The service life of the UR-100N UTTKh intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with Avangard combat hypersonic glide vehicles will be extended for several more years. This was reported by Aleksandr Leonov, General Designer of Reutov-based NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
According to him, specialists disassemble the missiles every year and examine them. The General Designer recalled that the missile's operating life exceeds 40 years.
We must guarantee that the missiles are, first and foremost, safe and that they will accomplish their mission. Therefore, every year we extend the service life of these missiles by another year.
Leonov clarified that the service life of the UR-100N UTTKh is being extended in order to preserve the force grouping. This task was set by the Russian Ministry of Defence.
Avangard is capable of flying in the dense layers of the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds of up to Mach 27 (about 32,000 km/h), maneuvering in course and altitude and overcoming any missile defense system.
In public appearances and interviews, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that, for now, the missile with the Avangard glide vehicle has no counterparts in the world.
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