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Tsirkon hypersonic missile may be test-launched from Severodvinsk submarine in August

According to various sources, the Tsirkon boasts an operating range of about 1,500 km to strike ground targets and slightly less to hit naval targets

ZHUKOVSKY /Moscow Region/, July 25. /TASS/. The first test-launch of Russia’s Tsirkon hypersonic missile from the Northern Fleet’s nuclear-powered submarine Severodvinsk may take place in August, a source in the domestic defense industry told TASS.

"The first test-launch of the Tsirkon missile from the Severodvinsk nuclear-powered submarine as part of the flight development test may take place in August," the source said speaking on the sidelines of the MAKS-2021 international air show.

The Reutov Research and Production Association of Machine-Building, which has developed and is producing Tsirkon hypersonic missiles, declined to comment on the sources’ information.

According to various sources, the Tsirkon boasts an operating range of about 1,500 km to strike ground targets and slightly less to hit naval targets. The Tsirkon hypersonic missile was earlier planned to be accepted for service in 2023.

Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on July 19 that the frigate Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov had successfully test-launched a Tsirkon hypersonic missile at a ground target. The missile flew at Mach 7 (seven times the speed of sound) across a distance of over 350 km.

As the Defense Ministry specified, the Project 22350 lead frigate Admiral Gorshkov test-fired the Tsirkon hypersonic missile from the White Sea. The ground target was located on the coast of the Barents Sea.

Russia intends to outfit its submarines and surface ships with Tsirkon hypersonic missile systems.

The Severodvinsk, which is the Project 885 (Yasen) lead and sole underwater cruiser, was delivered to the Russian Navy on June 17, 2014.

The MAKS-2021, one of the world’s top three air shows, is running in the suburban town of Zhukovsky outside Moscow on July 20-25.

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