MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. The flight development tests of the Tsirkon hypersonic missile from an underwater carrier after two successful test-launches will resume from the Project 885M (Yasen-M) modified nuclear-powered submarine Perm in 2024, a source in the domestic defense industry told TASS on Tuesday.
"The flight development tests from an underwater carrier are planned to be resumed no sooner than 2024. They will be carried out from the Project 885M submarine Perm that will differ from its predecessors by a slightly altered design. If the submarine proves to be unready for the Tsirkon test-launches in 2024, they will resume in the first half of 2025," the source said.
TASS has no official confirmation of this information yet.
As TASS reported earlier, the modified submarine Perm, which is the Project 885M fifth nuclear-powered sub, will be the first regular underwater carrier of Tsirkon hypersonic missiles. The submarine is set to enter service with the Russian Navy in 2025.
The Sevmash Shipyard (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation) is currently building six Project 885M submarines. The Project 885 and Project 885M lead submarines Severodvinsk and Kazan are in operational service with the Russian Navy while the Project 885M first serial-built sub Novosibirsk is undergoing trials and is set to enter service with the Navy by the end of this year.
On October 4, the nuclear-powered submarine Severodvinsk test-fired Tsirkon hypersonic missiles from its surface and submerged position in the White Sea for the first time.