Russia's military leaders announced that the launch of its 6,670mph Zircon hypersonic missile was successful, boasting that the USA and North Korea have been left behind.
Kremlin deputy premier Yury Borisov has boasted that Russia has outpaced the West in hypersonic weapons as the missile is part of a new generation of Russian weapons technology lauded by President Vladimir Putin.
He said: "We have broken forward, specifically, in the sphere of hypersonic weapons and (those) based on new physical principles.
"We now have serious advantages in this regard over the leading Western countries – and will try to maintain this position."
The missile system's design and development have been conducted in deep secrecy, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that foreign spies have tried to steal its secrets.
The 6,670mph weapon hit a target in the Barents Sea according to the Moscow defence ministry, who claims the missile is capable of Mach-9 speeds and able to evade all Western defences.
It is one of a number of missiles Russia is deploying including the 188-tonne Sarmat – known in the West as Satan-2 – which will be the biggest beast in Russia's nuclear arsenal, due for tests in the autumn with deployment slated for next year.
The Russian announcement follows the Pentagon last week announcing that the US had tested an air breathing hypersonic weapon capable of speeds faster than five times the speed of sound.
An official statement said: "The test-firing of the Zircon missile from the nuclear submarine was recognised as successful. The Russian navy carried out the first tests of the Zircon hypersonic missile from the Severodvinsk nuclear submarine. The missile was test-fired at a conditional sea target in the Barents Sea."
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