” It is truly a unique weapon that will boost the military potential of our armed forces, keep Russia safe from external threats, and make those who try to threaten our country with wild and aggressive rhetoric think twice. »
I emphasize that only assemblies, components and parts of domestic manufacture were used for the creation of the Sarmat
he added, during an announcement broadcast on television.
According to Putin, the fifth-generation Sarmat intercontinental heavy ballistic missile is capable of outmaneuver all modern anti-aircraft systems
.
In a video, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the firing took place at 3:12 p.m. from the Plesetsk launch pad in the northwest Arkhangelsk region.
According to this source, the missile then reached, as planned, a target on another military ground: that of Kura, on the Russian peninsula of Kamchatka, in the Far East, more than 5000 kilometers away.
After the end of the test program, the Sarmat will enter the Russian strategic forces
, added Mr. Konashenkov. Forces strategic
in their broad definition, are notably designed to intervene in the event of nuclear war.
The Sarmat bears the name of a nomadic people who lived during Antiquity around the Black Sea, between present-day Russia and Ukraine.
This new weapon is part of a series of other missiles presented in 2018 as invincible
by Vladimir Putin. There are also the hypersonic missiles Kinjal (dagger) and Avangard.
In March, Moscow claimed to have used the Kinjal against targets in Ukraine for the first time.
Weighing over 200 tons, the Sarmat is supposed to outperform its predecessor, the Voevoda missile, which has a range of 11,000 km.
In 2019, Mr Putin claimed that Sarmat had no virtually no range limits
and that he was able to aim for targets crossing the North Pole like the South Pole
.
Not a threat, says the Pentagon
The Pentagon assured that the Russian launch of a Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, successful for the first time on Wednesday, was a test of routine
and did not constitute not a threat
for the United States or its allies.
Moscow has suitably informed
Washington of carrying out this test, in accordance with its obligations under the nuclear treaties, and it was therefore not a surprise
for the US Secretary of Defense, added his spokesman John Kirby.
