During the Cold War, the natural confrontation between the superpowers was simple, albeit brutal, and was expressed in the concept of mutually assured destruction. Its meaning was as follows: you do not attack me, but if you attack, then I will inflict such a retaliatory blow at you, with such losses and destruction that it will not seem like a little. To this end, the so-called nuclear triad was created, consisting of bombers, submarines and missiles. Its main task was to prevent a retaliatory strike using the surprise factor.

The most formidable and powerful weapon of the triad was considered to be intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Installed in fortified silos in sparsely populated areas, these missiles could reach enemy territory in less than half an hour. They were nearly impossible to intercept or destroy on the ground. ICBMs were equipped with powerful nuclear warheads capable of sweeping away entire cities. Now the service life of missiles built in the 70s is beginning to come to an end, and Russia is working to replace the obsolete R-36 ICBMs ("Satan" according to NATO classification), which were once the main element of the containment strategy, with new ones. RS-28 "Sarmat".

Context

"Sarmat" will cope with any missile defense systems

The Paper 16.06.2016

French media: "Satan-2" - Russia's response to the Pentagon

Inosmi 05/17/2016

Russia's superweapon - a challenge for the United States

Jyllands-Posten 08/30/2016

Explosive advertising of Russia

Sankei Shimbun 12/30/2015

Missile defense in Europe and Russia's response

Russian service of the Voice of America 08/07/2015 Relatively little is known about the RS-28, except that this rocket will be very large, its weight will exceed 100 tons, and on the first stage of the rocket (it is assumed that there will be two of them) four liquid fuel engines RD-263. This month, the RS-99 engine, an upgraded version of the RD-263, was successfully tested. According to the Russian Defense Minister, experimental models of missiles have already been built, and the start of serial production of engines is expected.

The thrown weight exceeds 10 tons. The power of the engines and the lightweight design of the "Sarmat" allow the missile to attack the territory of the United States not along the shortest, but in any direction, including through the South and North Poles. This is done in order to bypass the US missile defense systems, thereby forcing them to be deployed in two opposite directions, as well as the European missile defense system.

At a speed of 7 thousand km / h

Like its predecessors, the Sarmat will be capable of developing a cruising speed of up to Mach 20 (almost 7 thousand kilometers per hour) and hitting targets at a distance of more than 10 thousand kilometers. The rocket is controlled by an inertial guidance system, a GLONASS global positioning system and a star navigation system. The missile deployment will begin in 2020-2021, although it was originally planned for 2018. One of the already confirmed deployment sites will be the Dombarovskiy training ground in southern Russia, near the border with Kazakhstan. It has already been used as an alternative to Baikonur. There are more than 60 silos with Satan missiles installed in them.

The large throw-weight of the new rocket, theoretically, will allow it to carry a nuclear warhead with a capacity of up to 50 megatons, similar to the most powerful Tsar Bomba in history, which the USSR detonated in 1961. However, in reality, either 10 powerful nuclear warheads of individual guidance or 15 warheads of lower power will be installed in the warhead. In both cases, jammers and other electronic warfare measures are widely used.

The missile, like other strike weapons of the same category, recently entered into service in Russia (RS-24 Yars, R-30 Bulava) has a whole range of means to overcome any missile defense system that the United States can deploy. In addition, it can be used to launch objects into space orbit.

In fact, the missions of ICBMs are not very different from those set for a space launch: the warheads almost reach orbit in the highest flight phase, before entering the atmosphere. In the event that Russia strikes through the South Pole, the multiple warheads will enter the lower orbit, and then leave it as they approach the target zone. There is little difference between such combat missions and the launch of satellites into orbit.

It was argued that the Sarmat could be equipped with maneuvering warheads capable of changing the trajectory of flight at hypersonic speeds, as well as advanced navigation and autonomous control systems that would allow nuclear warheads to detect and overcome possible missile defense systems during flight. In this case, they will become an unsurpassed weapon, capable of being launched from fortified mines, flying up to US territory from an unexpected angle and disabling their missile defense systems. Taking into account the fact that with a throw weight of 10 tons, each missile will have a monstrous destructive power (from 10 to 15 nuclear homing heads) and, of course, will have its deterrent effect. If her predecessor "Satan" inspired fear, then the "Sarmat" will terrify.

