According to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, the country will begin flight tests of the RS-28 Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile and put it into service in 2022.
“Flight tests will begin in 2021 and be completed in 2022. By 2022, the first batch of missiles can join the strategic missile force,” Shoigu said on Aug. visited the Krasmash factory in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia.
RS-28 Sarmat is capable of carrying 16 independently guided nuclear warheads. The missile can be launched from a fixed bunker, uses liquid fuel and is designed to replace the R-36M/R-36M2 Voevoda missile.
The weight of the RS-28 Sarmat is 208.1 tons, 35.5m long and 3m in diameter. The new missile is capable of bypassing many enemy air defense missile systems and has a range of up to 18,000km. It will be equipped with a variety of powerful warheads including hypersonic weapons.
Currently, Russia’s strategic missile forces are using seven types of missiles, including fixed launch systems such as Voevoda, Stiletto, Topol-M, Yars, and mobile vehicle launchers Topol- M, Topol, Yars.
The US is also working on a new ICBM by signing a $13.3 billion deal with military contractor Northrop Grumman. The new US missile is designed to replace the Minuteman III and may be tested for launch in 2023.