America in the Crosshairs: Russian Military to Deploy Avangard Hypersonic Nuclear Delivery System By End of 2019

Following its unveiling in March 2019 as the fastest and hardest hitting of Russia’s new generation of hypersonic missile systems, alongside the Sarmat (Satan 2) ICBM, the Kh-47M2 tactical ballistic missile and the Zicron anti ship cruise missile, the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle has gained significant attention internationally for its unique capabilities. The platform is designed to deliver a single large thermonuclear warhead to enemy territory, and has a range sufficient to strike any target across the globe with high precision. Impacting at speeds reportedly exceeding Mach 25, “like a meteor, like a fireball” in the words of President Vladimir Putin, and boasting high manoeuvrability, the Avangard is capable of evading all existing air defence systems and any which are expected to enter service for the foreseeable future. With most air defence systems including the American GMD and THAAD systems developed to intercept missiles in their terminal phase, when upon reentering the atmosphere many are at their most vulnerable, by maintaining high speeds throughout this phase the Avangard will be particularly difficult to defend against.

Russian media has reported that the country’s Strategic Missile Forces will receive the first Avangard vehicles for frontline service, stating: “In late November–early December, two UR-100N UTTKh missiles equipped with the hypersonic glide vehicles from the first regiment of Avangard systems will assume experimental combat duty in the Dombarovsky division of the Strategic Missile Force.” Each UR-100N is cable of carrying a single Avangard glide vehicle, although the number set to be equipped with the new systems remains uncertain. The Strategic Missile Forces’ 13th regiment will reportedly be the first to receive the Avangard, and is based in Orenburd in the south Urals. These deployments follow successful testing in 2019. The Avangard is reportedly not set to be deployed in large numbers, and due to its massive destructive capacity and the reliability of its penetrative capability even a small arsenal of these platforms should be sufficient to alter the calculus of potential Russian adversaries for decades to come.