New arms race: President Putin declares Russia’s might with six new ‘super weapons’ unveiled
VLADIMIR Putin has just gone full warlord. He’s declared six new ‘superweapons’ will restore Russia to its rightful place in the world. But are they all they’re cracked up to be?
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INVINCIBLE nuclear intercontinental missiles. Laser cannon. Nuclear-powered cruise missiles. Hypersonic warheads. Hypervelocity missiles. Nuclear-tipped torpedoes.
It’s the stuff of science fiction.
Now Russian President Vladimir Putin says it’s all been made real.
He’s facing an election campaign in just a few weeks.
And he’s already sidelined all his main opponents.
His biggest problem now is simply getting people out to vote. Good numbers would convey a certain validity to his authoritarian leadership style.
So he’s used a fiery state-of-the-nation address to impress.
Slick computer graphics. Dramatic video footage. Technobabble specifications.
It was all rolled-out lavishly to sell his array of new ‘super weapons’.
But it all served to sell one message:
Russia is strong again, Putin claims.
“No one has listened to us,” Putin pronounced to gathering of politicians near the Kremlin last night. “You listen to us now.
“I want to tell all those who have fuelled the arms race over the last 15 years, sought to win unilateral advantages over Russia, introduced unlawful sanctions aimed to contain our country’s development: all what you wanted to impede with your policies have already happened.
“You have failed to contain Russia.”
1) UNLIMITED RANGE CRUISE MISSILE
Imagine a guided cruise missile that could stay in flight almost indefinitely.
It could fly around the world. Repeatedly.
It could loiter, unnoticed, for days, weeks or months in the middle of an ocean to avoid being taken out by surprise attack — and to instantly respond to new orders.
It also could take the longway around an entire continent — just to strike its target from an unexpected direction.
Putin says his new cruise missile can do all this.
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— Телеканал "Звезда" (@zvezdanews) March 1, 2018
“No one in the world has anything like that,” he declared. “It may appear someday, but by that time we will develop something new.”
It hasn’t been given a name yet.
But Putin didn’t hold back when boasting of its potential.
Most existing cruise missiles can travel about 1000km. This one goes much further.
Computer graphics showed how it could weave its way around obstacles to slip into the Atlantic, pass around Cape Horn and worm its way up the Pacific to strike Hawaii.
Why bother?
To avoid detection. To conceal its objective. To provide its operators with options.
To do all this it would first need to be boosted to high speeds by a traditional rocket. Once enough air is being forced into its ramjet, this would then be diverted over a small reactor generating the heat necessary to force it out again as exhaust thrust.
Apart from the computer graphics, Putin’s presentation offered only a distant view of a stubby-winged missile with what appears to be a large air intake under its nose.
It may be it. It may not.
2) NUCLEAR-TIPPED ROBOTIC TORPEDOES
It’s been speculated about for some time.
But Moscow has remained tight lipped.
Until now.
Putin has finally admitted his military has been developing a submersible drone capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to any of the world’s harbours.
It could potentially also find its way beneath busy shipping lanes — or a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier battle group.
He didn’t give its name, though it has in the past been rumoured to be called “Kanyon”.
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— Телеканал "Звезда" (@zvezdanews) March 1, 2018
Essentially, it’s a big torpedo.
It can dive very deep. It can move very fast.
How far remains unknown: It is claimed to have been given a nuclear powerplant, like the new cruise missile.
We know it can be launched from a submarine. Putin’s graphics presentation showed two being deployed from a specially modified Oscar II class attack submarine.
It’s also been given a ‘brain’ capable of guiding it through the world’s waterways.
Its purpose is simple.
It’s much harder to spot an underwater drone slinking its way just above the ocean’s floor than a ballistic or cruise missile. And there is as yet no real way to hit a fast moving torpedo.
So the chances of it delivering its nuclear warhead on target, unopposed, is high.
3) NUCLER HYPERSONIC GLIDE VEHICLES
China proudly declared the success of its hypersonic missile warhead development program last year. It says it has started producing fully functional examples to deploy to its military.
Now Putin says he has one, too.
He’s dubbed the glider Avangard.
What makes these new nuclear warheads so fearsome is their speed.
At Mach 6 (7300km/h), they are virtually untouchable.
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— Телеканал "Звезда" (@zvezdanews) March 1, 2018
They get boosted into space on the back of an ICBM. But this boost is not as limited as traditional nuclear weapons.
In addition to being fast, hypervelocity warheads can change course as they glide back through the Earth’s atmosphere.
