Russia says it intends to dispose of Satan ballistic missiles
The Russian Defense Ministry will soon begin to dispose of its Voevoda intercontinental ballistic missiles, known in the West as "Satan” missiles, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov told Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.
"In the arsenal of the Russian army there is a liquid-fuel heavy missile that has a sufficiently serious energy output and capable of carrying large payloads. Everyone has heard about this strategic missile. We call it "Voevoda,” and in the West, it is called "Satan," Borisov said.
Borisov recalled that these missiles were developed back in the mid-1980s and that they remain on combat duty to this day. "However, time passes, technology moves forward, this system becomes obsolete. It is already at the end of its life cycle and we will soon begin to replace this rocket," the deputy minister said.
According to Borisov, the Satan missile will be replaced by the Sarmat missile, which has improved characteristics, a launch weight of over 200 tons, and increased energy capabilities that make it possible to fire this missile in any direction.
"It can fly over both the North and South Pole because it has a significantly longer range than the Voevoda. And the ability to launch a serious payload allows us to use a variety of ‘equipment’ such as combat units that, together with heavy false targets, effectively overcome all kinds of missile defense elements," the deputy minister said.
On March 1, during his address to the Federal Assembly, Putin showed video of the launch of the new Sarmat missiles . The Russian President said that the Defense Ministry and rocket-space industry enterprises "have begun an active phase of testing a new missile system with a heavy intercontinental missile."
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said that the development and supply of the latest weapons, including Sarmat missiles, to the army will be carried out in a timely manner.