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Russia’s Fierce Sarmat Missile Closer to Deployment with Three Tests This Year

Russia is one step closer to deploying its threatening RS-28 Sarmat missile, otherwise known as Satan II, which is one of its most powerful weapon of its kind to date. Upcoming tests, later this year, are going to demonstrate the new missile’s full potential.
The RS-28 Sarmat missile was also successfully tested in 2018. 1 photo
Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense
Russia’s journey towards a new missile that will be far more powerful than its current ones officially began back in the 2000s, when the new concept was being developed. Today, it is closer than ever to deploying this advanced intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), with several tests having been performed in the past years and new ones coming up in 2021.

No official dates have been announced, but, as Tass news agency reported, sources in the defense industry say that three launches of the Sarmat ICBM are going to take place this year. The tests are scheduled to unfold in northwestern Russia, at the Plesetsk space center, with a target set at the Kura testing range, in Kamchatka.

According to the same sources, this year’s Sarmat missile launches will be performed as part of flight development tests and it’s possible that one of them will be fired at maximum range. We can expect the first of these missile tests in the third quarter of 2021.

Classified as a heavy ICBM, the Sarmat is 115 feet (35.5 meters) long, with a diameter of almost 10 feet (3 meters). It’s able to carry a payload of up to 10 tons and has an impressive range of over 11,000 miles (18,000 km). This three-stage missile is designed to be less vulnerable, by having a shorter active flight stage, when it’s visible to the enemy. It’s also capable of flying by unpredictable routes and fly over the North and South Pole.

After two successful silo ejection tests in 2018, the RS-28 was initially planned to enter service that same year. However, technical delays were reported. Trials for the RS-28 Sarmat ICBM will also continue next year and, by the end of 2022, Satan II will most likely be ready to enter service.
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About the author: Otilia Drăgan
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Otilia believes that if it’s eco, green, or groundbreaking, people should know about it (especially if it's got wheels or wings). Working in online media for over five years, she's gained a deeper perspective on how people everywhere can inspire each other.
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