"Sarmat" will hit targets around the globe: the military revealed the capabilities of the latest missile

The Russian intercontinental missile RS-28 "Sarmat", which is required to intercept, has no analogues and will not appear in the near future.

This was stated by the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces), Colonel-General Sergei Karakaev. According to him, by 2025 more than 40 "Sarmats" are to enter service in the Strategic Missile Forces, which will replace the existing arsenal of R-36M. The first

As noted by Karakaev, the missile will be able to hit targets at any distance around the globe and overcome any ABM lines. About the latest Russian development - in the material RT.

The commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel-General Sergei Karakaev, told reporters about some of the capabilities of the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

“It will replace the existing Voevoda rocket. The mass-dimensional characteristics of "Sarmat" will allow it to be placed in the existing silo launchers with minimal modifications to the infrastructure of the positioning areas, "said Karakayev.

According to him, tests of the Sarmat missile, which will surpass its predecessor in many respects, started in December 2017. Until 2025, the Strategic Missile Forces should receive more than 40 RS-28s, which will replace the R-36M.

“The Sarmat missile system does not have and in the near future will not have analogues in the world combat missile industry,” added the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces.

Range and power

The Sarmat is a fifth generation heavy missile aimed at penetrating any missile defense system. According to experts, outwardly the RS-28 will resemble its predecessor. This is indirectly evidenced by the same mass (over 200 tons) and a liquid engine.

However, in terms of combat effectiveness, the "Sarmat" significantly surpasses the "Voevoda". As Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on March 1, 2018, the range of the newest missile, as well as the number and power of warheads, is greater than that of the R-36M.

“Voevoda has a range of 11 thousand km, the new system has practically no range restrictions. As can be seen from the video, it is capable of attacking targets both through the North and South Poles. "Sarmat" is a very formidable weapon, due to its characteristics, no, even promising missile defense systems are not a hindrance to it, "Putin said.

From the video that the president showed during his message to the Federal Assembly, it follows that the RS-28 can cover at least 20 thousand km.

The power plant allows the "Sarmat" to start one and a half times faster than the "Voevoda". The duration of the RS-28 booster section is comparable to the RS-12M2 Topol-M and PC-24 Yars light-class solid-propellant ICBMs. The short booster section provides an earlier deployment of warheads, which makes it difficult to detect the missile by missile defense systems.

Payload "Sarmat" - 3 tons. The rocket is equipped with the most modern means of countering radar stations. As the military believes, even promising technical means of a potential enemy will not be able to distinguish false warheads from real ones.

Wide range of ammunition

In his speech, Putin stressed that the "Sarmat" will be "equipped with a wide range of nuclear weapons," including hypersonic ones, and the most modern missile defense penetration systems. "

Vasily Laga, Chief Researcher of the Strategic Missile Forces Military Academy, explained to reporters that the RS-28 warhead can be equipped with about 20 types of warheads of various power classes (low, medium, high, large).

In addition, the Sarmat design provides for the placement of three gliding winged blocks - the hallmark of the Avangard missile system. These munitions fly in dense layers of the atmosphere located several tens of kilometers from the Earth's surface.

“The unit is flying at hypersonic speed (about Mach 20, - RT) for the intercontinental range. Maneuvering along the course and altitude, it is able to bypass the detection and destruction zones of all modern and promising anti-missile defense systems, ”the Defense Ministry said in a statement following the President's message.

Various types of maneuvering by the winged unit virtually reduce to zero the likelihood that the enemy will determine the trajectory of its flight.

The appearance of such weapons also testifies to a breakthrough in domestic materials science. The block body is made of composites that can withstand aerodynamic heating of several thousand degrees. According to Putin, at the time of flight, the temperature on the surface of the "Sarmat" reaches 1600-2000 ° C.

The Ministry of Defense is convinced that the transition of the Strategic Missile Forces to the RS-28 will not lead to serious financial costs. First, new infrastructure will not be created for Sarmat. Secondly, the period of operation of ICBMs is two and a half times longer than the warranty period of the Voevoda.

