Contract Signed to Produce 'Several Dozen' Tsirkon Hypersonic Missiles

Russia’s defense ministry has ordered an additional batch of Tsirkon hypersonic missiles.

The first Tsirkon deal was finalized in the summer of 2021.

“An additional contract (for Tsirkon missiles was signed) this fall,” a source close to the military agency told TASS.

It will cover the supply of “several dozen” missiles in 2023, the source added.

TASS reported citing sources last week that Russian specialists have created a mobile launcher prototype for Tsirkon coastal defense missile system, expected to enter service with the Navy by the end of 2022. One of the sources said that the new system, just like its predecessor Bastion that employs Oniks (export name Yakhont) missiles, will have the capacity to strike both ground-based and sea targets.

On May 28, a Tsirkon was test-fired at its maximum range from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate. It was launched from the Barents Sea at a naval target in the White Sea about 1,000 km away.

Tsirkon can reportedly reach speeds of up to Mach 9 (6,600 mph) and hit targets at a range of up to 660 miles.