A photo taken on July 18, 2017, shows different missiles that can be attached to Russian war planes presented during the opening day of the annual air show MAKS 2017 in Zhukovsky, some 40 km outside Moscow. Russia touted Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018, a new hypersonic missile said to hit speeds of more than 30,000 kilometers per hour, amid heightened tension with the US over arms control. AFP
MOSCOW, Russia 鈥� Russia touted Thursday a new hypersonic missile said to hit speeds of more than 30,000 kilometers per hour, amid heightened tension with the US over arms control.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday tracked final tests of a hypersonic missile dubbed 鈥淎vangard,鈥� which he says would defeat all existing missile defense systems.
When Putin unveiled the new weapon during his state of the nation address in March, he said the missile was highly maneuverable and flew at 20 times the speed of sound.
Senior officials now say the聽intercontinental projectile is considerably faster.
鈥淒uring tests, Avangard reached the speed of Mach 27,鈥� or roughly 33,000 kilometers (20,500 miles) per hour, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov said in televised remarks.
Mach 1 is a unit of measurement equivalent to the speed of sound.
鈥淎t this speed not a single interceptor missile can shoot it down,鈥� Borisov said.
He also claimed it was impossible to predict the missile鈥檚 movements, which meant 鈥渕issile defense is practically rendered obsolete.鈥�
Putin termed the final test an 鈥渁bsolute success,鈥� and said Avangard would be deployed next year.
The Bell, an independent media outlet, said Putin was so excited about Wednesday鈥檚 tests that he told Russian businessmen about them later in the day and said that no one could threaten Russia now because it has such advanced weapons.
Last week Putin laid out plans for Moscow to develop mid-range missiles banned under a Cold War treaty with the United States if Washington abandons the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF).
The bilateral agreement forbids ground-launched short- and intermediate-range missiles, but not those launched from the air or sea.
Putin said that seaborne Kalibr and air-launched Kh-101 cruise missiles 鈥� and another hypersonic missile dubbed Kinzhal (Dagger) 鈥� would be adapted for ground launch if Washington ditched the INF treaty.
Russia and the US have accused each other of violating the agreement. /cbb