Putin unleashes new 'ballistic missile' 1260 miles across Asia in show strength to West

Vladimir Putin has test-fired a mysterious “new intercontinental ballistic missile” in a display of strength as US President Joe Biden touched down in Ireland. The missile, identified by the Russian Ministry of Defence only as a “training warhead”, was launched on April 11 from the Kapustin Yar State Central Interspecies Range in southwestern Russia, just 340 miles from the eastern Ukrainian border. The MoD said on Telegram that the purpose of the launch was to “test the prospective combat equipment” of the new missile.

The unidentified ballistic missile was launched at a “conventional target” at the Sary-Shagan range in western Kazakhstan, on the shores of Lake Balkhash.

The warhead flew roughly 1260 miles from southwestern Russia before hitting its target.

It is a relatively small distance compared to its test launch last April of the nuclear-capable Sarmat, which covered nearly 4000 miles across the width of the country.

But unlike last year’s test, the Russian MoD has declined to disclose exactly what missile they had tested.

 

Footage of the launch showed the missile being launched laboriously into the night, though little else could be gleaned from the video.

The outlet Military Russia claimed the launch was a test “apparently for the first time” of advanced combat equipment 15Zh55ME Topol-M, also known as Yars-E.

A Topol-M launch from Kapustrin Yar had been predicted for this year, though it was believed to be a development of the old Topol system.

The new development “will solve the issue of the expiration of Topol missiles, which were previously used for such test launches, and will also allow the payload to be launched on a platform unified with many modern missiles”, the outlet said.

Russia possesses around 15 road-mobile and 50 silo-based Topol-Ms, though a US report in 2013 suggested approximately 80 warheads appeared operational.

They are reportedly capable of holding a 550 kiloton nuclear warhead – typical US nuclear missiles average 300 kt – but unconfirmed Russian claims suggest the yield is closer to one megaton.

Irrespective of exact specifications, the Topol-M systems, if fully-operational, would be some of the most powerful nuclear missiles in existence.

This latest test launch comes just a month after Russia and the US publicly withdrew from adhering to the New START treaty after more than a decade.

The pact, signed by former President Barack Obama, limited both nations to 1500 nuclear warheads and declared that both countries should be able to inspect each other’s sites to ensure they were not breaking that limit.

source: express.co.uk