Russians deploy new hypersonic weapon Russia

A new intercontinental weapon that can fly at 27 times the speed of sound became operational yesterday, Russia’s defence minister reported to President Vladimir Putin, bolstering the country’s nuclear strike capability.

Putin has described the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle as a technological breakthrough comparable to the 1957 Soviet launch of the first satellite.

The new Russian weapon and a similar system being developed by China are troubling the United States.

The Avangard is launched atop an intercontinental ballistic missile, but, unlike a regular missile warhead, which follows a predictable path after separation, it can make sharp manoeuvres in the atmosphere en route to the target, making it much harder to intercept.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Putin that the first missile unit equipped with the Avangard had entered combat duty.

Putin unveiled the Avangard among other prospective weapons systems during his state of the nation address in March 2018, noting that its ability to make sharp manoeuvres on its way to a target would render missile defence systems useless.

He said the Avangard had been designed using new composite materials to withstand temperatures up to 2000 degrees Celsius, which result from a flight through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds.

The military said the Avangard was capable of flying 27 times faster than the speed of sound. It carries a nuclear weapon of up to two megatons.

Putin said Russia had to develop the Avangard and other prospective weapons systems because of American efforts to develop a missile defence system that he claimed could erode Russia’s nuclear deterrent.

Earlier this week, Putin said Russia was the only country armed with hypersonic weapons, and that, for the first time, it was leading the world in developing an entirely new class of weapons – unlike in the past, when it was catching up with the US.

In December 2018, the Avangard was test-launched from the Dombarovskiy missile base in the southern Urals and successfully hit a target on the Kura shooting range on Kamchatka, 6000 kilometres away.

Russian media reports have indicated that the Avangard will at first be mounted on Sovietbuilt RS-18B intercontinental ballistic missiles. It is expected to be fitted to the prospective Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile after it becomes operational.

The defence ministry said last month it had demonstrated the Avangard to a team of US inspectors as part of transparency measures under the New Start nuclear arms treaty.

The Russian military has already commissioned another hypersonic weapon with a smaller range.

The Kinzhal (Dagger), which is carried by MiG-31 fighter jets, entered service with the Russian air force last year. Putin has said that the missile flies 10 times faster than the speed of sound, has a range of more than 2000km, and can carry either a nuclear or a conventional warhead. The military has said it is capable of hitting both land targets and ships.

China has tested its own hypersonic glide vehicle, believed to be capable of travelling at at least five times the speed of sound. It displayed the weapon, called Dong Feng 17, or DF-17, at a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the modern Chinese state.

The Pentagon has also been working on the development of hypersonic weapons in recent years. US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said in August that he believed it would be ‘‘probably a matter of a couple of years’’ before the US had one.

The Avangard . . . can make sharp manoeuvres in the atmosphere en route to the target, making it much harder to intercept.