Iran Press/Europe: Speaking to Putin via a video call, Valery Gerasimov said the test launch took place Tuesday from the Admiral Groshkov frigate located in the White Sea, in the north of Russia.
Gerasimov said the missile hit its target 280 miles away in four and a half minutes after reaching hypersonic speeds of more than Mach 8.
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed the successful test launch of the hypersonic cruise missile as a big event for the country.
"Equipping our armed forces — the army and the navy — with the latest, truly unparalleled weapon systems will certainly ensure the defense capability of our country in the long term," said Putin, who was celebrating his 68th birthday Wednesday.
In 2019, Putin had said the Zircon would be capable of flying at nine times the speed of sound and have a range of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).
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