Russia has successfully tested the Sarmat ICBM, with President Vladimir Putin boasting that the nuclear-capable projectile will make Moscow’s enemies “think twice.”
Putin was shown on television being told by the military that the missile was launched from Plesetsk in northwestern Russia on Wednesday, hitting targets in the Far East’s Kamchatka Peninsula.
“I congratulate you on the successful launch of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile,” Putin told the army in a televised address.
“This truly unique weapon will increase the combat potential of our armed forces, reliably ensure the security of Russia from external threats and make those who – in the heat of aggressive rhetoric – try to threaten our country think twice.”
The Sarmat is a new heavy ICBM that Russia is expected to deploy with 10 or more warheads on each missile, according to the United States Congressional Research Service.
It’s been in development for years and so its test launch comes as no surprise to the West, but it comes at a moment of extreme geopolitical tension over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“The new [missile] has the highest tactical and technical characteristics and is capable of overcoming all modern means of missile defense. It has no analogues in the world and will not exist for a long time,” Putin said.
The head of Russia’s state aerospace agency called the launch in northern Russia “a gift to NATO.”
Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of Russia’s National Defense magazine, told RIA news agency that this was a signal to the West that Moscow was capable of “enacting crushing retaliation that will put an end to the history of any country that invaded the.” security of Russia and its people”.
“No surprise”
Russia’s test of a new nuclear-capable missile is not seen as a threat to the US and its allies, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
Moscow “duly notified” Washington of the test after fulfilling its obligations under the 2011 New START treaty, which placed limits on the two countries’ nuclear weapons, US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said.
“The testing is routine and it came as no surprise,” Kirby told reporters. “Of course, the department remains focused on Russia’s unlawful and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.”
Douglas Barrie, senior fellow in military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the launch is an important milestone after years of delays caused by funding issues and design challenges.
He said more testing would be needed before Russia could actually use them in place of aging SS-18 and SS-19 missiles that were “well past their expiration dates.”
Barrie said the Sarmat’s ability to carry 10 or more warheads and decoys, and Russia’s option to launch them over one of the Earth’s poles, pose a challenge to ground-based and satellite-based radar and tracking systems — “it complicates where to go.” search”.
The Sarmat missile launcher on a screenshot [RIA Novosti/Twitter]
“Something to Show”
Jack Watling, of the RUSI think tank in London, said there was an element of pose and symbolism at play, eight weeks after the start of the war in Ukraine and less than three weeks before the annual Victory Day Parade, where Russia is showcasing its latest weapons.
“The timing of the test reflects the Russians wanting to show something as a technological achievement in the run-up to victory, at a time when much of their technology hasn’t delivered the results they would have liked in Ukraine,” he said .
When asked about Putin’s comments, a senior US defense official called them irresponsible.
“We do not find this rhetoric helpful given the current context, and certainly not what we would expect from a responsible nuclear power, especially in the current environment,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
The Pentagon said March 2 it had postponed a test of its own Minuteman III ICBM to avoid escalating tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
At the time, Kirby said the postponement was ordered by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin “to demonstrate that we are a responsible nuclear power.”
When Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, he specifically referred to Russia’s nuclear forces and warned the West that any attempt to stand in their way “will lead to consequences such as you have never seen in your history.” met”.
Days later, he ordered the Russian nuclear forces to be put on high alert.
“The prospect of nuclear conflict, once unthinkable, is now again within the realm of possibility,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last month.