Russia test-fired around 10 new Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missiles from a frigate and two more from a submarine, the weapon Russian President Vladimir Putin has lauded as part of a new generation of unrivalled arms systems, according to the Interfax news agency citing Russia's northern fleet on Friday.
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 defense capabilities.
Some Western experts have questioned how advanced Russia's new generation of weapons is, while recognizing that the combination of speed, maneuverability and altitude of hypersonic missiles makes them difficult to track and intercept.
Putin announced an array of new hypersonic weapons in 2018 in one of his most bellicose speeches in years, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a United States-built missile shield.
In October, Russia had successfully test-launched a Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missile from a submarine for the first time.
