NPO Mashinostroyenia reported the completion of the Zircon tests

The launches of hypersonic cruise missiles "Zirkon" within the framework of tests from submarines have been completed. This was reported on January 31 by the RIA Novosti news agency with reference to Alexander Leonov, general designer of the military-industrial complex NPO Mashinostroyenia JSC.

"We have conducted tests. There's a whole program to take it into service, but it's absolutely unrelated to the Zircon itself. We do not need to conduct any tests for this. Ships are equipped in the order in which it is established by the Ministry of Defense," RIA Novosti quoted Leonov as saying.

The 3M-22 Zirkon hypersonic missile was developed by NPO Mashinostroyenia and can reach speeds of about eight speeds of sound (approximately 10,000 km/h). At the same time, the missile moves in dense layers of the atmosphere and can maneuver. The main advantage of the missile is that it is extremely difficult for modern air defense systems to shoot it down, as it has unique speed and maneuverability.

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Earlier, in December 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin had already noted the advantages of the Zircon, saying that Russia has created much more advanced strike systems than those currently possessed by the United States.

That same month, military expert Drago Bosnich said in an article for InfoBRICS that the collective West fears the potential of the new Russian missile. According to him, deploying the Zircon on ground-based launch sites would significantly reduce the ability of NATO forces to fight on the ground.