Sarmat is an intercontinental ballistic missile that is supposed to carry a nuclear charge, but during the launch – testing or combat training – nuclear warheads are not installed on the missiles.
Russia fails tests of RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. A serious accident likely occurred at the Russian military cosmodrome Plesetsk on September 20, OSINT researchers said. The missile appears to have exploded in the launch silo. This is confirmed by satellite images, which show a crater at the site of one of the cosmodrome’s launch pads.
Putin’s rocket
The Sarmat is an intercontinental ballistic missile that is supposed to carry a nuclear warhead. In his speech on March 1, 2018, Vladimir Putin said that the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, together with the enterprises of the rocket and space industry, began the active phase of testing in Sarmat. During his speech, the so-called rocket drop test was shown in the background.
During such tests, a mock-up rocket was fired from a silo. Real missiles, after a shot at a certain height in the air, start their engines and start flying towards the target. During the launch tests, the mock-up rocket can also turn on the engines, but its flight does not last long – it descends to the ground with parachutes.
Putin promised that no air defense could stop Sarmat, but so far the missile has yet to take off.
Rough project
On April 20, 2022, what is said to be the first and only successful test of the Sarmat missile took place. In total, Roscosmos expected to conduct six successful tests, but only one has been reported.
Experts cite the refusal of Ukrainian developers from the Yuzhmash company to service the R-36M Voevoda missiles, which are in service with Russia’s strategic nuclear forces, as one of the reasons for the development of the new missile .
“Lack of experienced staff, poor management, lack of modern equipment. Because of the sanctions, not everything can be imported in the required quantity and quality. Factories usually change parts and materials to meet the requirements , but many of the factories involved in Sarmat production may not have such capabilities,” said Maxim Starchak of the Center for International and Defense Policy at Queen’s University.
According to the expert, the rocket will need another eight to ten years of testing before it is fully technically ready.
The Nasa Firms service, which immediately reports on major fires around the world, reported that on September 20, a strong fire was noticed at the Plesetsk cosmodrome site. It is so powerful that it is visible from space.
That the site was once used to test the Sarmat missile was reported by several experts who monitor the activity of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces. Many experts believe that the accident may have occurred while the rocket was being refueled, but this is only speculation.
Source: korrespondent
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