RS-28 Sarmat Latest News
As tensions escalate between the United States and Russia, the spotlight is back on one of the deadliest weapons in Russia’s nuclear arsenal, the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), dubbed ‘Satan 2’ by NATO.
About RS-28 Sarmat
- The RS-28 Sarmat is Russia’s new generation intercontinental ballistic missile.
- It is named after the Sarmatian people of the fourth and fifth century BC.
- It has also been referred to in the West as the “Satan II”.
RS-28 Sarmat Features
- It is a three-stage, liquid-fueled missile with a range of 18,000 km and a launch weight of more than 208 tonnes.
- It is the world's heaviest ICBM.
- The missile is 35.3 meters long and 3 meters in diameter.
- Maximum speed of 25,500 kph (about Mach 20).
- It can carry a 10-ton payload and can load a wide variety of warhead options.
- It can carry up to 16 independently targetable nuclear warheads as well as Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles.
- Each warhead gets its guidance system, using inertial navigation, GLONASS (Russia’s GNSS), and Astro-inertial tech to stay on target.
- While the RS-28 Sarmat can be launched much like a regular ICBM, it is thought to be also capable of what is called fractional orbital bombardment.
- A fractional orbital bombardment means firing an ICBM into a low orbit of the Earth – much lower than a conventional firing – potentially in the opposite direction to the target.
- The Sarmat reportedly could deliver warheads 2,000 times as powerful as the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Source: N18
RS-28 Sarmat FAQs
Q1: What is the RS-28 Sarmat missile also referred to as in the West?
Ans: Satan II
Q2: What is the maximum range of the RS-28 Sarmat missile?
Ans: 18,000 km
Q3: What is the launch weight of the RS-28 Sarmat?
Ans: It has a launch weight of more than 208 tonnes.
Q4: What type of fuel does the RS-28 Sarmat missile use?
Ans: It is a three-stage, liquid-fueled missile.