The RS-28 will significantly strengthen the power of the Strategic Missile Forces, says Vasily Laga. In his opinion, “Sarmat” embodies those unique characteristics that Russian scientific thought has always striven for.

“This complex has embodied new technological solutions. It has no limitations in range, accuracy and many other parameters. This complex can hit targets at any distance around the globe, ”the expert concluded.

Alexey Zakvasin

In 2018, the Russian Armed Forces will receive the latest RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. These colossal weapons are planned to equip ...

In 2018, the Russian Armed Forces will receive the latest RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. These colossal weapons are planned to equip part of the Strategic Missile Forces in Siberia and the South Urals. These liquid-fueled missiles will replace the R-36M2 Voevoda intercontinental ballistic missile, which was developed during the Soviet era and is still the largest weapon of its kind.

The first prototypes of the newest rocket have already been built, and the first test launches are scheduled for 2016. If everything goes well, and the tests are quite successful, then mass production of missiles of this type will begin, and in 2018 they will enter service as planned.

Almost nothing is known about the exact characteristics of the newest Sarmat intercontinental missile, however, some data indicate that this projectile will be an extremely dangerous weapon. But the development of "Sarmat" is not carried out from scratch; the modernized version of the liquid-propellant rocket engine "Voevoda" will be used in the newest ICBM.

Its first stage will be equipped with four RD-278 engines. The weight of such a rocket, according to various estimates, will be in the range from 100 to 130 tons, and the mass of its warhead will be 10 tons. This means that the rocket will have 15 multiple thermonuclear warheads. The range of "Sarmat" will be at least 9.5 thousand kilometers. Once this ICBM is adopted, it will become the largest missile in world history.

Sarmat, like other ICBMs such as Yars, Topol-M, is designed in such a way as to easily overcome the enemy's anti-missile defense. Especially for this, the latest missile will use a combination of high speed and special radar traps. In addition, it will also be equipped with maneuvering warheads, which will be quite problematic to intercept.

Nevertheless, the United States has also begun developing the latest ground-based intercontinental ballistic missile Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, which will replace the "veteran" Minuteman III. Now the United States is making a lot of efforts to modernize the Minuteman, however, as the US Air Force command rightly notes, this outdated system is unlikely to be able to provide guaranteed deterrence in connection with the improvement of the enemy's missile defense.

According to some high-ranking officials, the United States desperately needs a new missile in order to contain Russia and China, but the result, if the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program is successful, is unlikely to be as large and with the same weight drop. as in "Sarmata".

By the middle of the twentieth century, mankind fell into the "nuclear trap". Unlike all other types of weapons, a simple quantitative and even qualitative superiority of weapons of mass destruction of either side did not guarantee victory. The very fact of the massive use of nuclear warheads by one of the countries could lead to the death of almost all of humanity. Since the seventies, strategic parity has served as a guarantee of peace, but remains an instrument of political pressure.

First strike or guaranteed response?

The very presence and number of charges in the modern period is already playing a secondary role. The actual task now consists either in the ability to attack with impunity, or to provide guaranteed retaliation for the aggressor. If the deployment of the American global missile defense system is designed to implement an offensive doctrine, then the creation of a retaliatory strike weapon is a priority direction in the development of Russian strategic forces. At present, the basis of the Strategic Missile Forces is the carriers of the "Voevoda" (aka "Satan"), which no anti-missile systems are able to intercept. These ICBMs were produced in the then Soviet city of Dnepropetrovsk, which became Ukrainian after the collapse of the USSR.

Complexes, with all their advantages, are aging, like any technique. Until recently, it was assumed that their service life would last until 2022, but the political realities associated with very specific maintenance issues dictate a decrease in the time remaining before their cancellation. The more urgent is the task of adopting the new strategic carrier "Sarmat". In 2018, the missile is supposed to replace the "Voyevoda" who are on alert in the mines.

Balance of forces

At the moment, the nuclear weapons of all countries are distributed as follows: approximately 45% of all special ammunition falls on the United States and the Russian Federation. The number of charges is known and, according to the START-3 treaty, is approximately 1550 sea-based and land-based charges, plus 700 for aircraft.

In terms of the number of carriers, the picture is somewhat different. The Americans have more of them (794 versus 528 Russian). This does not mean any advantages of a potential adversary, but suggests that the United States has more monoblock systems.

