The Russian Defense Ministry announced the successful flight test of the RS-28 Sarmat super-heavy intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile was launched from the Plesetsk space base in northwestern Russia, and its test warheads hit targets on the Kamchatka Peninsula with high accuracy.
Publish dateThursday 14 May 2026 - 09:00
Story Code : 354607
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): The missile was launched at 11:15 a.m. Moscow time, and about half an hour later, the warheads were confirmed to have successfully hit the Kura test range in Russia's Far East. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who monitored the test via video conference, described it as a "major event and an undisputed success" and emphasized that the system will change the strategic equation in Russia's favor.
Why is the Sarmat a nightmare for Western defense systems?
Yuri Konotov, a prominent military expert and historian of Russian air defense, describes the unique features of this missile that make it virtually undetectable to Western defenses:
1. Multiple and intelligent warheads:
The Sarmat carries multiple independently targetable warheads (MIRV). This capability allows the missile to guide its warheads individually and attack multiple targets at very different locations, depending on the mission. Western missile defense systems, designed to deal with limited threats, would be virtually powerless against simultaneous attacks from multiple warheads from different directions.
2. Avangard hypersonic technology:
The Sarmat can carry Avangard hypersonic warheads. These warheads travel at a staggering speed of Mach 26 (26 times the speed of sound) and are highly maneuverable and unpredictable, rendering any defense system ineffective. They are also equipped with advanced electronic warfare systems and false targets to deceive and saturate enemy defenses; capabilities that pose a serious challenge to the billions of dollars invested by the West in missile defense systems.
3. Unpredictable flight path:
Unlike older generation intercontinental ballistic missiles that follow predictable ballistic paths over the Arctic, the Sarmat can approach US territory from unconventional paths, such as flying over Antarctica and Mexico. These are precisely the areas where the Pentagon, due to strategic neglect, lacks early warning radars or missile defense coverage, and this gap has become a trump card for Russia's deterrence capability.
General technical specifications:
The RS-28 Sarmat is a liquid-fueled super-heavy ballistic missile, 35.5 meters long and 3 meters in diameter, launched from fortified underground silos. Its launch weight is estimated at over 200 tons. Although official Russian sources have stated its operational range as 18,000 kilometers, President Putin has stated that the missile’s actual range is over 35,000 kilometers. Such a range allows it to target any point on Earth by flying unconventional routes, including over Antarctica. The missile is capable of carrying up to 10 heavy nuclear warheads and its accuracy has been improved twofold compared to the previous generation.
Strategic significance
This successful test is a major step towards modernizing Russia’s nuclear deterrent. The Sarmat is a direct replacement for the Soviet-designed R-36M “Voivode” (NATO reporting name: Satan) intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are now nearing the end of their operational life. One of the main goals of the Sarmat design was to neutralize the missile defense systems that the West has deployed in Eastern Europe and Asia at great expense over the past two decades.
The first operational regiment equipped with the Sarmat system will be deployed in the 62nd Missile Division in the Krasnoyarsk Territory in Siberia by the end of 2026, Sergei Karakayev, commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, said. As the missiles gradually enter service, Russia’s strategic deterrence will enter a new phase and will fundamentally reassess Western security calculations.
Why is the Sarmat a nightmare for Western defense systems?
Yuri Konotov, a prominent military expert and historian of Russian air defense, describes the unique features of this missile that make it virtually undetectable to Western defenses:
1. Multiple and intelligent warheads:
The Sarmat carries multiple independently targetable warheads (MIRV). This capability allows the missile to guide its warheads individually and attack multiple targets at very different locations, depending on the mission. Western missile defense systems, designed to deal with limited threats, would be virtually powerless against simultaneous attacks from multiple warheads from different directions.
2. Avangard hypersonic technology:
The Sarmat can carry Avangard hypersonic warheads. These warheads travel at a staggering speed of Mach 26 (26 times the speed of sound) and are highly maneuverable and unpredictable, rendering any defense system ineffective. They are also equipped with advanced electronic warfare systems and false targets to deceive and saturate enemy defenses; capabilities that pose a serious challenge to the billions of dollars invested by the West in missile defense systems.
3. Unpredictable flight path:
Unlike older generation intercontinental ballistic missiles that follow predictable ballistic paths over the Arctic, the Sarmat can approach US territory from unconventional paths, such as flying over Antarctica and Mexico. These are precisely the areas where the Pentagon, due to strategic neglect, lacks early warning radars or missile defense coverage, and this gap has become a trump card for Russia's deterrence capability.
General technical specifications:
The RS-28 Sarmat is a liquid-fueled super-heavy ballistic missile, 35.5 meters long and 3 meters in diameter, launched from fortified underground silos. Its launch weight is estimated at over 200 tons. Although official Russian sources have stated its operational range as 18,000 kilometers, President Putin has stated that the missile’s actual range is over 35,000 kilometers. Such a range allows it to target any point on Earth by flying unconventional routes, including over Antarctica. The missile is capable of carrying up to 10 heavy nuclear warheads and its accuracy has been improved twofold compared to the previous generation.
Strategic significance
This successful test is a major step towards modernizing Russia’s nuclear deterrent. The Sarmat is a direct replacement for the Soviet-designed R-36M “Voivode” (NATO reporting name: Satan) intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are now nearing the end of their operational life. One of the main goals of the Sarmat design was to neutralize the missile defense systems that the West has deployed in Eastern Europe and Asia at great expense over the past two decades.
The first operational regiment equipped with the Sarmat system will be deployed in the 62nd Missile Division in the Krasnoyarsk Territory in Siberia by the end of 2026, Sergei Karakayev, commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, said. As the missiles gradually enter service, Russia’s strategic deterrence will enter a new phase and will fundamentally reassess Western security calculations.
avapress.net/vdce7e8xfjh8npi.1kbj.html
Top hits
