The Russian Minister of Defence is set to start flight tests of Sarmat advanced silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) this year. The first launch of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces’s advanced Sarmat silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is scheduled to take place this fall Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces and will complete in 2022. Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces is also expected to start receiving the missiles next year. The move was announced by the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoigu during a visit to Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant (Krasmash).
The RS-28 Sarmat (named after the Sarmatians; NATO reporting name: SS-X-29/SS-X-30) is a Russian liquid-fueled, MIRV-equipped super-heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) under development by the Makeyev Design Bureau and NPOMash since 2009. It is intended to replace the aging R-36M ICBM (SS-18 ‘Satan’) in Russia’s arsenal. In December 2017, Russia conducted its first silo ejection test of the Sarmat, which reportedly revealed technical deficiencies with the launch system. The Sarmat is one of the six new Russian strategic weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 1 March 2018. Two subsequent silo ejection tests—on March and May 2018—were apparently successful.
The RS-28 Sarmat will be capable of carrying about 10 tonnes of payload for either up to 10 heavy or 15 light MIRV warheads, an unspecified number of Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) or a combination of warheads and massive amounts of countermeasures against anti-ballistic missile systems. The missile is Russia’s response to the U.S. Prompt Global Strike system. Sarmat has a short boost phase, which shortens the interval when it can be tracked by satellites with infrared sensors, such as the U.S. Space-Based Infrared System, making it more difficult to intercept.
It is speculated that the Sarmat could fly a trajectory over the South Pole, completely immune to any current missile defense system, and that it has the Fractional Orbital Bombardment (FOBS) capability. RS-28’s launch sites are to be equipped with the “Mozyr” active protection system, designed to negate potential adversary’s first strike advantage by kinetically destroying incoming bombs, cruise missiles and ICBM warheads at altitudes of up to 6 km. It can fly over the North and South Pole and approach targets from directions that are not envisaged for interception. Sarmat can carry a line of reentry vehicles, including hypersonic Avangard gliders.
The Sarmat ICBM’s March 2018 ejection test at Plesetsk Cosmodrome. (Photo by Russia MOD)