So, 90% of all atomic (hydrogen, neutron) charges are in service with the Russian and American armies. The remaining 10% belong to Britain, China, France and other countries of the "nuclear club". It is difficult to assess which state will take whose side in the event of a global conflict. It is possible that many of them (not NATO members) will prefer neutrality.

New "Satan"?

The ballistic missile "Sarmat" by the end of the second decade of the XXI century will replace the "Voevoda" - "Satan", performing the task of guarantor of retaliation. In Soviet times, the number of RS-20Vs exceeded three hundred, now there are 52 of them. Each of them has ten warheads, for a total of 520 warheads (750 kilotons of TNT equivalent) - this is practically a third of all land and sea strategic defense potential. The Voevoda's weight is more than two hundred tons. is being updated, in 2015 the Strategic Missile Forces will receive fifty new complexes of other types, but they will have to perform other tasks. These are mainly mobile units on duty in operational areas.

"Satan" is terrifying in two of its important capabilities: the ability to pass missile defense lines and a huge destructive force. Each such carrier is able to turn an entire industrial region or a metropolis with its surroundings into a radioactive desert. The heavy Sarmat missile is to replace the world's most powerful launch vehicle at about the moment it reaches the age of thirty, venerable for ICBMs.

The main difference between the new rocket

Design, development and construction of new weapons were entrusted to the Makeyev State Missile Center, located in the city of Miass (Chelyabinsk Region). The designers did not limit themselves to modernizing the already well-proven "Satan" and immediately chose the thorny path of pioneers for themselves. The challenge was to create a more compact and lighter sample. This is exactly how the "Sarmat" was conceived - a missile, the characteristics of which were supposed to exceed the parameters of all our Strategic Missile Forces that were previously in service. The main parameter of any ballistic projectile is the power-to-weight ratio, that is, the ratio of mass to the force that sets it in motion. It was in this area that a breakthrough was planned. The 210-ton Satan is a heavy rocket. "Sarmat" weighs half as much.

Liquid fuel

Most of the mass of the rocket comes from the fuel in the stages. All strategic carriers are conventionally divided into three main categories:

• lightweight, weighing up to 50 tons;
• medium, weighing from 51 to 100 tons;
• heavy, up to 200 tons in weight, there are no large ones yet.

This gradation also determined the flight range: the more fuel, the longer the range. For example, American "Minutemans" have a mass of 35 tons and are classified as light. Low weight is a big advantage, such missiles require less volumetric silos, they are easier to transport and hide. But almost all of them are solid fuel. And this gives a lot of advantages: the shelf life is significantly increased, highly toxic components are not used, and maintenance is cheaper. But the trouble is that the energy saturation of solid fuel is lower than that of liquid fuel. So, "Sarmat" is a rocket with liquid fuel. Nothing else is known about the power plant, except that its power-to-weight ratio has no equal in the world.

Testing

The construction of a new technical model is always associated with risk, but it is justified by its high effect if successful.

Work on the project began in 2009. After two years of research, the design bureau began testing.

In early autumn 2011, the vicinity of the Kapustin Yar cosmodrome shuddered from a powerful explosion. The Sarmat, the rocket on which great hopes were pinned, crashed to the ground a few minutes after launch. Subsequent launches were also unsuccessful.

Only a year later, the launch was crowned with success. The basic parameters of ballistics have been refined. Tests have shown that the Sarmat liquid-propellant missile can cover more than 11 thousand km, while carrying a combat compartment weighing 4350 kg. In May 2014, Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov announced that all work on the creation of a new strategic complex was going on as planned, without lagging behind schedule. According to him, the new Sarmat missile has no restrictions in the direction of combat use, it will be able to hit targets along trajectories passing through both poles of the planet. And this is very important, since NATO defense systems are not designed for such versatility.

Warhead

The unique energy and mass indicators do not exhaust the advantages that "Sarmat" possesses. A launch vehicle is, of course, a very important structural element, but no less significant is a warhead containing ten individual guidance units. And he, most likely, is also unique. The fact is that each of the warheads combines the qualities of two different types of weapons: it behaves both as a cruise missile and as a hypersonic missile. Each of these species has so far had a clearly delineated range of tasks. Until now, cruise missiles with a flat trajectory did not fly very quickly.

