It will take exactly 2 minutes and 2 seconds for Russia’s R-28 “Sarmat” heavy nuclear warhead intercontinental missile to reach London.
The successful test of the heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) R-28 Sarmat, helped establish the real combat capabilities of this latest unique Russian strategic weapon.
The Sarmat is a three-stage, liquid-fueled missile with a range of 18,000 km and a launch weight of 208.1 metric tons. The missile is 35.3 meters long and 3 meters in diameter. Designated a “heavy” ICBM, the Sarmat can carry a 10 ton payload and can load a wide variety of warhead options. According to Russian media, Sarmat can reportedly load up to 10 large warheads, 16 smaller ones, a combination of warheads and countermeasures, or hypersonic boost-glide vehicles.
According to information, it will take just over 2 minutes for Sarmat to launch an attack on the capitals of European countries.
According to the infographic page provided by AZmilitary, it will take only 1 minute 46 seconds for the Russian R-28 Sarmat to attack the German capital Berlin; exactly 2 minutes to attack Paris and 2 minutes 2 seconds to destroy London.
In other words, the heavy ICBM Sarmat is capable of covering several thousand kilometers in just a few minutes, while the destructive power will ensure sufficient destruction of the target.
According to Russian media, Just one “Sarmat” heavy ICBM is enough to destroy a country the size of France.
The latest Russian weapons are such that just one missile capable of carrying 16 independent warheads with a total yield of about 8.8 megatons will be enough to in order to destroy a country the size of France.
Relevant information about the capabilities of the Russian heavy intercontinental ballistic missile “Sarmat” appeared in the British media. According to the infographics presented, the estimated combat power of such a missile is capable of striking and almost completely destroying a country with a territory of about 250 thousand square miles (about 650 thousand square kilometers).
It is not known how close such an assessment is to reality, however, taking into account publicly available data, such a list includes more than 240 states whose area is less than 650 thousand square kilometers.
The Sarmat is one of six new strategic weapons in development in Russia that President Vladimir Putin had announced in his state of the nation speech in 2018. It is set to replace R-36M2 Voevoda missiles, which have been in service since the late 1960 and have aged enough to be decommissioned.
This super-advanced ICBM, with a range of over 18,000 kilometers, is said to be part of Russia’s nuclear modernization program, which President Putin unveiled in 2018.
It is known that in the near future, Russia plans to equip 46 heavy ICBMs R-28 Sarmat. According to some unofficial information, a single strike of the Sarmat missile can destroy a target on an area of 400 thousand square kilometers.
Thus, with 46 Sarmat heavy ICBMs, it is enough to destroy twice the territory of countries that are hostile to Russia.
Earlier, Defence view showed a photo of the ICBM R-28 Sarmat test without a warhead; it was a funnel-shaped pit, at least 8 meters deep and about 20 meters in diameter.
Missile R-28 Sarmat 35.5 m long, 3 m in diameter, carrying 10-15 independently guided nuclear warheads (MIRV) with a total power equivalent to 50 million tons of TNT explosives, with various types bait traps to deceive enemy defenses.
Sarmat can also be a vehicle fitted with supersonic Avangard warheads or many types of hypersonic gliders in the future.
The rocket’s propulsion stage operates in a relatively short time, significantly limiting the ability to be detected by satellites equipped with infrared sensors, making it difficult for the enemy to track and intercept.
With a range of up to 18,000 km, the launch weight is more than 200 tons, of which the fuel is 178 tons; Sarmat can be launched around the South Pole, dodging the US network of North Pole-oriented surveillance.
Some experts believe that Sarmat possesses similar features to the Low Orbital Strike Weapon System (FOBS) developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, in which the warhead flew many times around the Earth in orbit. low, then re-enters the atmosphere and plummets to the target at great speed.
After the successful test of the ICBM R-28 Sarmat, President Putin said on Russian television on April 20: “This truly unique weapon will increase the combat capabilities of the armed forces, ensure secure Russia from external threats and make those who want to threaten us rethink.”