(CNN) – Russia’s new hypersonic missile system known as Avangard It entered service, state media reported in the country.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed that nuclear-capable missiles had been added to the service during a conference call with President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
Shoigu congratulated “everyone for this important event for our country and its armed forces,” according to the comments of Zvezda, the network of news of the Ministry of Defense.
Hypersonic is generally defined as a speed of Mach 5 or more than 3,806 mph (6,174 km / h). The missiles fly into space after launch, but then descend and fly at high speeds on a flight path similar to an airplane. Their lower trajectory makes them harder to detect for US missile defense satellites and radars.
READ: Putin says Russia is the world leader in hypersonic weapons
Reports previews of the Russian state news agency TASS They claimed that Avangard has an intercontinental range and the ability to fly as fast as Mach 20, more than 15,000 mph (24,142 km / h).
An image taken from the video published by the Russian Ministry of Defense on December 26, 2018 shows the launch of a new Avangard hypersonic missile in the Orenburg region.
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Russia announced the test of the Avangard missile system in 2018, when Putin called the system “invulnerable” due to its ability to evade US defenses. He has also openly stated that he is developing underwater hypersonic drones.
But US military analysts They have been skeptical about Russia’s alleged military capabilities around hypersonic missile systems. The country has also experienced significant setbacks, including a fatal accident earlier this year in a military testing ground.
Vladimir Putin, fifth on the left, oversees a trial launch of the Avangard hypersonic missile in Moscow on December 26 last year.
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Earlier this week, Putin boasted of the “unique” advances from his country in hypersonic armament, saying that other countries were “trying to reach us.”
At a meeting of the board of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Putin added that “no country has hypersonic weapons, let alone continental hypersonic weapons,” according to a transcript published by the Kremlin on Tuesday.
According to TASS, to US inspection officials. they were shown the latest developments of the Avangard missile system at the end of November in accordance with the New START Treaty.
Like Russia, U.S and China are working on hypersonic projects. Beijing said in August that it had successfully tested a hypersonic plane while the US Air Force awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin to develop a missile earlier this year.
CNN’s Nathan Hodge reported from Moscow, while Maija Ehlinger in Atlanta and Lauren Said-Moorhouse in London contributed to this report. Brad Lendon of CNN also contributed.
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