Hypersonic missile test ‘successful’ says Russia

RUSSIA yesterday claimed to have ‘successfully carried out’ flight tests of its giant Satan-2 hypersonic missile.

No details of the launch were given in the announcement by the Russian defence ministry which came amid speculation that the missile’s development was running behind schedule.

The missile is as big as a 14-storey tower block and pro-Putin supporters regularly threaten to use it against Western enemies, especially the UK and US.

Its first test in April at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia was announced to great fanfare, with president Vladimir Putin in touch by video-link.

In May, Putin’s officials said almost 50 Satan-2 missiles were in ‘mass production’ and would soon be operational.

A test was due in early June and locals were warned to stay clear of the target site in Kamchatka but it never took place.

But defence analysts point out

‘As big as a tower block’

that Russia’s earlier R-36M2 Voevoda missile was tested 17 times before being passed.

Defence expert Leonid Nersisyan has said: ‘It is far likelier Sarmat will undergo the same testing as its predecessors.’

Meanwhile, investigators confirmed ‘gross sabotage’ ruptured the Nord Stream pipelines after finding explosive traces on the Baltic Sea bed.

The pipes, a major route for Russian gas supplies for Europe, were damaged in September.

Russia has denied it vandalised the pipelines after suspicions over its involvement.

Swedish and Danish authorities found explosive traces and ‘foreign items’ but are yet to say what they were. Prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said: ‘The advanced analysis is still in progress, aiming to draw more definitive conclusions.’