Russia's Avangard missile system cannot be intercepted

Military news 9/1: Military Watch magazine assessed that due to the design characteristics of the Avangard missile system, intercepting it is almost impossible.

The Pentagon receives a new batch of B61-12 nuclear bombs; Russia's Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle cannot be stopped... are the contents of today's world military news.

Pentagon receives new version of B61 nuclear bomb

The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) reported that the US Department of Defense received the latest batch of upgraded B61 nuclear bombs, the B61-12, in December 2024.

The total number of new plutonium-cored nuclear bombs produced at the Y-12 National Security Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, remains unknown.

The B61-12 bomb replaces the lower-yield variants 3, 4, 7 and 10 (0.3-50 kilotons). However, it is compensated by a new tail section, which helps control the bomb in the air and is more accurate. When released at high altitude, the bomb automatically programs its flight path according to satellite positioning to accurately hit the target.

B61 tactical nuclear bomb upgraded with high precision attack capability. Photo: Defense News

According to the Federation of American Scientists, the Pentagon will soon begin deploying B61-12s to NATO allied air bases in Europe.

As of 2023, about 100 units of older variants of the B61 tactical nuclear bomb - the B61-3 and 4 - are stored in underground storage facilities at NATO allied air bases in Europe. About 15 nuclear bombs are located at Büchel air bases in Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany), Kleine Brogel (Belgium), Volkel (Netherlands) and Gedi (Italy) and 20 of these bombs are located at Aviano (Italy) and Incirlik (Turkey) air bases. They can be used by F-35A, F-15E, F-16 and Tornado tactical bombers. However, their main arsenal is located in the continental United States.

The US upgrade of the B61 nuclear bomb has received special attention from Russia because it is a nuclear weapon with high precision attack capabilities and is not bound by international regulations.

According to the NNSA, the US is starting to upgrade the B61 bomb to the B61-13, which is "a more powerful version of the B61-12, providing the US military with the ability to defeat larger and more complex military targets with a yield equivalent to 360 kilotons. The B61-13 bomb upgrade process is being carried out at the Y-12 National Security Center in Oak Ridge this year.

US assesses ability to intercept Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle

The US military magazine Military Watch assessed that due to the design characteristics of the Avangard missile system, intercepting it is almost impossible.

Military Watch experts have assessed the characteristics of the Russian hypersonic weapons system. According to the authors, the design of the glide vehicle with a hypersonic ramjet engine allows it to carry out nuclear strikes at speeds exceeding Mach 27. The missile also retains greater maneuverability.

“ This is said to make it virtually uninterceptible ,” Military Watch posted.

An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) can carry up to 12 thermonuclear warheads to attack separate targets, making an attack like the Avangard virtually impossible to stop. Russia itself often cites the Avangard as an example of nuclear deterrence.

Hypersonic glide vehicles are weapons that cannot be intercepted by current missile defense technology. Photo: Getty

The Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle entered service with the Russian military in December 2019. The system was developed in the Soviet Union in the 1980s to counter the US focus on missile shields and Star Wars.

The Avangard glider has a range of more than 6,000km, weighs about 2 tonnes and can carry either a conventional or nuclear warhead. A report by the TASS news agency said the Avangard's nuclear warhead has a yield equivalent to 2 megatons.

The device can be released outside the Earth’s atmosphere before hitting multiple targets around the world in less than 30 minutes at a speed of 9.5 kilometers per second, which is more than 27 times the speed of sound (about 33,000 kilometers per hour). This maneuverability makes the Avangard’s trajectory unpredictable, making it a weapon that is considered “invincible”.

Avangard uses the SS-19 Stiletto intercontinental ballistic missile as a booster to bring the missile to a suitable altitude. This missile can maneuver independently and move on a non-ballistic trajectory towards the target. After accelerating to its maximum suborbital speed of about 100 km, the weapon will separate from the missile. Avangard will plunge into the target in the atmosphere.

In mid-December, Commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, General Sergei Karakaev, said that the launchers of the Avangard system with guided warheads were operating under the control of Bugai command posts.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/ban-tin-quan-su-91-he-thong-ten-lua-avangard-cua-nga-khong-the-bi-danh-chan-368729.html