MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/.The work on the advanced Tsirkon hypersonic missile capable of developing a speed of up to Mach 9 is proceeding successfully and will be completed on time, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his annual Address to the Federal Assembly on Wednesday.
"Today I consider it possible to officially inform you about yet another advanced weapon," the Russian leader said, reminding the audience that he had promised during his last year’s annual address to both houses of parliament to tell sequentially about new armaments.
"So, now this relates to another promising weapon, the work on which is proceeding successfully and will undoubtedly be completed within the planned timeframe. Namely, I want to tell you about the Tsirkon hypersonic missile," the Russian leader told the Federal Assembly.
As the Russian leader said, this missile is capable of developing a flight speed of about Mach 9 and its range capability may reach over 1,000 km. The missile can hit both naval and ground targets, he added.
"The missile is set to be used from the seaborne carriers of serial-produced surface ships and submarines, including vessels that have been built and are under construction for Kalibr precision missile systems," the president explained, emphasizing that the placement of new armaments on combat duty would not be a costly effort.
The Russian leader also said that seven new multirole submarines would be delivered to the Russian Navy two-three years ahead of the schedule established by the state armament program in order to protect Russia’s national interests and also that five blue-water surface ships will be laid down soon. Sixteen more warships of this class will enter service with the Russian Navy by 2027, the Russian leader said.