Russia loaded a hypersonic glide vehicle-equipped intercontinental ballistic missile into a launch silo in southern Russia, according to a defense ministry television channel on Thursday.
In 2018, President Vladimir Putin unveiled the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, claiming it was developed in response to a potentially penetrable U.S. missile defense system.
The Avangard glide vehicle detaches from the rocket and can maneuver sharply outside its trajectory at hypersonic speeds of up to 27 times the speed of sound as it approaches its target.
The Russian defense ministry-owned ‘Zvezda’ television channel showed a ballistic missile being transported to an Orenburg launch silo near Kazakhstan.
Russia installed its first Avangard-equipped missile at Orenburg in 2019.
