Russia's rocket forces loaded an intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with the nuclear-capable "Avangard" hypersonic glide vehicle into a launch silo in southern Russia recently.
About Avangard:
The Avangard is a nuclear-capable, hypersonic boost-glide vehicle (HGV) developed by the Russian Federation.
It was developed as part of the top-secret Project 4202 and given the codename Yu-71.
It was one of six “next generation” weaponsdescribed by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a speech in March 2018.
Features:
It has a range of over 6,000 km, weighs approximately 2,000 kg, and can carry a nuclear or conventional payload.
It is carried on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
It has “a short wedge-shaped design” which does not contain a separate propulsion system, relying on gravity and its aerodynamic features to maintain velocity after an initial boost.
Working:
The HGV is carried to a sub-orbital altitude of around 100 kilometres (62 miles) by the carrier missilebefore being released.
It then enters into a “cruise mode” before re-entering the atmosphereandaccelerating to claimed hypersonic speedsof up to Mach 27 (about 32,000 kilometres per hour).
It is said to be able to manoeuvre at these speedsand constantly alter its trajectory, making interception extremely complicated.
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