Avangard (hypersonic glide vehicle)

Avangard
Avangard
	The UR-100UTTKh ICBM launched from the Dombarovsky Air Base
Type	Hypersonic glide vehicle
Place of origin	Russian Federation
Service history
In service	27 December 2019[1]
Used by	Russian Strategic Missile Troops
Production history
Designer	Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology
Manufacturer	Votkinsk Machine Building Plant
Produced	2018-present[2]
Specifications
Mass	~2 tonnes (4,400 lb)[3]
Length	5.4 m[4]
Blast yield	0.8 - 2 Mt[5]
Maximum speed	Mach 20-27[6][7]
Launch; platform	ICBM

The Avangard (Russian: Авангард; English: Vanguard; previously known as Objekt 4202, Yu-71 and Yu-74) is a Russian hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) that can be carried as a MIRV payload by the UR-100UTTKh,[8][9] R-36M2 and RS-28 Sarmat heavy ICBMs. It can deliver both nuclear and conventional payloads.[10][11][12][13]

The Avangard is one of the six new Russian strategic weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 1 March 2018.[12]

"Hypersonic glide vehicles are distinguished from traditional ballistic missiles by their ability to maneuver and operate at lower altitudes."[14] The combination of maneuverability and high speed poses significant challenges for conventional missile defense. With the advantage again swinging toward attack, the defense industry is concerned that weapons of this type will reignite the kind of arms race that dominated the cold war era.[15]

History

The Avangard (then called Yu-71 and Yu-74) was reportedly flight tested between February 2015 and June 2016 on board UR-100UTTKh ICBMs launched from Dombarovsky Air Base, Orenburg Oblast, when it reached a speed of 11,200 kilometres per hour (7,000 mph; 3,100 m/s) and successfully hit targets at the Kura Missile Test Range, Kamchatka Krai.[16][17]

In October 2016, another flight test was carried out using a R-36M2 heavy ICBM launched from Dombarovsky Air Base, successfully hitting a target at the Kura Missile Test Range. This was reportedly the first fully successful test of the glide vehicle.[18][19]

On 1 March 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin in his presidential address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow announced that testing of the weapon is now complete and that it has entered serial production.[20][21][22][23][12] This was further confirmed by the commander of Russian Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel General Sergei Karakayev.[24][25]

The latest flight test occurred on 26 December 2018. Avangard, carried by a UR-100UTTKh ICBM launched from Dombarovsky Air Base, successfully hit a target at the Kura Missile Test Range.[26] The Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Yury Borisov stated a day later that the glider flew at 27 times the speed of sound, "invulnerable to interception".[26][7]

According to Russian Defense Ministry's press service/TASS, the Avangard missile system with the hypersonic glide-vehicle was demonstrated to the US inspection group in accordance with the New START treaty procedures on November 24–26, 2019.[27]

On 27 December 2019, the first missile regiment armed with the Avangard HGV officially entered combat duty.[1]

Design

According to open-source analysis by Jane's, Avangard is a pure glide vehicle without an independent propulsion system.[28] When approaching a target, the glider is capable of sharp high speed horizontal and vertical evasive maneuvers in flight, which Russian officials claim makes it "invulnerable to any missile defence system".[29][30][31][32][33] Arms control expert Jeffrey Lewis of the Institute of International Studies expressed scepticism towards Avangard's ability to evade missile defences, stating that "gliding results in slower speeds than traditional re-entry".[34][35] The blast yield of a nuclear warhead carried by the Avangard is reportedly more than 2 megatons TNT.[36]