The Sarmat missile system will be put on combat duty until the end of 2026 in the Uzhur formation of the Krasnoyarsk Territory (video)

Commander of the Strategic Missile Forces Sergei Karakaev reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the successful launch of the latest heavy liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile ICBM RS-28 “Sarmat”, reported on the Kremlin website.

The launch took place on May 12 at 11:15 Moscow time.

“The launch was successful, the launch mission was completed,” said the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces. “Based on the test results, the correctness of the design and technological solutions laid down was confirmed, as well as the feasibility of the given characteristics of the missile system… The positive results of the launch of the Sarmat missile system will allow us to put on combat duty the first missile regiment armed with this complex in the Uzhur formation of the Krasnoyarsk Territory by the end of this year.”

Footage of the test of the Sarmat missile system was published by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Sergey Karakaev noted that the stationary silo-based strategic missile system with the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile is being created to replace the Soviet-made Voevoda complex. In terms of its combat capabilities, the Sarmat is superior to its predecessor, primarily in terms of flight range, throwable weight, launch readiness, and the range of countermeasures used, which makes it possible to reliably overcome existing and future missile defense systems. The development of the complex is carried out by JSC State Rocket Center named after Academician V.P. Makeev together with industrial cooperation. The deployment of launchers with the Sarmat missile system will significantly increase the combat capabilities of the ground group of strategic nuclear forces to ensure the destruction of targets and solve strategic deterrence tasks.

Vladimir Putin confirmed the information that the Sarmat missile system, work on which began in 2011, will be put on combat duty before this end of the year:

“Firstly, this is the most powerful missile system in the world, not inferior in power to the Soviet-made Voevoda missile system in our arsenal. The total power of the delivered warhead is more than 4 times greater than the power of any existing most powerful Western analogue. Secondly, and this is the main thing, the missile can move not only along a ballistic, but also along a suborbital trajectory, which, thirdly, makes it possible to provide a range of use of over 35 thousand kilometers with simultaneously twice improved accuracy characteristics and, finally, with the ability to overcome all existing and future missile defense systems. At the end of this year, Sarmat will actually be put on combat duty.”

The Sarmat complex is equipped with a heavy intercontinental ballistic missile, the weight of one projectile is more than 200 tons. The missile's flight range reaches 18 thousand kilometers. The missile has a short active flight phase, which makes it difficult to intercept by air defense systems. The first successful tests of Sarmat took place in April 2024. The Ministry of Defense noted that this is the most powerful missile with the longest range in the world to hit targets. Its weight exceeds 200 tons. Firing range – 18 thousand km.