Russia’s New Sarmat Intercontinental Missile: Fourth Consecutive Test Failure
Once again, Russia’s newest intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sarmat or Saturama, has
failed during testing
. This latest setback comes just three months after the previous test failure in November 202The Sarmat, also known as RS-28 Universal Rocket Carrier, is a replacement for the aging Soviet-era RS-12M Topol missiles.
The first test took place in December 2017, followed by another test failure in November 2018
. The most recent tests were conducted on March 31 and April 20, 2022.
Russia’s Defense Ministry
reported that the latest tests were successful but did not provide any data or video footage.
However, independent observers
, including the Confirmed Space launch website and the Russian Open Media outlet, reported that the tests ended in a failure. The cause of these repeated failures remains unclear, but some experts suggest that design flaws or production issues could be to blame.
The Importance of the Sarmat Missile
The Sarmat missile is critical to Russia’s nuclear deterrent capabilities. It is designed to carry multiple warheads and can evade anti-missile defenses. The missile is also expected to be more accurate than its predecessor, reducing the risk of collateral damage during a nuclear strike. With the repeated testing failures, however, it is unclear when the Sarmat will be operational, leaving Russia’s nuclear deterrence capabilities in limbo.
Russia’s Sarmat ICBM: Fourth Consecutive Failure
Introduction:
Recent developments in Russia’s military sphere have raised eyebrows as the latest test of its newest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Sarmat, ended in failure. This is the
fourth consecutive failed test
for the Sarmat missile, which has left experts and observers questioning Russia’s ability to maintain its nuclear deterrent capabilities.