MOSCOW: The Russian military will soon receive new nuclear weapons, whichare far ahead of any foreign designs, President Vladimir Putin said onFriday.
Speaking at a meeting in Sochi, Putin said delivery of the new Avangardhypersonic vehicle will begin next year, while the new Sarmatintercontinental ballistic missile will enter duty in 2020.
The Avangard and the Sarmat were among an array of new nuclear weaponsPutin presented in March.
The Russian leader said then that the Avangard has an intercontinentalrange and can fly in the atmosphere at a speed 20 times the speed of sound.The Russian leader added that the weapon can change both its course and itsaltitude en route to a target, making it “absolutely invulnerable to anyair or missile defence means.”
Putin noted that Avangard is designed using new composite materials towithstand temperatures of up to 2,000 Celsius resulting from a flightthrough the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds. “It heads to target like ameteorite, like a fireball,” he said in March.
The Sarmat is intended to replace the Soviet-designed Voyevoda, the world’sheaviest ICBM that is known as “Satan” in the West and which carries 10nuclear warheads.
Putin said in March that Sarmat weighs 200 metric tons (220 tons) and has ahigher range than Satan, allowing it to fly over the North or the SouthPoles and strike targets anywhere in the world. He added that Sarmat alsocarries a bigger number of nuclear warheads, which are more powerful thanthe ones on Satan.
Putin said the new ICBM accelerates faster than its predecessor, making itharder for the enemy to intercept in its most vulnerable phase after thelaunch. He also said Sarmat could carry an array of warheads capable ofdodging missile defenses.
Speaking at a meeting with the top brass in Sochi that wrapped up a seriesof such conferences with military leaders this week, Putin said Russia’snew nuclear weapons far surpass any foreign designs.
“These unique weapons systems are years and, perhaps, even decades ahead ofany foreign analogues,” he said. “They have rendered many expensive, Iwould say highly expensive foreign systems, useless and outdated.” Putinemphasised that two other new systems unveiled in March the Kinzhalhypersonic missile and the laser weapon called Peresvet have already beenput on duty with the units of Russia’s Southern Military District, whichare developing tactics of their use. – Agencies