RS-28 Sarmat (Satan-II)

In News 

• Recently, Russia tested its new Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Sarmat amidst stiff resistance from Ukraine in the ongoing war .

About Sarmat 

• This was the first test launch of the ICMB Sarmat after having been delayed earlier in 2021. 
• It was launched from Plesetsk in North West Russia with the intended target in the Kamchatka peninsula almost 6,000 km away. 
• It is a liquid fuelled missile as compared to US ICBMs which have moved on to solid fuel systems. 
• Development 
  • It was widely known that Russia was developing a new ICBM to replace its older ones and an announcement in this regard had been made by President Vladimir Putin in 2018 .
    • The actual development schedule is believed to have been further back in 2009 to 2011.

• The deteriorating relations between Russia and the Western Powers is said to have given an impetus to its development.

• Naming :The Sarmat is named after nomadic tribes that roamed the steppes of present-day Southern Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan in the early mediaeval period. 
  • According to Encyclopaedia Britannica: “Sarmatians were highly developed in horsemanship and warfare.”
    •  The administrative capabilities and political expertise of Sarmatians contributed to their gaining widespread influence and by the 5th century BC they held control of the land between the Urals and the Don River. 

• Advancement and Capability

• The RS-28 Sarmat (NATO name Satan-II) is reported to be able to carry ten or more warheads and decoys .
• It has the capability of firing over either of the earth’s poles with a range of 11,000 to 18,000 km. 
• It will be the first Russian missile which can carry smaller hypersonic boost-glide vehicles. 
• These are manoeuvrable and hard to intercept. 

Source:IE