Russia test fires hypersonic Tsirkon missile from nuclear submarine for first time
- Launch from submarine took place at night, video showed
- Russia test fired the Tsirkon missile from a warship in July
The defence ministry said that the Severodvinsk nuclear submarine had fired the missile in the Barents Sea, successfully hitting its chosen target.
The launch took place at night, video footage released by the ministry showed.
Putin announced an array of new hypersonic weapons in 2018 in one of his most bellicose speeches in years, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a US-built missile shield.
Russia is generally seen as the world leader in the technology so far. It already has Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles and the air-launched Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles in its arsenal.
Russian officials say the Avangard has reached a staggering 33,000km/h during tests.
China has also tested hypersonic glide vehicles. According to the US Congressional Research Service, both Russian and Chinese hypersonic systems are designed to be nuclear-armed.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse