REUTOV /Moscow region/, January 26. /TASS/. Tsirkon hypersonic missiles have to be test operated for some time before they are accepted into service, NPO Mashinostroyeniya CEO and Chief Designer Alexander Leonov said.

"Today there is no order of the defense minister to accept them into service," he said adding the procedure takes quite a time and calls for a specific period of operation of the missile.

The Admiral Gorshkov frigate test fired Tsirkon and is now armed with the missiles, he said.

Tsirkon can develop a speed of close to Mach 9 and has a range exceeding one thousand kilometers. It can destroy sea and ground targets and can be fired by warships and submarines capable of engaging Kalibr missiles.