We first took a look at the RS-28 Sarmat (known to NATO as Satan 2) back in October 2016. According to its official specifications, the Sarmat has a range of 11,000 kilometers, can fly at about 25,000 kilometers per hour (essentially ignoring any defense system), and also features a MIRV configuration, meaning a single missile can strike multiple major targets at once.
The intercontinental ballistic missile changed the rules of war forever. The simple ability to strike an enemy nation on the other side of the planet is chilling, and when you add the devastating destructive potential of a nuclear warhead, any ICBM raises alarm bells regardless of its development status. That brings us to Russia, where President Vladimir Putin announced to the Federal Assembly the completion of tests on the RS-28 Sarmat, which he presented as invincible against any anti-missile defense system. His words were backed by an animation reflecting the missile's capabilities, and let's just say the choice of target was not very subtle…
https://www.youtube.com/embed/fym8DAPbUOIBasically, the animation (which according to a source dates back to 2007) shows the Sarmat bombing the state of Florida. Thanks to its impressive range, the Sarmat can attack by flying over either the North or South Pole, and resist any interception attempt.
However, Putin's statements didn't end with the public debut of the Sarmat. He also described new weapon systems, including an intercontinental-range underwater drone, and a hypersonic missile with nuclear propulsion, capable of evading and bypassing defense networks (thus eliminating the ballistic component of its trajectory). This last one reminds us of the old SLAM project that the United States explored in 1955. If Russia truly has something like that, it would be even more fearsome than the Sarmat itself.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/dVeQ6S8AMjkAnd I say "if they have something like that" because not a few have qualified Putin's announcement as "pure propaganda" and "science fiction." At the same time, we must remember that presidential elections in Russia will take place on March 18. Everything seems to indicate that Putin will secure his fourth term, the second of this phase (the constitution doesn't allow more than two consecutive terms), so the presentation of these weapons also carries a certain campaign color.
