Test missile crashes on launch in northern Russia

A surface-to-air missile crashed shortly after being launched in northern Russia on Wednesday, Russian news agencies said, in a failed test that will be seen as an embarrassment for the country`s military forces.

An official speaking on condition of anonymity initially told AFP the incident had involved an experimental military rocket, but state-owned weapons manufacturer Almaz-Antey was later quoted as saying it was an Antey-2500 missile that fell back to the ground.

The test was meant to "give an assessment of the manoeuvrability of a modernised missile of the surface-to-air Antey-2500 missile system," the firm`s spokesman told Russian news agencies.

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