Russia loads missile with nuclear-capable glide vehicle into launch silo

Russia’s rocket forces have loaded an intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with the nuclear-capable Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle into a launch silo in southern Russia, according to a Defence Ministry TV channel broadcast, reports Al Jazeera.

President Vladimir Putin announced the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle in 2018, saying it was a response to the development of a new generation of weapons by the United States.

As it approaches its target, the Avangard detaches from the rocket and can manoeuvre sharply outside the trajectory of the rocket at hypersonic speeds of up to 27 times the speed of sound (about 21,000 miles per hour or 34,000 kilometres per hour).

Russia installed its first Avangard-equipped missile in 2019 at the same Orenburg facility.