Russian President Vladimir Putin has highlighted that his nation’s Avangard hypersonic glide automobile has negated a whole bunch of billions of {dollars} of funding by the USA and its Western allies in missile defence applied sciences. “When you calculate how a lot [America’s] well-known missile defences price them, one of many most important parts for overcoming these missile defences that we’ve is the Avangard, an intercontinental missile with an intercontinental-range glide unit. So you can not evaluate budgets. We’ve mainly nullified every part they’ve achieved, every part they’ve invested on this missile defence system,” the Russian chief acknowledged. He remarked that these investments within the U.S. had been extremely wasteful. The primary Avangard-equipped ICBM regiment was activated in September 2020 on the Yasnensky missile compound round 1,200 km southeast of Moscow, with a second regiment happening fight alert in June 2022.
As an intercontinental vary hypersonic glide automobile, the Avangard was designed to fly at Mach 27 speeds and to manoeuvre in each course and pitch. This included the power to hold out lateral manoeuvres a number of thousand kilometres into house, making it very troublesome for enemy missile defence programs to even detect a lot much less have interaction. Its velocity allowed it to fly between continents in beneath 10 minutes, with every carrying a two megaton nuclear warhead. The programs have a close to limitless vary, permitting them to method targets reminiscent of the USA mainland from surprising instructions. An estimated ten glide autos can by carried by bigger Russian ICBMs such because the RS-28 Sarmat. The system has one important vulnerability, nonetheless, which is the potential of strikes on silos internet hosting the missiles carrying them or assaults on the missiles of their early launch phases earlier than the attain the ambiance to launch the glide autos. Rising contingents of F-35 fighters deployed close to Russia’s borders, that are anticipated to combine anti ballistic missiles earlier than 2030 and are nicely optimised for deep penetration of Russian airspace, are however considered one of a number of property which may very well be used to threaten Russian ICBMs earlier than they will deploy their hypersonic glide autos.
The Avangard has incessantly been referred to since its unveiling in March 2018 for instance of Russian energy attributable to its distinctive placing energy, and has been described by President Putin as impacting targets “like a meteor, like a fireball.” He in any other case acknowledged concerning its viability: “There are not any analogues. They most likely will seem in a couple of years, however no one has them but… If it weren’t for the brand new supplies, it might be inconceivable [to have created the weapon].” Putin beforehand in 2019 in contrast the system to the Soviet Union’s launch of the world’s satellite tv for pc in its strategic significance, stating concerning the risk posed by rising American missile defence capabilities to the viability of the Soviet strategic deterrent:
“The Avangard system is our response. A winged glider automobile strikes at Mach 20-plus inside dense atmospheric layers; it was troublesome to think about this prior to now. When it comes to our defence functionality, this quantities to the identical landmark achievement because the launch of the primary house satellite tv for pc. It’s because that launch implied ballistic missiles, and we are actually speaking a few new strategic weapons system that strikes alongside a flat trajectory inside dense atmospheric layers. That is one other supply automobile? Sure, in fact, this quantities to a different supply automobile. However that is an absolute breakthrough when it comes to trendy applied sciences and supplies. This winged glider automobile’s nostril part heats as much as virtually 3,000 levels Celsius. Are you able to think about this? What does 3,000 levels really feel like? The Solar’s floor heats as much as 6,000 levels, and right here we’re speaking about 3,000 levels. I’ve already talked about the chocolate-coated ice cream impact, when the automobile flies alongside and melts away because it goes. It’s coated with a plasma layer, and its sides warmth as much as 1,900–2,000 levels. On the similar time, the automobile is managed accordingly. You understand, after I attended the newest checks and after I watched them, the operator mentioned ‘Acknowledge message’ which signifies that the automobile had hit the bull’s eye, the goal. The Russian science, engineering faculty and defence sector have scored an incredible success. Certainly, that is completely great. Due to this fact, a comparability with the primary near-Earth satellite tv for pc is sort of satisfactory and applicable.”
