The Russian Avangard mach 20 hypersonic glide vehicle is expected to enter Russia’s arsenal by 2020. Russia successfully tested the weapon, which could carry a nuclear warhead, twice in 2016. The third known test of the device, called a hypersonic glide vehicle, was carried out in October 2017 and resulted in a failure when the platform crashed seconds before striking its target.
In March, 2018 Russia had said the Mach 20 Avangard would be deployed in 2019.
Russia’s Avangard strategic silo-based hypersonic missile complex has been included in the state armament plan through 2027 instead of Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) as a weapon more essential to ensure the country’s defense capability, a source in the domestic defense industry told TASS on Thursday.
Russia was going to spend money on both but poor finances have force prioritizing hypersonic missiles over ICBMs.
The Barguzin rail-mobile ballistic missile system was excluded from Russia’s new state armament plan for 2018-2027.
Sources familiar with the U.S. intelligence reports assess that the Russian hypersonic glide vehicles are equipped with onboard countermeasures that are able to defeat even the most advanced missile-defense systems. The weapons are also highly maneuverable and, therefore, unpredictable, which makes them difficult to track.
In speech in March 2018, Putin said hypersonic warheads had already entered serial production.
As of 2016, twenty mod 3 SS-19 launchers remain in service. The Mod 3 had a maximum range of 10,000 km with a somewhat reduced, but more reliable accuracy 900 meter CEP.
Russia has ten Mig 31 with mach 10 hypersonic missile
The Mig 31 is capable of cruising at Mach 2.35 with an air-to-air payload and is temperature limited to Mach 2.83.
The Khinzal missile flies 10 times faster than the speed of sound and can also maneuver at all phases of its flight trajectory. This allows it to overcome all existing and most prospective anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems, delivering nuclear and conventional warheads in a range of over 2,000 kilometers.
China deploying DF17 missile with hypersonic warhead
China has developed — and last year tested — a new type of hypersonic missile called the DF-17. The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence this week stated China “has tested a hypersonic glide vehicle.”
The budget appeal comes just months after Chinese state media reports it had successfully tested hypersonic warheads and was now moving on to full-scale production.
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