MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia’s powerful Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will become part of the military for the first time later this year. Putin said the military had successfully completed Sarmat’s tests. Last April, Russia conducted the first test of Sarmat, known as “Satan 2”.
Russia’s Defense Ministry says Sarma is the world’s most powerful missile capable of striking the farthest target. With a range of more than 6,000 km, Sarma can carry more than 10 nuclear warheads. The UK and US will come under Sarmat’s scope. The Russian military will decommission the Soviet-era Voivode missile system with the launch of the Sarmat, which began construction in 2009.
Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, had indicated that the sarmat would be deployed in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia, about 3,000 kilometers from Moscow. Rogosin says Sarmat is a “super weapon” that will ensure the security of the Russian people for the next 40 years.
Putin says current technology will not be able to stop Sarmat and will surpass all existing missile defense systems. Sarmat is one of the most powerful missiles in Russia’s arsenal. Sarmat weighs over 200 tons and is 35.5 meters long.