IMPORTANT: LISTEN TO THE RAND VIDEO…
https://www.rand.org/multimedia/video/2017/09/27/hypersonic-missile-nonproliferation.html
Russia’s New Hypersonic Weapon Flies at Mach 27
- The first two Avangard hypersonic weapons are now operational.
- Avangard was originally announced in March 2018 by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Avangard is designed to neutralize American ballistic missile defenses.
Speaking on December 24, 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin marked the deployment of Russia’s first nuclear-capable hypersonic missile system, noting, “Today, we have a unique situation in our new and recent history. [Other countries] are trying to catch up with us. Not a single country possesses hypersonic weapons, let alone continental-range hypersonic weapons.”
Russia’s new Avangard hypersonic weapon system is now operational. Avangard, which Russian President Vladimir Putin only announced in March 2018, travels at Mach 27 and is designed to take out U.S. ballistic missile defenses ahead of a wider nuclear attack. Avangard is just the latest in a series of hypersonic weapons under development by the U.S., Russia, and China.
The Diplomat reports that the first regiment of Avangard-equipped missiles, likely the 13th regiment of the Dombarovskiy (Red Banner) Missile Division, achieved operational status at its base near Orenburg, Russia. The regiment received two older UR-100NUTTkH (NATO: SS-19 Stiletto) intercontinental ballistic missiles refitted with one Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle each. Avangard will later be deployed on larger, longer-range R-28 Sarmat ICBMs.
Avangard is a unique weapon system commonly called a boost glide hypersonic weapon. Unlike traditional intercontinental ballistic missiles, which boost their nuclear warheads high into low-Earth orbit and then send them streaking down toward their targets, Avangard uses the ICBM booster to reach an altitude of just 62 miles, or a third of low-Earth orbit. Once at altitude, Avangard zooms down toward its target at Mach 27, or 20,716 miles an hour. Here’s an Avangard test shot from 2018:
Avangard’s usefulness is that it never actually reaches space, where America’s ballistic missile defenses are designed to shoot down incoming nuclear warheads. In other words, Avangard comes in under the ballistic missile shield, below its engagement range. This gives Russia the ability to quickly destroy the Ground Based Midcourse Defense interceptors based at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a30346798/russia-new-hypersonic-weapon-mach-27/
TERRIFYING: Russian admiral claims hypersonic missiles can strike US mainland within FIVE MINUTES
RUSSIA’S terrifying next-generation smart weapons could obliterate US command centres in five minutes, according to a former senior officer.
Retired Counter Admiral Vsevolov Khmyrov said targets on US territory fell well within the range of Russian ships and submarines armed with the deady new Tsircon hypersonic missiles. Admiral Khmyrov said after withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, the US will control systems that they may decide to deploy in Europe “from command centres on the territory of the American continent”.
He said Russia’s Tsircon missiles would not only create a counterweight to missiles deployed in Europe “but will also ensure the capability to strike key control systems – command centres”.
He said: “If a submarine or military ship with Tsircon missiles onboard is located in 500 kilometres from the coast, then missiles will be capable of reaching coastal targets at the depth of at least 500 kilometre.
“Such a hypersonic system like Tsircon practically breaks through any missile defence system.
“The number of military ships and submarines with Tsircon missiles onboard on combat duty in West Atlantic and East Pacific may stand at two to three ships on each direction with about 40 missiles onboard.”
The chilling warning came just a day after Vladimir Putin warned Moscow would consider tit-for-tat and asymmetric measures if the US deployed intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles to Europe.
The Russian President said: “I’ve already said and I want to repeat – and this is vital – to repeat this specifically, that Russia is not planning to be the first to deploy these missiles to Europe.
“If they are indeed manufactured and sent to the European continent, and the US does have these plans, anyway, we haven’t heard other statements, this will sharply deteriorate international security and create serious threats to Russia since it takes up to 10-12 minutes for certain types of these missiles to fly to Moscow. https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1090307/world-war-3-russia-v-usa-Tsircon-hypersonic-missiles-inf-treaty