Before adoption by military, ICBM launched new ICBM in final tests.
Russia's new RS 28 Sarmat Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile was successfully launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the north of the country, the military reported on Wednesday. The test launch was the first in a series of trials required for the adoption of the new weapon by Russia's strategic forces.
The missile flew across the whole country, landing at a test site in Russia's Far East. The military said inert warheads touched down in a designated area at the Kura training ground on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The new silo-based strategic missile is set to replace the R 36 M R 36 M 2 Voevoda ICBMs. Compared to its predecessor, the Sarmat can carry more weapons, as well as be fitted with new types of warheads, including hypersonic glider units the military noted.
Vladimir Putin called the launch an event of great significance for Russia, and congratulated the military on the successful test launch.
The new system has top tactical and technical characteristics and is able to penetrate all modern anti-missile defenses. Putin said that it has no analogues in the world and will not have any for a long time.
Footage of the launch by Russia shows the missile leaving its silo. The Sarmat ejects a protective engine cover, corrects itself in the air and blasts off into the skies.
The trials of the new missile are expected to be completed later this year. After that, the Sarmat will officially enter service and the first munitions will be supplied to the country's strategic missile forces.