Russia fires hypersonic missile capable hitting targets 1,000km away

Russia has successfully fired its new hypersonic Zircon cruise missile ahead of the weapon’s debut on warships in the coming weeks, the nation's defence ministry said.

It was launched from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate in the Barents Sea, and hit its target some 625 miles away in the White Sea.

“According to objective control data, the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile successfully hit a sea target located at a distance of about 1,000 km,” a statement from the defence ministry read.

The Zircon was first tested on Vladimir Putin’s birthday in October 2020.

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