Russia's Sarmat heavy ICBM to enter service at end of year

Russia plans for its RS-28 Sarmat heavy ICBM (pictured), leaving a silo during its first test launch from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Oblast on 20 April, to begin combat duty at the end of this year. (Russian MoD)

Russia's first RS-28 Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) will begin combat duty at the end of the year, Russian President Vladimir Putin told military university graduates he met in the Kremlin on 21 June.

The announcement came two months after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Russian Federation reported the first test launch of the ICBM with a dummy warhead from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Oblast on 20 April.

Armed with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV), Sarmat will replace the Voyevoda RS-20 ICBM, also known by its NATO designation SS-18 ‘Satan' Mod 5, which Russia's Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) plan to retain until the RS-28 is officially accepted into service.

Developed by State Rocket Center ‘Academician V P Makeyev', the three-stage Sarmat is produced by the Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant (KrasMash), a subsidiary of Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos.

RS-28 Sarmat versus RS-20 Satan ICBMRS‐28RS‐20 Mod 5Dimensions and weightLengthOverall35.5 m34.3 mDiameterBody3 m3 mWeightLaunch 208.1 tonnes211.