Russia has successfully test-launched its newest hypersonic cruise missile, a top Russian commander told President Vladimir Putin on his 68th birthday on Wednesday. Hypersonic weapons have been a matter of pride for President Putin who has said that Russia is now the world leader in developing an entirely new class of weapons, unlike during the Cold War when it played catch-up to the United States. The Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile was launched on Tuesday from a vessel in the White Sea in Russia’s north-west and successfully hit the target in the Barents Sea, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, told Mr Putin by video link. The missile, according to Gen. Gerasimov, covered a distance of 450 kilometres in four and a half minutes after reaching hypersonic speed of more than Mach 8. President Putin, who has talked up hypersonic weapons as Russia’s unique edge over the US, praised the test. “This is a major event not only in the life of the armed forces but also for all of Russia, for the whole country,” he said in televised remarks.