Russia tests hypersonic missile system

Russia has successfully tested a hypersonic missile system that will enter service next year, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.

"Starting from next year, in 2019, a new intercontinental strategic system Avangard will enter service in the Russian army and the first regiment in the strategic missile troops will be deployed," Putin told members of the Russian government, according to news agency TASS.

"On my instructions the industrial enterprises and the defense ministry have prepared for and carried out the final test of this system," Putin said. "The test was completely successful: all technical parameters were verified," he added.

The new system can carry nuclear and conventional warheads. The test comes amid growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, as well as NATO concerns over Russia's lack of compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

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Guy Croswell

No wonder the US president is in love with Putin: they serve each other’s interests. Are people too stupid not to see it?

Posted on 12/26/18 | 3:48 PM CET

Peter Monta

So basically the Russians are now claiming to have the same technology as standard IRBMs and ICBMs. I guess the things they claimed to have before must have been fakes.

Posted on 12/26/18 | 9:59 PM CET

Roh Land

I do not know how real this hypersonic missile is but I do know they can be intercepted by anti-ballistic missile systems. Especially future ones that will use lasers and rail guns to shoot missiles out of the sky.

Posted on 12/27/18 | 12:22 AM CET

Stiv Osscor

Hypersonic = Mach 5+. Advangard is basically a steerable warhead designed to outmanoeuvre missile defence shields by sheer speed. All missiles are limited by what is called an envelope. This is called a WEZ (weapon engagement zone). The speed of an incoming target is a major factor for decreasing the envelope of any given missiles WEZ. Hypersonic steerable warheads can render the most advanced missile shields as mere observers unable to counter the threat.
The old US SR-71 being a perfect example, it moved to fast for Soviet missiles to intercept and shoot down.
This is why the US is currently heavily investing in direct energy and kinetic technology to be able to counter hypersonic threats.