SARMAT
In another Cold War II salvo, Russian president Vladimir Putin unveiled the details of a new-generation
ballistic missile in his speech to the Federal Parliament on March 1, 2018 gave an overview
of the development status of several “new generation” strategic weapon systems specifically
designed to escape U.S. missile defense systems. He stressed that the Russian Ministry of Defense
had started an active phase in partnership with the space industry companies. The missile
system is called RS-28 Sarmat, also called as SS-X-30 Satan 2 by NATO. Apparently, Putin
has given priority to build these new strategic missile systems for their strategic deterrence
capability.
The development of the Sarmat missile reportedly started between 2009 and 2011 in order to
replace the aging R-36M2 Voyevoda or (SS-18 Satan ICBM) and coincided with the deterioration
of Russia's relations with the West. The decision to build the "new-generation Satan" was not
without controversy, because large liquid-propellant missiles were long considered obsolete. For
example, the United States long abandoned liquid propellant in its strategic arsenal
in favor of compact solid-propellant missiles.
The RS-28 is reportedly housed in a modified 15P718M silo launching system. The maximum
range of the RS-28 is 18,000 kilometers. With a launch weight of over 200 tons, it can carry
up to 10 multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRV), each carrying a
thermonuclear warhead. The RS-28, with a total length of 35.5 meters and a diameter of 3
meters, is also reportedly capable of carrying hypersonic weapons, according to Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
How about Sarmat Results Testing?
According to reliable sources, missile’s firing tests progress as scheduled, and the
testing phase will be completed by the end of 2020. The initial Sarmat prototype was
ready in autumn 2015. The timeframe of the pop-up testing schedule has been postponed
several times because of the lack of silo-based launcher. In this regard, following the first
stage test of the missile in 2016, Russian Army conducted a launch test in which some
technical shortcomings of silo-based launchers were identified in December 2017. Still, Putin
declared that Sarmat had been successfully tested in December 2017 and that it could
reach the United States via the North or South Pole thanks to its range of more than 11,000
kilometers. Putin stressed that Sarmat was in the test phase during his 2019 addresses
as well. On 30 March 2018, Russia published video footage of a seemingly successful ejection
test, which might have taken place at the end of March 2018, and the test may have also
proved its performance. The third and last pop-up test of Sarmat was conducted in May
2018. Sarmat was originally scheduled to go into service in 2018, but this timeline has
probably been delayed, and initial commissioning is now scheduled for the period 2020-2021.
If Russia succeeds to finalize its testing phase, Sarmat’s serial production will be
highly likely to start in 2021. Russia’s plan is to replace RS-36M2 Voyevoda with RS-28
Sarmat gradually by the mid-2020s.
According to claims by Russian sources, the intercontinental missile system will have
a long-range and will be able to transport between 10 and 24 warheads. Another claim
to be taken seriously is that it will be capable of penetrating any US missile defense system.
Sarmat, if turns out to be as claimed, will clearly be the main counter-force weapon of
Russia.
So, What makes ICBMs so threatening?
Intercontinental ballistic missiles are similar to rockets that shoot satellites and people
into orbit, but ICBMs carry warheads and hit targets on Earth. The missiles travel in a
wide arc over Earth, enabling them to strike halfway around the world within an hour. Satan
2, which Putin claimed is already deployed in some missile silos, is a replacement for
a 1970s-era Satan ICBM. The new version is slated to reach full service in 50 silos around
2020, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
According to the Center's Missile Defense Project, the Satan 2 "is reported by Russian
media as being able to carry 10 large warheads, 16 smaller ones, a combination of warheads
and countermeasures, or up to 24 YU-74 hypersonic boost-glide vehicles."
That means one Satan 2 ICBM could pack as much as eight megatons of TNT-equivalent explosive
power. That's more than 400 times as strong as either bomb the US dropped on Japan in
1945 — both of which, combined, led to roughly 150,000 casualties. The technology used to
deliver multiple warheads to different targets is called a "multiple independently targetable
reentry vehicle," or MIRV. Such devices deploy their warheads after reaching speeds that
can exceed 15,000 miles per hour. Depending on where the warhead is deployed in space
and how it maneuvers, each one can strike targets hundreds of miles apart.
In conclusion, Russia continues to be a major power in developing not only air-launched
hypersonic ballistic missile but also ground, and sea-launched systems that use different
boosters. Russian strategic rocket forces are an important element of Russian military
strategy. Russia’s weapons perform all types of missions, and an important modernization
program is underway in Russia that pose a significant threat to NATO and Western security.
As a result, Russia has obtained a monopoly over hypersonic missiles up to now and, in
the best case, Russia will maintain a monopoly on nuclear-capable weapons in the future,
if there is no change in U.S. strategy. Russian hypersonic missiles within range will constitute
a crucial threat for NATO as well as for the U.S.
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