Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that only a handful of countries possess weapons comparable to Russia’s Tsirkon hypersonic missile, describing it as one of the country’s key strategic military assets.
Speaking during a meeting with Russian Navy commanders in St. Petersburg ahead of Russian Navy Day, Putin acknowledged that the missile still requires improvements, particularly in accuracy, but said recent deployments have shown steady progress.
“It is a hypersonic missile; few countries have this type of weapon,” Putin said, adding that Russia continues to refine and modernize the system.
The Tsirkon is a next-generation naval hypersonic cruise missile developed by Russia’s Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV). According to Russian officials, it has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers and can travel at speeds of up to 10 times the speed of sound.
The missile was first deployed aboard the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, and Moscow has announced plans to equip additional surface warships and Yasen-M-class nuclear submarines with the weapon.
