The above headline appeared on a Dec. 23 article in Sputnik which reported on an article published a few days earlier by the U.S. Military Watch Magazine. According to MWM, Russian authorities have announced that their nuclear forces now consist of 95% modernized system, including the Yars and Sarmat ICBMs. Furthermore, “existing silo-based RS-18A missiles inherited from the Soviet era are also being modified to carry Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles.” Sputnik added that the Avangard “can reach speeds of more than Mach 27, which is almost 30,000 km/h.”
MWM continued: “These provide a strike capability which has no equivalent among foreign militaries.… The Avangard’s flight profile and high maneuverability make it extremely difficult to intercept, and thus allow it to serve as a force multiplier for regiments deploying older missiles. Russia’s ground-based ICBM force is considered by far the most capable in the world.”
