Russia successfully launches monster Sarmat missile

Russia successfully launched the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile from a silo launcher of the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region at 03:12 p.m., the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters.

"The launch tasks have been completed in full. The design characteristics of the missile have been confirmed at all stages of its flight,” the ministry said.

This is the first launch in the program of Sarmat state tests. After the tests are completed, the Sarmat missile will go into service with the Strategic Missile Forces of the Russian Federation.

The Ministry of Defense also said that at the moment, the Uzhur missile formation in the Krasnoyarsk Territory currently prepares for the Sarmat missile to arrive. The new Sarmat missile will replace the Voevoda.

The RS-28 Sarmat is known in the West as Satan II. This is a liquid-fueled, MIRV-equipped super-heavy intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile has been in development at the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau since 2009. The Sarmat comes into service to replace the R-36M ICBM (SS-18 'Satan') in Russia's arsenal.

The Sarmat is one of the six new Russian strategic weapons that Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on 1 March 2018. The RS-28 Sarmat made its first test flight on 20 April 2022. The missile is to enter service later this year.