RS-28 Samrat or Satan-II is Russia’s newest nuclear missile capable of striking almost ‘anywhere in the world’. Here’s more on the missile that can fire over either of the poles.
All about RS-Samrat, Russia’s new ICBM
Between the ongoing war with Ukraine and strict sanctions imposed by the Western nations, Russia was successful in testing RS-28 Samrat. According to Russian President Putin, the InterContinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) will make others think twice before attacking the nation. After a delay due to unknown reasons in 2021, this is the first launch of the ICBM. On Wednesday, Satan II was launched in Plesetsk in the North-Western region of the nation. It was intending to hit a target about 6,000 km away in the Kamchatka peninsula. According to reports, there are five more launches this year before its official induction.
The knowledge of its making was first announced by President Putin in 2018 during his State of Nation address to a Federal assembly. At the time, he had expressed the notion of the missile being fully operational by the end of 2022. Before Putin’s announcement, several reports revealed the development of Moscow developing a new ICBM. However, the beginning of its actual development goes back to 2009 and 2011.
What are Satan II’s capabilities?
The RS-28 Samrat nicknamed Satan-II by NATO is reported to have the capacity of carrying 10 or more warheads and decoys. It is named after nomadic tribes famous for roaming across the steppes of present-day Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. (nelsonjsalon.com) Additionally, it can also fire over either of our planet’s poles. This means that the ICBM has a range of 11,000 to 18,000 km. The missile is going to pose a huge challenge to both ground and satellite-based radar tracking systems. They are in use by the West, including the USA.
The Samrat can carry ten Multiple Independently-Targetable Re-entry Vehicles, each with a blast yield of 0.75 MT. It is going to be the first Russian missile capable of carrying small hypersonic boost-glide vehicles. They are difficult to intercept and maneuverable. It is more lethal in comparison to Satan or the R-36M Voyevoda ICBMs Russia is using. According to some reports, Samrat has a higher throw and speed.
