Russia tested ten new Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic cruise missiles from a ship and two more from a submarine on Friday. The weapon has been hailed by Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of a new generation of unrivalled weapons systems.

A missile test performed last week was dubbed "a major event in the life of the country" by Putin, who added that it was "a significant step" in improving Russia's defence capabilities.

Some Western scientists have questioned how advanced Russia's new generation of weapons are, while acknowledging that hypersonic missiles are difficult to detect and intercept due to their combination of speed, manoeuvrability, and altitude. Putin announced an array of new hypersonic weapons in 2018 in one of his most bellicose speeches in years, saying they could hit almost any point in the world and evade a U.S.-built missile shield.

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