A new intercontinental weapon that can fly 27 times the speed of sound became operational on Friday, Russias defence minister reported to President Vladimir Putin, bolstering the countrys nuclear strike capability.

Mr Putin has described the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle as a technological breakthrough comparable to the 1957 Soviet launch of the first satellite.

The new Russian weapon and a similar system being developed by China have troubled the United States, which has pondered defence strategies.

The Avangard is launched atop an intercontinental ballistic missile, but unlike a regular missile warhead that follows a predictable path after separation it can make sharp manoeuvres in the atmosphere en route to target, making it much harder to intercept.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Mr Putin the first missile unit equipped with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle entered combat duty.

I congratulate you on this landmark event for the military and the entire nation, Mr Shoigu said later during a conference call with top military leaders.

The Strategic Missile Forces chief, General Sergei Karakayev, said during the call the Avangard was put on duty with a unit in the Orenburg region in the southern Ural Mountains.

Mr Putin unveiled the Avangard among other prospective weapons systems in his state-of-the-nation address in March 2018, noting its ability to make sharp manoeuvres on its way to a target would render missile defence useless.

It heads to target like a meteorite, like a fireball, he said at the time.

The Russian leader noted Avangard was designed using new composite materials to withstand temperatures of up to 2000C resulting from a flight through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds.

The military said the Avangard was capable of flying 27 times faster than the speed of sound.

It carries a nuclear weapon of up to two megatons. Mr Putin has said Russia had to develop the Avangard and other prospective weapons systems because of US efforts to develop a missile defence system he claimed could erode Russias nuclear deterrent.

Moscow has scoffed at US claims its missile shield wasnt intended to counter Russias massive missile arsenals.

Earlier this week, Mr Putin emphasised Russia was the only country armed with hypersonic weapons.

He noted Russia was leading the world in developing an entire new class of weapons, unlike in the past when it was catching up with the US.

In December 2018, the Avangard was launched from the Dombarovskiy missile base in the southern Urals and successfully hit a practice target on the Kura shooting range on Kamchatka, 6000km away.

Russian media reports indicated the Avangard would first be mounted on Soviet-built RS-18B intercontinental ballistic missiles, codenamed SS-19 by NATO.

It was expected to be fitted to the prospective Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile after it became operational.

The Defence Ministry said last month it demonstrated the Avangard to a team of US inspectors as part of transparency measures under the New Start nuclear arms treaty with the US.

The Russian military previously had commissioned another hypersonic weapon of a smaller range.

The Kinzhal (Dagger), which is carried by MiG-31 fighter jets, entered service with the Russian air force last year.

Mr Putin has said the missile flies 10 times faster than the speed of sound, has a range of more than 2000km and can carry a nuclear or a conventional warhead.

The military said it was capable of hitting both land targets and navy ships.

China has tested its own hypersonic glide vehicle, believed to be capable of travelling at least five times the speed of sound.

It displayed the weapon called Dong Feng 17, or DF-17, at a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese state.

US officials have talked about putting a layer of sensors in space to detect enemy missiles faster, particularly hypersonic weapons.

The administration also plans to study the idea of basing interceptors in space, so the US can strike incoming enemy missiles during the first minutes of flight when the booster engines are still burning.

The Pentagon also has been working on the development of hypersonic weapons in recent years, and Defence Secretary Mark Esper said in August he believed it was probably a matter of a couple of years before the US had one.

He has called it a priority as the military works to develop new long-range fire capabilities.

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