“Avangard” can hit any target on the planet

The Russians currently have at least two types of hypersonic weapons. The first is intended to carry a nuclear charge, to strike any target on the planet. “Avangard” is its name, looks like a ballistic missile, classic, 27 meters long. But in his headdress is a glider, a kind of drone five meters long. Launched by the missile, this glider, made of composite materials, could fly up to 27,000 km/h in the upper layers of the atmosphere, protected from the air heated to 2,000 degrees by its heat shield.

A nuclear charge equivalent to 130 times that of the Hiroshima bomb

Where a classic missile rises in space and follows a bell-shaped trajectory, predictable for the enemy defense, “Avangard” remains at a lower altitude. It can change course, its point of impact is unpredictable. The missile can carry a nuclear charge equivalent to 130 times that of the Hiroshima bomb. The Russians have also developed shorter-range hypersonic missiles, such as the “Zircon”, designed to sink aircraft carriers or destroy targets within 1,000 kilometers. Russia is sending a very clear signal to the world: a new arms race has begun.