirkon. In early January, the aforementioned frigate also tested the Tsirkon from the Barents Sea at a ground target. The missile was fired at the target in the northern Urals more than 500 kilometres away.