Russia has successfully tested a state-of-the-art cruise missile hailed by President Vladimir Putin as the best in the world, according to reports.
“The tactical and technical characteristics of the Tsirkon missile were confirmed during the tests,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The defense ministry said the missile was fired from a warship in the White Sea and traveled at approximately seven times the speed of sound to a target more than 217 miles away on the coastline of the Barents Sea, Reuters reported.
“The Tsirkon missile successfully hit a target directly at a range of over 350 kilometers. The flight speed reached nearly Mach 7,” the ministry said, according to AFP.
A new hypersonic cruise missile is launched by the Russian naval frigate Admiral Gorshkov from the White Sea, in the north of Russia, on July 19, 2021. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the country’s arsenal “invincible.” EPA/Anatoly MaltsevRussia announced the missile test Monday, though it’s unclear when it took place.
Putin has touted the country’s arsenal as “invincible.”
The Tsirkon test comes after Russia tested a supersonic cruise missile in the Black Sea in April.
The cruise missile was called the best in the world by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP“The Black Sea Fleet’s Moskva missile cruiser for the first time in recent history fired the Vulkan missile with the ship’s Bazalt main missile system in the waters of the Black Sea,” the defense ministry tweeted at the time.
