Russia test-fires new hypersonic missile

The Russians conducted another test launch of their hypersonic Zircon cruise missile yesterday in the White Sea. If you’re not familiar with the 3M22 Zircon, it’s not a ballistic missile in the conventional sense because it can be remotely steered in flight to avoid missile defense systems or change targets as required. It’s also incredibly fast. The one they fired yesterday traveled more than five hundred miles and successfully struck its target. Since the Zircon is designed to be fired from naval vessels, this weapon gives Russia the capability to hit targets virtually anywhere in the world and the missiles are capable of being fitted with nuclear warheads. 

The Russian navy on Saturday conducted another test of a prospective hypersonic missile, a demonstration of the military’s long-range strike capability amid the fighting in Ukraine.

The Defense Ministry said the Admiral Gorshkov frigate of the Northern Fleet in the White Sea launched the Zircon cruise missile in the Barents Sea, successfully hitting a practice target in the White Sea about 1,000 kilometers (540 nautical miles) away.