Winged hypersonic blocks

The properties of the warheads look contradictory. The fact is that a conventional cruise missile sneaks up on a target at a relatively low speed. Using the terrain, hiding behind its irregularities, it is forced to be slow-moving so that the electronic "brain" has time to assess obstacles and develop solutions for flying around them. For example, the American Tomahawk cruise missile moves at the speed of an ordinary passenger liner (less than 900 km / h).

In addition, a cruise missile, like any other aircraft, has mass, which means that both inertia and the control actions of air rudders must be proactive. This is how the Sarmat ICBM units operate. The missile, whose characteristics are close to hypersonic, after separation maintains a flat trajectory, which makes it impossible to intercept it.

Unpredictability

All the advantages of the unique system of individual control of the warheads of the divided warhead will be useless if the enemy can destroy the ICBM before it enters the combat course. The Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile flies quickly, but its trajectory can at any time go off the usual predictable arc - a parabola. Additional maneuvering engines change altitude, direction, speed, and then the onboard digital computer determines new flight parameters for reaching the target. Such unpredictability is typical for other types of modern Russian carriers of nuclear charges; it has become their "calling card", an asymmetric response to the attempts of Western "friends" to ensure their own invulnerability and, as a consequence, the right to first strike.

Invulnerability on the ground

The most desirable situation for an aggressor planning to launch a massive nuclear strike with impunity is one in which the enemy is deprived of the opportunity to respond already in the initial phase of the war. This means that launchers, submarines, aircraft and ground carriers must be neutralized (destroyed) by the first salvo. However, such a desire has a very small likelihood of being realized for many years. The mines, in which the Sarmatians are supposed to be located, have a multi-level degree of protection, both active (in the form of anti-missile systems and air defense) and passive (a high level of security for fortifications). To ensure the destruction of an underground launcher, it is required to inflict at least seven nuclear strikes with high precision on the operational deployment area, covered by effective missile defense systems. In addition, the locations are kept secret. The Sarmat missile itself is also a state secret, photos of which are practically not published, with the exception of not very clear footage taken during test launches. Only information intended for the media and military analysts is published.

Mysterious "Sarmat"

A veil of mystery covers everything related to the creation of this complex. This is just the case when not every taxpayer will be able to find out in the near future what the funds allocated to them are spent on. Only scant news reports of successful launches and clear skies overhead are proof that public money is not being wasted.

In fact, very little is known about "Sarmat" at present. It is this class of carriers that, apparently, will play the role of the country's main shield when interacting with mobile, sea and air-based systems. Published only some scattered information about what the Sarmat missile is. The performance characteristics are also approximate: the range exceeds 11 thousand km, but it is possible to destroy targets through the South Pole.

The most powerful weapon of Russia is still the R-36M2 intercontinental ballistic missile, also known as the "Voyevoda" and "Satan" (SS-18 mod.6 Satan according to NATO classification). This system, developed and modernized several times before the collapse of the USSR, still remains an effective instrument of nuclear deterrence. A salvo of 10-15 "Voevod" is capable of almost completely destroying both the industry and the population of the United States. Nevertheless, the issue of replacing the R-36M2 with more modern ICBMs has been on the agenda for quite some time. The need for such an upgrade is becoming increasingly evident as the capabilities of the American missile defense are built up. The newest Russian combat complex RS-28 "Sarmat" is called upon to nullify all the efforts of the Pentagon to protect the territory of the United States from a nuclear strike. It is expected to enter service in the first half of the 2020s.

The history of the development of the "Sarmat" rocket

After the Soviet Union ceased to exist at the very end of 1991, its nuclear arsenal was transferred to the disposal of the Russian Federation. At the same time, many enterprises that had previously participated in the creation of various types of weapons, including ICBMs, suddenly became foreign. This factor alone has already called into question the possibility of maintaining constant combat readiness of the Strategic Missile Forces. In particular, the Yuzhnoye design bureau, where the famous Satan was created, was taken over by Ukraine, a country that rather quickly fell under the constantly increasing influence of the United States and other Western states.

