Russia crossed a new line in its arms race this Thursday with a new test firing of a Zircon hypersonic cruise missile.
In a statement, the Russian army said it had successfully fired from the frigate Admiral Gorchkov at a target in the waters of the White Sea in the Arctic, adding that this target had been destroyed by "a direct hit".
A video, made public by the Defense Ministry, showed the craft taking off in a burst of light and followed by a trail of smoke in the middle of the night.
The first official firing of a Zircon dates back to October 2020, when President Vladimir Putin hailed a "great event".
Other tests have since taken place, notably from the frigate Admiral Gorchkov and from a submerged submarine.
In the context of tensions with Western countries, in particular Washington, Russia has multiplied in recent years the announcements of the development of new weapons presented by Vladimir Poutine as "invincible", like the Zircon.
Missiles at 27 times the speed of sound
With a maximum range of around 1,000 kilometers, it is intended to equip surface ships and submarines of the Russian fleet.
The first new generation Avangard hypersonic missiles, capable of reaching a speed of Mach 27 and changing course and altitude, were put into service with the Russian army in December 2019.
Russia is also seeking to develop its weapons for use in space.
She thus admitted Tuesday to have pulverized one of her own inactive satellites in orbit, which angered the West who accused her of having endangered the International Space Station in question a cloud of debris.
Science
What is this whole debris cloud, Russian missile and ISS thing?
World
Russian army admits destroying satellite in orbit
Armament
Army
Russia
World
Missile
Vladimir Poutine
Defense
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