{"id":44272,"date":"2018-03-12T18:10:42","date_gmt":"2018-03-12T18:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/03\/12\/russia-to-world-our-new-nukes-are-no-bluff\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:35:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:35:07","slug":"russia-to-world-our-new-nukes-are-no-bluff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/industry\/techwatch\/2018\/03\/12\/russia-to-world-our-new-nukes-are-no-bluff\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia to world: Our new nukes are \u2018no bluff\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MOSCOW \u2014 Following Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s unveiling of several new types of nuclear weapons<\/a> March 1, Westerners<\/a> were left scratching their heads<\/a> and wondering if he was bluffing. But in an interview published by the military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) on Monday, Deputy Defence Minister Yury Borisov assured them: \u201cThis is no bluff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Borisov was specifically referring to the hypersonic boost-glide system Avangard, also known as 4202, one of the systems mentioned by Putin. The announcement itself was not a revelation. Russia has been testing hypersonic technologies similar to the U.S. gliders since at least 2004, and the Soviets began playing with the technology in the late 1980s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAvangard is well-tested,\u201d Borisov said. \u201cIts development was not without difficulty because the temperature on the surface of the glide vehicle reaches 2,000 degrees Celsius. It really flies within a plasma.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Borisov said the major stumbling blocks to Avangard\u2019s development were related to control surfaces and heat shielding for the vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Borisov, who is in charge of defense procurement, stressed that solutions were found and that \u201cwe already have a contract for the mass production of this system.\u201d He also mentioned that Russia\u2019s new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile, the 200-ton Sarmat, would be capable of launching a hypersonic vehicle \u2014 suggesting that Sarmat will double as the launch vehicle for Avangard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Borisov\u2019s interview comes a day after the Defence Ministry published a video of another Russian hypersonic system, Kinzhal, conducting a test flight. Taken together, it seems the Defence Ministry wants to underscore Putin\u2019s message and ensure the announced systems are real \u2014 and not bluffs. Borisov walked down the list of six new systems announced by Putin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kinzhal is a more basic hypersonic weapon and is essentially a heavily modified Iskander short-range ballistic missile launched from a MiG-31 supersonic interceptor. The video blurred out shots of the engine. But as Borisov told Krasnaya Zvezda: \u201cIt is probably clear to everyone, from a technical point of view, how all this works.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t