This is significant as ships and antimissile systems can no longer be pre-positioned along predictable flight paths to shoot the missiles down as they lumber up into the sky.
This is how the US, Japan and South Korea is currently defending against North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s despotic threats.
And a hypersonic glide vehicle, once it re-enters the atmosphere, can dodge defensive weapons as it approaches its target.
It is possible this hypersonic glide vehicle was tested in September last year when it launched a RS-12M Topol ballistic missile with what it vaguely described as an “advanced combat payload”.
4) HYPERSONIC AIR — LAUNCHED MISSILES
Russia’s always been big on fast, long-range missiles.
It’s one way to bypass enemy interceptor fighters and ground-based air defences.
Now Putin claims to have the ultimate long-range ‘standoff’ weapon.
This time Putin’s supporting graphics showed a very fast missile swooping down upon warships.
He called it “Kinzhal”.
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— Телеканал "Звезда" (@zvezdanews) March 1, 2018
It’s another hypervelocity device. This time it’s a guided missile capable of being carried by combat jets.
It’s supposed to have a range of 2000km.
It’s supposed to travel at a speed of 3400km/h (10 times the speed of sound).
It can be steered.
Altogether, this makes it very hard for defenders to find, to react, and to shoot it down.
It’s supposed to have already been deployed to frontline military units.
Supporting this was video footage of an old Mig-31 “Foxhound” high-speed interceptor aircraft carrying a tubby bullet-shaped weapon.
5) SATAN 2 ICBM
We’ve been hearing a lot about this one in recent years.
It’s Russia’s latest rocket, capable of boosting bigger payloads further and faster.
Again, Putin pulled no punches when it came to boasting about this weapon’s potential.
The computer-generated simulation showed swarms of small warheads — delivered by a Satan 2 — falling like rain on Florida.
he RS-28 Sarmat (Satan 2) is a big booster rocket.
When used as an ICBM, this means it can carry a heavier nuclear warhead — or a lot more smaller, individually targeted nucler-armed re-entry vehicles.
It could also extend the reach of its payload further around the globe.
One benefit of this is that the rocket’s launch vehicle can be to be hidden deep within Russia and still be able to strike the most distant targets.
But, with the revelation of the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, Satan 2 now has another purpose: to boost the glider to incredible speeds in space before releasing it on its deadly path back down to Earth.
6) LASER CANNONS
It’s not Star War or Star Trek, yet.
But Putin knows the pulling power of a good laser cannon.
In this case it’s a point defence system.
As all the above new weapon systems show, it’s becoming increasingly hard to defend against faster, more manoeuvrable developments in missile technology.
Response time is incredibly short.
Targets can be tiny.
Accuracy must be pinpoint precise.
What better way to meet these demands than through a laser beam?
So Russia’s built a mobile ‘directed energy point-defence system’.
Essentially, it’s a short-range laser designed to protect a place, object, or formation from incoming fire. This includes missiles, cannon shells — and drones.
The laser cannon itself is tiny. For all intents and purposes, it looks like a Dalek sitting on the back of a truck.
But its support mechanism is bulky.
Several truck trailer loads of generators, radars and controllers must necessarily tag along.
How effective, and reliable, such a complex mechanism is remains to be seen.
ALERT, BUT NOT ALARMED
The US Department of Defence has shrugged off Putin’s aggressive announcements.
That almost every weapon was shown aimed at the United States was ignored.
“We’re not surprised by Putin’s statements,” Pentagon spokesman Dana White told reporters overnight. “The American people should rest assured that we are fully prepared.
“These weapons that are discussed have been in development for a very long time ... Our nuclear posture review takes all of this into account.”
The unstated concern is that Russia’s existing nuclear weapons are already virtually unstoppable.
Despite enormous expenditure on anti-ICBM missiles, the technology remains far too erratic to be relied upon.
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— Минобороны РоÑÑии (@mod_russia) March 1, 2018
Russia has some 2000 missiles capable of carrying its 7000 nuclear warheads. All existing defences would be easily overwhelmed.
Submarines can already slip close to their targets, unnoticed. And bombers can carry nuclear cruise missiles to within range of targets worldwide.
“It’s a bit of overkill on their part as their missiles already would have given our missiles defences trouble,” New America Foundation weapons expert Peter Singer said.
So Putin’s message may be more about bravado.
He’s a strong man.
He has vision.
He’s making Russia great again.
He’s in control.
Vote Putin — the only name on the ballot paper.
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