TASS Russian news agency
“The ship has gone to the Barents Sea and sailed eastward along the coast of the Kola Peninsula. The frigate is expected to arrive at the White Sea naval base on May 13. While in Severodvinsk, the ship will take part in the final stages of the trials of a prospective missile weapon,”
Russian MoD
In October 2020, the Admiral Gorshkov frigate successfully fired a Tsirkon hypersonic missile against a seaborne target set up in the Barents Sea. The missile covered a distance of 450 km (280 mi). The maximum altitude of its trajectory was 28 km (17 mi). The flight lasted 4.5 minutes. The missile reached the speed of over Mach 8.
In November, the frigate deployed in the White Sea launched a Tsirkon missile at a complex seaborne target in the Barents Sea. The missile covered a distance of 450 km.
In December, the Admiral Gorshkov fired a Tsirkon missile against a coastal target at a distance of more than 350 km (217 mi).
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Admiral Gorshkov frigate will be used in 2021 to test a hypersonic weapon.
A source in the defense industry told TASS in March that the Tsirkon hypersonic missile had successfully completed flight development tests on a ship. The state trials will start in May-June and several launches will be made.
-End-
Naval News comments:
Local shipspotter Oleg Kuleshov took pictures this morning of the frigate:
Open sources said the hypersonic 3M-22 missile was designed by NPO-machinostroeniya in Reutov in Moscow region. It is a part of 3K-22 (Tsirkon code) complex which NATO reports as SS-N-33. The missile can develop a speed of Mach 9 and fly at an altitude of 30-40 km where the range and speed increase as air resistance is smaller. Experts estimate the payload at 300-400 kg and the missile length at 8-10 meters. Tsirkon is to be fired from universal vertical launchers 3S-14 on warships and submarines and from Bastion mobile coastal missile launchers.
