The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate, and Western countries continue to provide Ukraine with large amounts of military support, including long-range anti-aircraft missiles and armored combat vehicles. At the same time, Russia copes with the situation on its own.
At this sensitive moment, Russia announced its first successful launch of its most powerful strategic ICBM, successfully hitting targets nearly 6,000 kilometers away. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian army successfully tested the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile at the Plesetsk cosmodrome, and the test warhead accurately hit the target area of Kamchatka. Once all tests are complete, the missile will join the Strategic Missile Forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin personally watched the launch of the missile via video link. He stressed that such missiles are capable of bypassing all anti-missile systems in the world, and currently no other missile can match them. The new missile will ensure the security of Russia's homeland and force those who try to threaten Russia to think twice.
The first Sarmat ICBM has a maximum launch weight of more than 200 tons, can carry 10 to 15 MISSILE nuclear warheads, a maximum payload of 10 tons, and a flight range of up to 18,000 kilometers. As a result, it is the most powerful and longest-range ICBM in the world today. The missile's long-range range ensures that it can be launched from the Russian mainland and hit any target across the globe.
The missile has a variety of nuclear warhead options, from a single heavy nuclear warhead with a power of up to 20 million tons, to carrying multiple split nuclear warheads and hypersonic glide warheads with a maximum flight speed of Mach 27. It is also equipped with 40 decoy shells to jam hostile anti-missile systems. The missile is available in two versions, one specifically aimed at European targets with a range of 9,000 km, and the other faces the United States in full condition with a range of up to 18,000 km.
The Sarmat ICBM is maneuverable, uses a variety of composite guidance methods, including inertial, satellite and starlight guidance, and a hypersonic warhead design, making it virtually impossible to intercept by U.S. anti-missile networks.
The successful missile test comes at a sensitive time when Western countries continue to support Ukraine and impose sanctions on Russia. Through its actions, Russia sends them a clear message that nuclear weapons will become an effective means of Russian self-defense if it continues to challenge Russia's bottom line. This is not alarmism, whenever there is a large-scale conflict or tension, Russia conducts an actual launch drill of nuclear weapons. Hopefully, this powerful missile will never be used in real combat.