Contents tagged with Avangard

  • Russia detains chief designer of hypersonic weapons for treason

    General Director and Chief Designer of JSC Research Enterprise of Hypersonic Systems (NIPGS) Alexander Kuranov was detained on August 12 by Russian FSB officers.

    TASS reports, citing a source in law enforcement agencies, 73-year-old Kuranov is accused of treason. He is suspected of transferring development materials to foreign special services. The Lefortovo court of Moscow received a petition from investigators for the arrest of the scientist for two months, which was satisfied.

    Doctor of …

  • Putin explains reasons behind Russia's development of hypersonic missiles

    Russia had to start developing hypersonic weapons after the U.S. withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002, said Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the honorary general director, honorary general designer of the NPO Mashinostroyenia ,Herbert Yefremov.

    "We had to create these weapons in response to the deployment of the U.S. strategic missile defense system, which in the long term would be able to actually neutralize all our nuclear capabilities, Putin added. The …

  • Russia tests new hypersonic missile

    Russia has tested a new hypersonic air missile from a Tu-22M3 bomber, reports TASS, citing a source in the Russian defense industry.

    "Recently, tests of a new hypersonic missile have been carried out from the Tu-22M3," the source said.

    According to him, the missile is being developed for the upgraded version of the Tu-22M3M aircraft. He added that work on the new munition began several years ago. The missile tests are to be completed along with work on the upgraded Tu-22M3M bomber.

    The …

  • NATO Secretary General: New Russian missiles ‘can reach European cities' and are ‘easy to hide’

    In an interview with Der Spiegel magazine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the North Atlantic Alliance sees a threat in Russia's latest weapons.

    "New Russian missiles are very dangerous," Stoltenberg said. He said they are "mobile, easy to hide" and can "reach European cities" within a very short time after their launch.

    The Secretary General is sure that these characteristics not only reduce the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, but also increases the risk of possible …

  • Russia starts developing defenses against hypersonic missiles

    The Russian Defense Ministry has decided to develop a new multipurpose long-range interception missile system which will even be capable of intercepting hypersonic weapons, Izvestia reports, citing sources in the ministry.

    The news agency writes that, at the military department’s request, theoretical work has already been done on a super long-range air-to-air missile with a splitting warhead, and work is currently underway to determine the characteristics and composition of the prospective …

  • Russia presents Avangard hypersonic missile to US inspectors

    For the first time, the Russian military has presented an Avangard missile system with a hypersonic warhead to American inspectors, RBC reports with reference to a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry.

    The Avangard was demonstrated in order to help preserve the “viability and effectiveness” of the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty, the department explained. The ministry noted that the Avangard should be adopted into active service by the end of 2019.

    The American inspectors were in …

  • 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 …