Russia to put Avangard hypersonic missiles into active service
The first UR-100N UTTKh intercontinental missiles with an Avangard nuclear glide vehicle will be put into active service in the next few weeks, TASS reports ,citing a source in Russia’s defense industry.
“At the end of November or start of December, two UR-100N UTTKh missiles equipped with hypersonic glide vehicles from the first generation of Avangard systems will enter into trial combat duty in the Dombarovsky division of the Strategic Missile Forces,” the news agency cites the source as saying.
The source noted that both missiles are currently being prepared and loaded into silos.
An Avangard missile was successfully tested at the end of 2018. The weapon hit a practice target at the Kura Test Range in Kamchatka Krai. The tests were observed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia claims that the Avangard warhead can fly intercontinental distances through dense layers of atmosphere at speeds in excess of Mach 20, and that its gliding capabilities enable it to bypass anti-air defense systems.