The first serial Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles have been delivered to the troops.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced this in his message to the Federal Assembly.

“The first serial heavy ballistic missiles “Sarmat” were also delivered to the troops.

We will soon demonstrate them in the areas where they are based on combat duty,” the Russian leader said.

In addition, Vladimir Putin mentioned other promising types of Russian strategic weapons.

  • Vladimir Putin addresses the Federal Assembly

  • kremlin.ru

“Tests of the Burevestnik unlimited-range cruise missile and the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle are being completed.

These systems have confirmed their high, one can say without exaggeration, unique characteristics,” the head of state added.

He emphasized that strategic nuclear forces are “in a state of full readiness for guaranteed use.”

“What we planned in the field of armaments, which I spoke about in the 2018 message, has all been done or this work is being completed,” said Vladimir Putin.

"Can't be intercepted"

Let us recall that the Russian leader demonstrated the Sarmat strategic complex for the first time during his address to the Federal Assembly in 2018, a large part of which was devoted to the promising weapons of the Russian Federation.

Vladimir Putin then noted that the Sarmat will replace the R-36M Voevoda complex, which has been in service since the late 1980s.

  • R-36M2 "Voevoda"

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

As part of the message, a video was also shown of the Sarmat flying through the North Pole.

Let us remind you that “Sarmat” is a silo-based missile system with a heavy liquid-fueled orbital intercontinental ballistic missile.

It was developed by specialists from JSC State Rocket Center named after.

V.P.

Makeev" and is mass-produced at the Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant.

As the Russian Ministry of Defense reported, the first launch as part of the Sarmat flight tests was successfully completed on April 20, 2022.

The technical characteristics of the complex have not been published in the public domain, but Russian officials and representatives of the defense department have made a number of statements over the past few years that have made it possible to get a certain idea of ​​​​the Sarmat’s capabilities.

Thus, in May 2022, Vladimir Degtyar, General Director, General Designer of the Makeev State Research Center, said that the missile cannot be intercepted by the means available to a potential enemy.

“It cannot be intercepted.

Because the means of overcoming are anti-missile, the KSP - a set of means of overcoming - is incredibly complex, which allows you to overcome any multi-echelon missile defense,” Degtyar said on the air of the “Military Acceptance” program on the Zvezda TV channel.

Degtyar also noted that this is “the largest combat missile in the history of mankind, created by Russian cooperation.”

According to him, “the diameter of the Sarmat missile is three meters, its length is the size of a 14-story building, the mass of the missile is more than 200 tons.”

In turn, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) of Russia, Colonel General Sergei Karakaev, said that the trajectories of the Sarmat can also pass through outer space, including through the South Pole.

“Due to the power supply of the new missile system, the trajectory has the ability to change - from our notorious trajectory through the North Pole, if necessary, it is possible to lay a trajectory through the South Pole, which, in principle, is not protected today.

“And there are also possibilities for other trajectories, from the point of view of launching into outer space,” noted the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces.

Later, in June 2022, Karakaev said that the missile was created to be equipped with Avangard hypersonic warheads and would be able to carry several such units.

“As for Sarmat, this is a different missile system.

It is based on a carrier, it is much more powerful than the Vanguard carrier.

And it was created, among other things, for combat equipment with Avangard, taking into account the fact that their number at this complex could be greater,” Karakaev said on the Rossiya 24 TV channel.

Let us recall that, according to the Ministry of Defense, Avangard hypersonic gliding winged units develop a speed of Mach 28, which is approximately equal to 7.5 km/s.

At the same time, the unit maneuvers along an unpredictable trajectory, which makes it almost impossible to defeat it with anti-missile weapons.

The Western expert community also paid attention to the Sarmat missiles and their high potential as a strategic weapon.

Thus, the American military-political magazine The National Interest has repeatedly analyzed the capabilities of new Russian missiles, including in the material “Meet the Sarmat - a Russian heavy ICBM capable of hitting almost any point on Earth.”

  • Meet Sarmat, a Russian heavy ICBM capable of hitting almost any point on Earth

  • © The National Interest

It noted that “Sarmat” has such impressive characteristics that “Dr. Strangelove (the character obsessed with nuclear war in Stanley Kubrick’s film of the same name. -

RT

) would be delighted.”

“Its (“Sarmat” -

RT

) combination of ultra-long range, hypersonic potential and variety of nuclear warheads may have no equal,” The National Interest emphasized.

From the point of view of the publication’s analysts, “there is no doubt that Russia dominates missile technology on the world stage.”

“It will strengthen Russia’s security”

In a conversation with RT, the director of the Center for Military-Political Studies at MGIMO, Alexey Podberezkin, recalled that Sarmat is a fundamentally new type of strategic weapon.

“It has an increased range compared to previous generation missiles, for example the UR-100N.

In addition, it is more reliable, as it is focused on protection against missile defense systems.

The reliability indicators of warheads have also increased, which is very important for as much target coverage and individual targeting as possible.

Plus, the Sarmat missile launchers are also better protected from a possible attack,” Podberezkin said.

In addition, in his opinion, the intercontinental Sarmat, which has no analogues, will be able to ensure strategic parity for Russia with other nuclear powers.

Retired Colonel Viktor Litovkin, in a conversation with RT, called the Sarmat a missile with unique combat characteristics.

“This is the heaviest missile of its class in the world, equipped with ten warheads with individual guidance.

That is, each warhead has its own target.

At the moment when it becomes available for detection, it will be too late to do this, since in fact the missile will already have to reach this goal.

The main advantage of the Sarmat is that it can fly not only through the North Pole, but also through the South Pole and is guaranteed to hit designated targets.

“Sarmat” is a truly unique weapon, the placement of which on combat duty will strengthen Russia’s security and strengthen its strategic deterrent forces,” Litovkin concluded.