Putin urges development of new hypersonic missiles, lasers
ABC News
Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged the country’s arms makers to develop even more advanced hypersonic missiles and lasers to maintain the country’s edge in military technologies
MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the country's arms manufacturers Wednesday to develop even more advanced hypersonic missiles and high-energy lasers to maintain the country's edge in military technologies.
Speaking during a meeting with officials, Putin hailed the new weapons, such as the Avangard and Kinzhal hypersonic weapons and the Peresvet laser system as a “breakthrough" that “ensured Russia's military security for many years and even decades.”
The Russian military has said that the Avangard is capable of flying 27 times faster than the speed of sound and making sharp maneuvers on its way to target to dodge the enemy’s missile shield. It has been fitted to the existing Soviet-built intercontinental ballistic missiles instead of older type warheads, and the first unit armed with the Avangard entered duty in December 2019.
The Kinzhal, carried by MiG-31 fighter jets, has a range of up to 2,000 kilometers (about 1,250 miles) and flies at 10 times the speed of sound, according to Russian officials.
