Russia's Defense Ministry said on Monday that the country's navy has successfully test-fired a Zircon hypersonic missile from a nuclear submarine at a conditional target for the first time.

Dubbed by Russian President Vladimir Putin as an "invincible" weapon, the missile is part of a new generation of unrivaled arms systems.

The defense ministry, which tested firing the Zircon missile from a warship in July, said that the Severodvinsk submarine had fired the missile while deployed in the Barents Sea and had hit its chosen target.

"The test launch of the Zircon missile from a nuclear submarine was considered successful," the defense ministry said in a statement.

Low-quality video footage released by the ministry showed the missile shooting upwards from a submarine, its glare lighting up the night sky and illuminating the water's surface.

Moscow has in recent years touted the development of weapons that it hopes will give it the edge in any arms race with the United States at a time of growing tensions with the West.

Hypersonics can travel more than five times the speed of sound and maneuver in mid-flight, making them much harder to track and intercept than traditional projectiles.

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: File: A Zircon hypersonic cruise missile is fired from the guided missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov in the White Sea, 2019. /Reuters)