News / Russia

Russia to test-fire massive nuclear missile: Report

Wednesday, 11 May 2016 7:02 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 11 May 2016 7:03 AM ]

The file photo shows the launch of a Russian R-36M (SS-18 Satan) missile.

Russia is preparing to start test-firing a highly powerful nuclear missile, which is said to be capable of destroying an entire country in seconds, a report says.

Russia’s Zvezda TV channel reported on Tuesday that the RS-28 Sarmat missile, dubbed Satan 2, will replace Soviet-era R-36M missiles, which NATO military experts had nicknamed “Satan.”

The intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), thought to weigh at least 100 tons, is considered to be the largest atomic weapon-carrying rocket ever produced and is capable of carrying as many as a dozen warheads inside its shell.

With an estimated range of 10,000 kilometers (6,213 miles), the Sarmat missile is “capable of wiping out parts of the earth the size of Texas or France,” Zvezda said.

“In this sense, the Sarmat missile will not only become the R-36M’s successor, but also to some extent it will determine in which direction nuclear deterrence in the world will develop,” it added.

The file photo of a mushroom cloud rising moments after the explosion of an atomic bomb

The report also said that the missile has been designed with stealth technology, which enables it to be fired at a target without being detected by radar systems.

Moscow is planning to test-fire the missile this summer at Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia’s largest operational missile testing and space launch facility, the report said.

The missile has reportedly been in development since 2009 and will be in active service at some point by 2020.

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www.presstv.co.uk