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2026-05-13 Science & Technology

A Sarmat missile regiment will be on combat alert by the end of the year

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Posted by badanov 2026-05-13 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [1824 views ] Top

1 RS-28 Sarmat Missile

**The RS-28 Sarmat**, a **super-heavy liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)** developed by Russia, is designed to replace the Soviet-era R-36M2 Voyevoda (NATO: SS-18 Satan). **Tested successfully on May 12, 2026**, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced it will enter **combat duty by the end of 2026**, calling it the **"most powerful missile system in the world"** with a total warhead yield **over four times greater** than any comparable Western system.

**Capabilities and Design**:
The Sarmat has an **official operational range of 18,000 km**, but can achieve **sub-orbital flights up to 35,000 km** using Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) technology, enabling **flight paths over the South Pole** to evade missile defenses. It can carry:
- Up to **16 lighter MIRV warheads**, **10 heavy warheads** (~750 kt each), or
- **3 Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs)**, capable of maneuvering at **Mach 20 (~24,000 km/h)** during terminal phase.
The missile weighs **208.1 tonnes**, is **35.3 meters long**, and uses **inertial, GLONASS, and astro-inertial guidance** for high accuracy.

Despite its advanced design, the program has faced setbacks, including **five failed tests** as of November 2025, with a **launch silo destroyed in September 2024**. It officially entered service in **September 2023**, but full deployment is ongoing.

Posted by Skidmark 2026-05-13 23:59|| 2026-05-13 23:59|| Front Page Top

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