WATCH: Russia shows off Zircon hypersonic cruise missile in test-launch

Putin describes Zircon as part of a new generation of unrivalled arms systems

Russia successfully test-fired a hypersonic Zircon cruise missile over a distance of about 1,000km (625 miles), the defence ministry said on Saturday.

The missile was fired from the Barents Sea and hit a target in the White Sea, it said. Video released by the ministry showed the missile being fired from a ship and blazing into the sky on a steep trajectory.

The frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" has successfully completed a test launch of the hypersonic "Zircon" anti-ship missile & hit a target at a distance of 1,000km, says the Russian MOD pic.twitter.com/1sPaw88CgZ

— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) May 28, 2022

President Vladimir Putin has described the Zircon as part of a new generation of unrivalled arms systems. Hypersonic weapons can travel at nine times the speed of sound, and Russia has conducted previous test-launches of the Zircon from warships and submarines in the past year.

Russia's military has suffered heavy losses of men and equipment during its three-month invasion of Ukraine, which it calls a "special operation", but it has continued to stage high-profile weapons tests to remind the world of its prowess in missile technology.

Last month it test-launched a new nuclear-capable intercontinental missile, the Sarmat, capable of carrying 10 or more warheads and striking the United States.