Russia advances Tsirkon hypersonic missile program

President Vladimir Putin told naval commanders in St Petersburg that Russia’s Tsirkon hypersonic missile is a strategic weapon possessed by only a few nations and that recent deployments show its precision is steadily improving. The missile, developed by the Corporation of Tactical Missiles (KTRV), can exceed 1,000 km in range and travel up to ten times the speed of sound.

The first surface ship to carry Tsirkon was the cruiser Admiral Gorshkov of the Northern Fleet. Moscow plans to equip additional surface vessels and the multipurpose Yasen‑M nuclear submarines with the system, continuing work to refine its accuracy.