In such conditions, it became more and more difficult to provide maintenance of the R-36M2. The only solution to this problem could only be the creation of a new rocket, however, it was impossible to do this in the face of the total collapse of the industry for a long time.

In all likelihood, the decisive "impetus" that made the Russian leadership turn to the problem of modernizing strategic weapons was the plans to deploy American missile defense systems in Europe. Even the most active propaganda did not help to hide the anti-Russian orientation of these events. As a result, on July 21, 2011 JSC "State Missile Center named after V.P. Makeev "received an order from the government to carry out development work with the aim of creating the RS-28" Sarmat "complex.

Sometimes this photo is shown on the Web as an image of "Sarmat". In fact, this is the R-36M rocket, which was included in the museum exposition.

Information about this project got into the media quite rarely. As a rule, the messages came from representatives of the Russian Ministry of Defense. In particular, in 2016 it became known that the engines for the new rocket were being developed at NPO Energomash JSC. The first throw tests of "Sarmat" took place on December 27, 2017 and ended in success. A few months later, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned the RS-28, saying that the new ICBM would be put into service in 2020.

At the end of June 2019, near Moscow, in the Patriot park, the Army-2019 international military-technical forum was held, during which part of the performance characteristics (tactical and technical characteristics) of the RS-28 was revealed. Nevertheless, some foreign experts believe that this information is only partially true. Whether this is so - time will tell. According to some reports, the production of new missiles has already begun.

The principle of operation of the Sarmat missile

Interestingly, the RS-28 has already received the NATO designation Satan 2, not Sarmat, although the second option does not contradict the classification adopted in the West. Apparently, Western military analysts consider Sarmat as a further development of Voevoda. There are certain reasons for this. So, the new rocket, like the R-36M2, uses liquid fuel. Moreover, it is already known that the RD-264 engines are installed on it - the same ones as on the "Satan". However, to consider the "Sarmat" a modernized version of a long-known weapon would be a gross mistake: in any case, we are talking about a new generation of strategic delivery vehicles.

The main feature of the RS-28 is its flight path to the target. This missile can attack the territory of a potential enemy from almost any direction.

Projects of complexes with this ability were created in the USSR back in the 60s of the last century. The idea was simple: warheads equipped with nuclear warheads were put into low-earth orbit. Constantly flying around the planet, they could at any time receive a command, turn on the brake engines and literally crash into enemy territory. Conventional intercontinental missiles fly along the shortest path, while an orbital warhead is capable of arriving from the opposite direction. For the practical implementation of this concept, the R-36orb complex was created, decommissioned in 1983 in connection with the signing of the SALT-2 treaty, which provided for the demilitarization of outer space.

It should be noted that the Sarmat missile does not violate any international obligations. Its flight trajectory is suborbital. This means that the warhead does not become a satellite of the Earth, however, it is possible to deliver it to the target not only directly, but also along any other route: the range reaches at least 18 thousand kilometers. Thus, units of American THAAD interceptor missiles, deployed to cover the most dangerous areas, immediately become useless.

In accordance with information leaked to the media, in order to reduce the likelihood of the RS-28 being hit by missile defense systems, other measures have been taken:

1. The duration of the active leg of the flight path has been reduced. Previously it was believed that for liquid-propellant missiles, this is practically impossible to achieve. The problem was reportedly resolved through the use of new fuels;
2. In addition to the usual decoys, the missile can be equipped with special simulators, which, when entering the dense layers of the atmosphere, behave almost indistinguishable from real warheads;
3. The maneuverability of the spreading stage has been dramatically increased. Intercepting a "bus" directing nuclear warheads to specified targets becomes an insoluble task for missile defense;
4. "Sarmat" is capable of carrying not only the traditional set of individual targeting warheads, but also the Avangard hypersonic guided warheads (UBB). This weapon can be safely called absolute, since there are no means to neutralize it today and will not appear in the foreseeable future.

The RS 28 Sarmat ICBMs will be installed in the same mines where the Voevods are located today. These launch sites are reliably protected from a "preemptive" nuclear strike. They can only be damaged by direct hitting directly into the "mouth" of the mine.

