Russia test-fires hypersonic missile, lighting up sky over White Sea

Russia’s Ministry of Defence has carried out its second missile test in the White Sea, with a Zircon hypersonic missile successfully hitting targets in the Barents Sea. The test, which saw the rocket fired from the submerged Severodvisnk submarine, follows an initial launch from the surface, the military said. According to the Associated Press, Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, said the Zircon missile can fly at nine times the speed of sound, with a range of 1,000km (620 miles). Officials have said that the tests are due to finish later this year, before being commissioned by the Russian navy next year.