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RUSSIA-DEFENCE-PUTIN
Putin hails ‘successful’ test of new hypersonic missile
MOSCOW, Dec 26, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on
Wednesday hailed final tests of a hypersonic missile, which he earlier said
would render existing missile defence systems obsolete.
“On my instructions, the Ministry of Defence prepared and conducted a
final test of this system. This has just been completed with absolute
success,” Putin said during a televised meeting with members of the
government.
“Russia has a new type of strategic weapon,” he said, adding that the
intercontinental “Avangard” system would be ready for use from 2019.
The Kremlin told Russian news agencies the test had taken place in far
eastern Kamchatka while Putin was at the national defence control centre.
Putin unveiled features of the Avangard during his annual address in
March, which he said would be part of a new generation of “invincible”
weaponry.
The hypersonic missile could fly at 20 times the speed of sound and
manoeuvre up and down, meaning it could breach defence systems, he said at
the time.
The final test comes after US President Donald Trump announced plans to
pull out of a key Cold War-era nuclear weapons pact, the three-decade-old
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).
Putin has laid out plans to develop missiles banned under the deal if the
United States abandons it.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1818 hrs