The Russian military has test-launched its new Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, or ICBM, that President Vladimir Putin unveiled at an annual address this month amid increasing tensions between Moscow and the West.
Russia announced plans in 2013 to develop the Sarmat ICBM to replace a Cold War standby known in the West as “Satan,” or the RS-20B Voyevoda in Russia. Putin unveiled the Sarmat, or Satan-2, with an array of other nuclear-capable weapons at his annual speech to both chambers of parliament on March 1 that has reportedly riled U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Russian Defense Ministry published a video on Thursday showcasing the launch of the Sarmat from a northern Russia cosmodrome to study its characteristics and behavior during takeoff.
Equipped with multiple hypersonic warheads MIRVs to help it evade missile defense systems, Satan-2 is expected to enter service by the start of the next decade as part of Russia’s push to modernize its nuclear arsenal. Moscow says the Satan-2 is capable of destroying an area the size of Texas.
Reuters contributed reporting to this article.
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