President Vladimir Putin has stated that the Avangard hypersonic system was developed in response to new weapons created by the United States. Russia’s rocket forces have now placed an intercontinental ballistic missile with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle into a launch silo in southern Russia. This announcement was made by a Defence Ministry TV channel broadcast. The Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle was unveiled by President Putin in 2018, with the aim of countering the United States’ new generation of weapons.
As the Avangard approaches its target, it separates from the rocket and is able to maneuver at hypersonic speeds, reaching up to 27 times the speed of sound. The Zvezda television channel, owned by the Russian Defence Ministry, recently aired footage of a ballistic missile being transported to a launch silo in the Orenburg region. This is where Russia’s first Avangard-equipped missile was installed in 2019.
Both Russia and the United States, the world’s largest nuclear powers, have expressed concerns about the erosion of arms-control treaties and the ongoing development of new weapons systems, including hypersonic ones. China is also involved in this arms race.
The United States views China as its primary competitor and Russia as a significant threat, while President Joe Biden argues that this century will be defined by a contest between democracies and autocracies. Russia, on the other hand, believes that the U.S.’s dominance post-Cold War is declining.