According to information published by Tass on July 18, 2021, state trials of Russia’s newest Zircon hypersonic missile from a surface carrier will begin in August 2021, a source in the military-industrial complex told.
The Severodvinsk will perform the first launch from a surface position, firing at a surface target. Another source told that Admiral Gorshkov will perform 4 launches. NPO Mashinostroyeniya, the developer of the missile, did not comment on this information.
Earlier, a source told that flight trials of the Zircon from Admiral Gorshkov have ended successfully.
On July 10, a source told that Project 22350 frigate Admiral Golovko will become the first carrier of these hypersonic missiles.
The Tsirkonor Zircon is a Russian-made hypersonic missile designed to be launched by a ship and able to travel at speeds of between Mach 6 and Mach 8. The missile is reportedly capable of striking both ground and naval targets. It has a range of between approximately 250 (400 km) and 600 miles (965 km) and can be fired from the vertical launch systems mounted on cruisers Admiral Nakhimov and Pyotr Veliky, Project 20380 corvettes, Project 22350 frigates, and Project 885 Yasen-class submarines, among other platforms.