Russian Navy tests hypersonic missiles in drills

Russian Navy frigates equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles have conducted drills in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

The crews of the frigates fired Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic anti-ship missiles, while a Russian submarine launched a Kalibr cruise missile, another weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, the ministry said.

On the coast nearby, a missile system carried out a live launch of an Onyx anti-ship missile, it said.

Some of the combat exercises are carried out "with the complex use of high-precision weapons" recently adopted by the Russian Navy and Aerospace Forces, the ministry noted.

The exercise involves over 1,000 military personnel, 10 ships and support vessels, and 24 aircraft, including MiG-31I fighters with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles from the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Bastion coastal missile system, it added.

The military said the number of Russian troops stationed in the region had been increased to take part in the exercises.

Russia has been carrying out airstrikes in recent days to try to counter a rebel offensive that has seen President Bashar al-Assad's forces lose the second city of Aleppo.

Moscow has been a key ally of Assad since the Syrian civil war started in 2011.

"During an exercise to test the combined activities of Russian Navy and Air Force troop groups, precision sea-based missiles were launched in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea," Russia's Defense Ministry said.

Russian vessels test-fired hypersonic Zircon missiles and a Kalibr cruise missile, the ministry added.

An Onyx cruise missile was launched "from a designated area on the Mediterranean coast," it added.

Russia has a naval base in Syria at Tartus but the statement did not say where the drills were carried out.

The ministry published images showing the launch of several missiles from ships and land and images of a target in open water being hit and exploding.