MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hailed final testsof a hypersonic missile, which he earlier said would render existingmissile defence systems obsolete.
“On my instructions, the Ministry of Defence prepared and conducted a finaltest of this system. This has just been completed with absolute success,”Putin said during a televised meeting with members of the government.
“Russia has a new type of strategic weapon,” he said, adding that theintercontinental “Avangard” system would be ready for use from 2019.
The Kremlin told Russian news agencies the test had taken place in fareastern Kamchatka while Putin was at the national defence control centre.
Putin unveiled features of the Avangard during his annual address in March,which he said would be part of a new generation of “invincible” weaponry.
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The hypersonic missile could fly at 20 times the speed of sound andmanoeuvre up and down, meaning it could breach defence systems, he said atthe time.
The final test comes after US President Donald Trump announced plans topull out of a key Cold War-era nuclear weapons pact, the three-decade-oldIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).
Putin has laid out plans to develop missiles banned under the deal if theUnited States abandons it. – APP / AFP