To exclude this possibility, the complex of active protection of KAZ "Mozyr" was developed. Its device is distinguished by its simplicity and reliability of action: towards the attacking warhead from hundreds of barrels, a whole cloud of metal balls and arrows is fired, which leads to the complete destruction of the target.

Tests of the RS-28 rocket

Unfortunately, the collapse of the USSR, accompanied by the severing of previous production and technological ties, had an extremely negative impact on the state of Russian industry, including the defense industry. That is why the implementation of many promising projects is being delayed. In particular, the originally planned dates for the first tests of the "Sarmat" were disrupted. The test launch was supposed to be carried out back in 2016, but this did not happen.

Only in the last days of the next, 2017, the so-called throwing test was carried out. The essence of this test is to practice the "mortar launch". The RS-28 Sarmat itself is not used; instead, a mass and size model is placed in the mine, which is then thrown to a height of about 30 meters using a powder pressure accumulator.

In total, three such tests were carried out:

1. December 25, 2017. According to official reports, the "roll" was successful, all systems worked as usual;
2. March 28 or 29, 2018. This time, the Ministry of Defense published a launch video, which clearly shows that not only the withdrawal of the missile from the mine was carried out, but also the launch of the first or second stage engines;
3. In the second half of May 2018. After this launch, information about further "throws" was no longer received, and then it was announced that this stage of testing was completed.

Flight tests of the RS-28 were supposed to be carried out in 2019, but so far not a single launch has been carried out. Nevertheless, back in April, President Putin announced that the tests of the Sarmat were nearing completion. After that, already in July, the general director of Roscosmos Rogozin noted that it is planned to proceed to the final tests of the RS-28 only at the end of the future, 2020. In fact, this means that it will not be possible to replace "Satan" in 2021 either.

It should be noted that UBB "Avangard", which were originally created as part of the "Sarmat" project, are being tested quite successfully since at least 2016. Many residents of the northern cities of Russia witnessed one of the test launches of the hypersonic apparatus, initially known as the U-71, - the glider left an unusual trail of fire in the sky. The Avangards were launched using the intercontinental UR-100N UTTH, known in the West under the designation Stiletto.

The purpose of the rocket

The main goal pursued by the designers who created the RS-28 was to obtain a powerful strategic weapon capable of delivering a retaliatory or retaliatory nuclear strike against the territory of any potential aggressor. From this point of view, the mission of "Sarmat" and "Voevoda" is the same. However, the new ICBM can be used in a different way.

The following “alternative” uses of the RS-28 are allowed:

1. "Instant Global Strike." The kinetic energy of hypersonic controlled units is so great that they can be used to destroy any key targets on enemy territory without the use of nuclear "stuffing";
2. Destruction of aircraft carrier groups. Improving hitting accuracy and the possibility of reorienting the UBB during the flight, allows them to target large surface ships. The onboard air defense systems will not be able to repel such a blow;
3. Launching satellites into low-earth orbit. It is assumed that at the end of their service life "Sarmatians" will be used for this very purpose. Both military and civilian vehicles can be launched into space.

It should be noted that the Chinese press published articles, the authors of which regarded the RS-28 as a means of a first, not a retaliatory strike. In theory, such use is not excluded by the current military doctrine. It remains to be hoped that no political aggravations will force the Russian leadership to resort to such a desperate step.

Representatives of the military and political leadership of Russia are watching the tests of the "Avangard" controlled combat unit, intended for installation on the RS-28

Technical characteristics of the "Sarmat" rocket

As you might guess, exhaustive information about the newest Russian ICBM has not yet been published.

The available information can be summarized in the following table:

Previously published reports that the starting weight of the "Sarmat" will be half that of the "Voevoda" have not been confirmed. True, there is a version according to which the rocket is built in two versions - "heavy" and "light".

Until the first RS-28s are put on alert in the Strategic Missile Forces, all information about this weapon cannot be considered 100% reliable. Of course, the manufacture of missiles with liquid-propellant engines was well mastered during the existence of the USSR, however, the constant failure to meet deadlines and the failure to fulfill promises inevitably sets you up for a skeptical mood. One way or another, today it is already clear that replacing the aging Voevod with Sarmatians, even if they do not have the capabilities advertised today in full, will significantly enhance Russia's defense capability, thereby supporting its state sovereignty.

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