MOSCOW – Russia’s new Sarmat ICBM, which is capable of overcoming missiledefense systems, has completed tests and is a “breakthrough” for thecountry’s missile program, President Vladimir Putin announced on March 1.Sputnik tries to find out what this missile is all about.

The Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile, which Russia has beentesting since last year, will replace the aging but reliable Soviet-era R-36M2Voyevoda (SS-18 Satan) ICBMslink>.

Developed by the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau, the new hypersonic Sarmatmissile is capable of striking targets both via the North and the SouthPoles.

“The missile’s uniquely cross-functional combat platform allows the useof all types of individually targeted warheads, including ones which arestill on the drawing board,” Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces Commander,Col. Gen. Karatayev, told Sputnik.

“The new missile is able to engage long-distance targets with multipleflight trajectories as its onboard flight control system ensures pinpointaccuracy,” he added.

The Sarmat has virtually no range limit and is capable of outmaneuveringall existing missile defense systems.

“With a global missile shield now being developed by the United States,whose elements are literally encircling Russia, we have taken retaliatorymeasures to effectively neutralize this threat to our security,” Karatayevadded.

The Sarmat ICBM is small enough to fit into existing missile siloswith minimum modifications to launch area infrastructure.

During his state-of-the-nation addresslink> on Thursday,President Vladimir Putin said that Russia had successfully tested acompletely new type of armament “unmatched in the world” — the SarmatICBM, capable of carrying a wide range of nuclear weapons.

Putin announced the beginning of the active phase of Sarmat missile systemtests, saying that the new weapons would be invulnerable to interceptionas its capabilities allow it to bypass any missile defense.

“Efforts to contain Russia have failed, face it,” Putin said speakingagainst the backdrop of video clips of the new weapons, which includeunderwater drones, intercontinental ballistic missiles and a hypersonicmissile which he said “heads for its target like a meteorite.”