Putin unveils another new hypersonic missile after boasting that Russia is the ONLY country to have them deployed
- President Vladimir Putin said Russia is winning an arms race against the US
- ‘Avangard and Kinzhal missiles are the only hypersonic weapons in the world’
- He also announced plans for land-based variant of the zircon hypersonic missile
- US are working on hypersonic missiles but they’re yet to bring them into service
President Vladimir Putin unveiled another new hypersonic missile today after boasting that Russia is the only country to have them deployed.
Speaking at a meeting with the military top brass, Putin claimed that a new land-based version of the ‘unstoppable’ Zircon missile could hit speeds of Mach 9, around 7,000mph.
He said that for the first time in history Russia has an edge in designing a new class of weapons unlike in the past when it was catching up with the United States.
In addition to the ZirconHe said that the first unit equipped with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle is set to go on duty this month, while that the air-launched Kinzhal hypersonic missiles have already entered service.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during an annual meeting with top military officials in the National Defense Control Center in Moscow, Russia today
Speaking at a meeting with the military top brass, Putin claimed that a new land-based version of the ‘unstoppable’ Zircon missile could hit speeds of Mach 9, around 7,000mph
Putin first mentioned the Avangard and the Kinzhal among other prospective weapons systems in his state-of-the-nation address in March 2018.
Putin said then that the Avangard has an intercontinental range and can fly in the atmosphere at a speed 20 times the speed of sound.
He noted that the weapon’s ability to change both its course and its altitude en route to a target makes it immune to interception by the the enemy.
Speaking Tuesday, he described the Avangard as a ‘weapon of the future, capable of penetrating both existing and prospective missile defense systems.’
A file photo from 2018 shows a display of a flight of the Avangard hypersonic boost-glide warhead over Russia. Speaking at a meeting with top military brass, Putin said that Russia has a critical edge in designing a new class of weapons unlike in the past when it was catching up with the United States
The Kinzhal which is carried by MiG-31 fighter jets, pictured in an undated file photo, entered service with the Russian air force last year
The Kinzhal, 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 1,250 miles and can carry a nuclear or conventional warhead.
The military said it’s capable of hitting both land targets and navy ships.
The United States and other countries also have worked on designing hypersonic weapons, but they haven’t entered service yet.