The Russian Military will receive state-of-the-art Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles, which, according to the manufacturer, can pierce through any existing air defense.
The signing of a state contract “for the production and supply of the Sarmat strategic missile system” was announced on Tuesday during the Army 2022 forum, which is taking place in Moscow Region.
The deal was signed by Russian Deputy Defense Minister, Aleksey Krivoruchko and the general manager of the country’s Makeev Missile Center, Vladimir Degtyar, RIA Novosti reported.
Speaking on Russian TV in May, Degtyar claimed that “it is impossible to intercept” the Sarmat missile thanks to its “incredibly complex” design, which allows it to “overcome any multi-layered missile defense”.
The commander of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, Sergey Karakaev, said at the time that the new rocket can travel along unusual trajectories, including via the South Pole. He added that the Sarmat is the “largest military rocket in human history,” boasting a diameter of three meters and a height equal to that of a 14-story apartment block. The missile is said to weigh over 200 tons.
The signing of another contract was also made public on Tuesday, in which the Russian Army will obtain the S-500 Prometheus air defense system – the latest iteration of the famed S-300 and S-400 missiles. With a range of 600km, its specialty is the interception of incoming missiles at high altitudes.
The S-500 entered production by April, according to Yan Novikov, the general manager of state-owned defense company Almaz-Antey.