Russia’s Tsrikon hypersonic missile completed test flights from surface ships, sources connected to the Russian defense ministry reported on Wednesday.
According to a report by TASS, the Tsirkon missile was launched from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate. The “Project 22350 Admiral Gorshkov frigate” test was completed after the prototype hypersonic missile was launched ten times.
As per the source, the last test flights from the Admiral Gorshkov were completed in July. A new series of test flights is scheduled to begin in November. Once this is complete, delivery of the missile to Russian troops is expected to follow.
Russia on Hypersonic ‘Supremacy’
In a previous interview, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said that Russia is looking to stay ahead of the West in hypersonic weapons and that the nation is intending on retaining its “supremacy” in the field.
Borisov asserted that Russia is the superior power in hypersonic weapons, “for the first time in all this time.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Tsrikon hypersonic missile can reach flight speeds of up to Mach 9 (11,113 kph/6,905 mph), far beyond that of a traditional missile system.
In July, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that a test firing of the Tsirkon recorded a flight speed of Mach 7 (8,643 kph/5,370 mph).