US intelligence: Russian super-missiles can only fly a maximum of 35 km?
Information gathered by the US indicates that Russia's new nuclear-powered cruise missile has failed in all four recent tests.
| This is a simulation of a nuclear-powered missile in operation, as released by Putin. |
Recent US intelligence reports indicate that between November last year and February this year, Russia conducted four tests of a new nuclear-powered cruise missile prototype, but each time the missile crashed shortly after launch.CNBCNews reported on May 21st.
This cruise missile is one of the "superweapons" unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his state of the union address earlier this month. It is believed to have an unlimited attack range thanks to its nuclear propulsion and the ability to penetrate any current missile defense system due to its maneuverability during flight.
Russian media claims that during flight, the missile constantly changes direction to avoid early warning and air defense systems. This is considered a crucial feature, allowing the missile to bypass any defense system and hit its target from the most unexpected angles.
However, US intelligence indicates that in tests, the missile's furthest range was only 35 km, with a flight time of just two minutes before it lost control and crashed. The shortest test flight lasted 4 seconds and covered a distance of 8 km.
The report states that the operating procedure of this missile involves using a fuel-powered engine for launch before switching to a nuclear engine. However, Russian engineers have repeatedly failed to activate the nuclear engine, the heart of the "super missile," preventing it from achieving the unlimited flight range claimed by the country's media.
According to sources, engineers on the project objected to testing the "super missile" because it was still in its early stages, but senior Kremlin officials still ordered the test launches to proceed.
The video of this "super missile" test released by Russian media only shows actual footage of the launch phase; its subsequent "transcontinental" trajectory was created using computer graphics.
However, US intelligence also acknowledges that a "superweapon"Another Russian hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) is the Avangard, which has undergone two successful tests and is likely to officially enter service as early as 2020. With a top speed of 25,000 km/h and extremely high maneuverability, the AvangardVangard is capable of defeating even the most advanced missile defense systems currently in existence.
