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Russia test-fires new hypersonic Tsirkon missiles from frigate, submarine


Fri., December 31, 2021, 12:17 a.m.�1 min read


MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia test-fired around 10 new Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missiles from a frigate and two more from a submarine, Interfax news agency said on Friday citing northern fleet.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has lauded the weapon as part of a new generation of unrivalled arms systems.
Putin has called a missile test, conducted last week, "a big event in the country's life", adding that this was "a substantial step" in increasing Russia's defence capabilities.
Some Western experts have questioned how advanced Russia's new generation of weapons is, while recognising that the combination of speed, manoeuvrability and altitude of hypersonic missiles makes them difficult to track and intercept.

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Russia Test-Fires New Hypersonic Missile from Submarine
4 Oct 2021
Associated Press

MOSCOW � A prospective Russian hypersonic missile has been successfully test-fired from a nuclear submarine for the first time, the military said Monday.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the Zircon missile was launched from the Severodvinsk submarine and hit a designated mock target in the Barents Sea.

The launch marked Zircon's first launch from a submarine. It previously has been repeatedly test-fired from a navy frigate, most recently in July.

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Russia Reports Successful Test Launch of Hypersonic Missile
7 Oct 2020
The Associated Press | By The Associated Press
MOSCOW � Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hailed the successful test launch of a new Zircon hypersonic cruise missile as a �big event� for the country.
Speaking to Putin via a video call, Russian General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov said the test launch took place Tuesday from the Admiral Groshkov frigate located in the White Sea, in the north of Russia.
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Russian Navy plans new test launch of hypersonic Tsirkon missile with Admiral Gorshkov frigate
September News 2020 Navy Naval Maritime Defense Industry
01 September 2020
According to information published by the Russian press agency TASS on September 1, 2020, A new test launch of the hypersonic Tsirkon missile will be held by the Russian Navy Admiral Gorshkov frigate of project 22350 in September this year. Salvo fire is planned, two defense industry sources told TASS at Army-2020 forum.
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Russian Navy Admiral Gorshkov frigate. (Picture source Twitter Navy Lookout)
�A new launch of the missile is planned from the Gorshkov in September,� a source said. Another source confirmed the plan and said �two missiles may be fired at two targets.�
The Admiral Gorshkov for the first time fired Tsirkon early this year in the Barents Sea. The hypersonic missile flew over 500 km and hit a coastal target. In July 2020, the Defense Ministry said Tsirkon trials were on schedule. The launches confirmed range and precision characteristics and the hypersonic speed.

The Admiral Gorshkov class, Russian designation Project 22350 for the original and upgraded version with 16 and 24 missiles in VLS (Vertical Launch System) respectively, is the newest class of frigates being built by the Severnaya Verf in Saint Petersburg for the Russian Navy.

The upgraded Admiral Gorshkov class frigate can be armed with the 3M-54 Kalibr, a stand-off supersonic anti-ship cruise missile, the P-800 Oniks over-the-horizon supersonic anti-ship missile, or the 3M22 Zircon anti-ship hypersonic cruise missile. The Tsirkon hypersonic Anti-Ship Missile (ASM) is thought to be a variant of the P-800 Onyx ASM.
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Russia to test-launch Zircon missile from a frigate at the end of 2019
Posted On Monday, 18 March 2019 10:14
"Trials of launching a missile from a naval vessel are planned to start at the end of the year. The Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate, also known as Project 22350, from the Northern Fleet will be used," the source said, adding that earlier trials included launching Zircon missiles from land. TASS does not have an official confirmation of this information.
As a reminder, the Zircon missile is an hypersonic weapon that differs from previous generations by a bigger ability to destroy aircraft carriers, thanks to low vulnerability, bigger payload and flight speed. The blast is scheduled to even sink big displacement ships.
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Haijun watcher wrote:...I wonder how much longer these Russian "battlecruisers" will soldier on considering their age?

3M22 Zircon Hypersonic Missile in Development Testing for Russian Navy Kirov-class Cruiser

Russian cutting-edge hypersonic missile 3M22 of the 3K22 Zircon system is in the development trials. The Project 11442 (NATO reporting name: Kirov-class) Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered missile cruiser will carry the type following its upgrade, a shipbuilding industry source told TASS on Friday.

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