Russia has successfully test-fired the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile.
Context
Russia has successfully test-fired the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile.
Key-points
The name game
The name Sarmat is based upon the nomadic Sarmatian tribes which used to live between 6th and 4th century BC in current territories of Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
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- The Sarmat is a Russian liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile capable of nuclear charges.
- The missile was fired from the Plesetsk state test cosmodrome in northwest Russia's Arkhangelsk region.
- This multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV)-equipped weapon can be deployed with 10 or more warheads on each missile.
- It is claimed that it has the longest range of destruction of targets in the world.
- Dubbed Satan-2 by Western analysts, Sarmat is designed to elude anti-missile defence systems with a short initial boost phase, giving enemy surveillance systems a tiny window to track.
- The RS-28 Sarmat (NATO name Satan-II) is reported to be able to carry ten or more warheads and decoys and has the capability of firing over either of the earth’s poles with a range of 11,000 to 18,000 km.
- An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a missile with a minimum range of 5,500 kilometres primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads).
Background
- The RS-28 Sarmat is a heavy liquid-propellant Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capable of carrying nuclear charges.
- This missile has been under development in Russia since 2000ss.
- The objective of this development is to replace the R-36M2 Voyevoda ICBM, which is Russia’s only Strategic Missile Force since 1988.
