According to the Ministry of Defense, the Zircon was launched from the frigate Admiral Gorshkov at a coastal target located at the Chizha training ground in the Arkhangelsk region.
“The rocket flew 350 kilometers and successfully hit the target. Its flight speed exceeded Mach eight”, - RIA Novosti reports.
The military department clarified that the maneuvers were recognized as successful. These exercises with the use of "Zircon" - is the third, taking place on board the frigate "Admiral Gorshkov". Previous exercises took place in October and November of this year, and shots were successfully fired at naval targets.
As previously reported, the Russian "Zircon" missile is the world's first sea-launched hypersonic cruise missile. She can fly at a speed 8-9 times the speed of sound. The flight range reaches 1000 kilometers. After completing the tests, the missile will enter service with the Russian Navy.
According to foreign analysts, the newest Russian missile "Zircon" is a deeply modernized version of the still Soviet anti-ship missile P-800 "Onyx". Today the Zircon prototype P-800 is considered the most powerful and accurate among all foreign analogues. The hit of even one P-800 missile disables the aircraft carrier. Warhead weight - about 300 kg.
Its explosion takes place inside the ship, since the hull breaks through without problems due to the tremendous speed. According to experts, the combat characteristics of the Zircon significantly exceed the capabilities of the P-800. A distinctive feature of the "Zircon" is that most of the time it flies at an altitude of 30-40 kilometers in a cloud of plasma, becoming invisible to the most modern radars. At the same time, the destructive ability of the Zircon is much higher than that of the P-800.