Russia reveals new arsenal of missiles pointed at the West

The RS-28 will carry up to 16 warheads and, according to Moscow, be capable of beating any missile defence system.
The RS-28 will carry up to 16 warheads and, according to Moscow, be capable of beating any missile defence system.

Russia has published the first image of its new intercontinental ballistic missile as it re-arms amid warnings of a renewed Cold War.

It will replace the R-36 missile, nicknamed SS-18 Satan by Nato. Weighing 100 tonnes, the Sarmat nuclear weapon, or RS-28, will carry up to 16 warheads and, according to Moscow, will be capable of beating any missile defence system. Zvezda, the defence ministry’s television channel, claims that it could carry a payload capable of destroying an area “the size of Texas or France”.

The intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is being developed by the Makeyev rocket manufacturer near Chelyabinsk, which published an image of the snub-nosed missile on its website. It is expected to be in service by 2018.

Five years ago Russia announced