Avangard (hypersonic glide vehicle) explained

The Avangard (ru|Авангард, "Vanguard"; previously known as Objekt 4202, Yu-71 and Yu-74) is a Russian hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV). It can be carried as a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) payload of heavy intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), such as the UR-100UTTKh,^{[6] [7]} R-36M2 and RS-28 Sarmat. It can deliver both nuclear and conventional payloads.^{[8] [9] [10]} The Avangard is reportedly capable of travelling at re-entry speeds (over Mach 27 and close to Mach 30).^[11]

The Avangard is one of the six new Russian strategic weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 1 March 2018.

History

According to Vladimir Putin, the US withdrawal from the ABM Treaty in 2002 forced Russia to start developing hypersonic weapons: "We had to create these [hypersonic] weapons in response to the US deployment of a strategic missile defense system, which in the future would be capable of virtually neutralizing, zeroing out all our nuclear potential".^[12] In 2007, when asked about U.S. plans to deploy ballistic missile defenses in Europe, Putin mentioned that Russia was developing “strategic weapons systems of a completely different type that will fly at hypersonic speed and will be able to change trajectory both in terms of altitude and direction".^[13]

In October 2016, a flight test was carried out using a R-36M2 heavy ICBM launched from Dombarovsky Air Base, reportedly successfully hitting a target at the Kura Missile Test Range. This was reportedly the first fully successful test of the glide vehicle.^[14]

On 1 March 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin in his presidential address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow announced that testing of the weapon is now complete and that it has entered serial production. This was further confirmed by the commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces, Colonel General .^[15]

On 19 September 2020, Herbert Yefremov, an Advisor for Science at the NPO Mashinostroyenia, was awarded Order of St. Andrew for his contributions to the Avangard development.^[16]

Design

HGVs differ from traditional ballistic missile warheads by their ability to maneuver and operate at lower altitudes.^[17] The combination of maneuverability and high speed poses significant challenges for conventional missile defense. With the advantage again swinging toward attack, R. Jeffrey Smith speculates that weapons of this type will reignite the kind of arms race that dominated the Cold War era.^[18]

According to open-source analysis by Janes Information Services, Avangard is a pure glide vehicle without an independent propulsion system.^[19] When approaching a target, the glider supposedly is capable of sharp high speed horizontal and vertical evasive maneuvers in flight.

The Avangard weighs about 2,000 kg and travels at Mach 20–27, giving it the equivalent of 21 tons of TNT in kinetic energy alone, excluding any explosive warhead.^{[20] [21]}

Operators

• Strategic Rocket Forces – The Strategic Rocket Forces are the only operator of the Avangard HGV. As of December 2023,^{[22] [23]} 11 Avangard-equipped UR-100N UTTHs are deployed with:
  • 13th Red Banner Rocket Division at Yasny, Orenburg Oblast

See also

• HGV-202F
• MIRV
• Kh-47M2 Kinzhal
• 3M22 Zircon
• BrahMos-II
• DF-ZF
• Boeing X-51 Waverider
• Prompt Global Strike
• DARPA Falcon Project
• Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle
• Silbervogel
• Tupolev Tu-130

Further reading

• Andrew Cockburn, "Like a Ball of Fire: Andrew Cockburn on hypersonic weaponry", London Review of Books, vol. 42, no. 5 (5 March 2020), pp. 31–32. "'Welcome to the world of strategic analysis, where we program weapons that don't work to meet threats that don't exist.' This was what Ivan Selin, a senior Pentagon official, used to tell subordinates in the Defence Department in the 1960s." (p. 31.) Cockburn recounts impracticable-weapons projects, including Russia's Avangard "hypersonic glide missile", Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" project, the US's 1951 nuclear-powered-bomber project, and the US's 1950s Dyna-Soar "boost-glide"-weapon project suggested by Walter Dornberger, a favorite of Hitler's who had overseen the V2 rocket program. "[T]he US and Russia have both taken Selin's axiom a step further: they mean to deploy a weapon that doesn't work against a threat that doesn't exist that was in turn developed to counter an equally non-existent threat." (p. 32.)

Notes and References

1. News: Первый ракетный полк "Авангарда" заступил на боевое дежурство . . 27 December 2019 . 27 December 2019. ru.
2. Web site: В России запустили серийное производство гиперзвуковой ракеты "Авангард". РБК. 19 July 2018 .
3. Web site: Avangard. missilethreat.csis.org. 27 September 2019. 28 December 2019.
4. News: Шахты "Авангарда". Почему гиперзвуковые блоки решили ставить на Урале. 18 December 2018. 15 October 2019. ru.
5. Web site: Avangard (Hypersonic Glide Vehicle). Missile Defense Advocacy Agency.
6. Web site: We Now Know How Russia's New Avangard Hypersonic Boost-Glide Weapon Will Launch. Dave. Majumdar. The National Interest. 20 March 2018.
7. Web site: Russia to use SS-19 ICBMs as carriers for Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles — source.
8. Web site: Here's The Six Super Weapons Putin Unveiled During Fiery Address. Joseph. Trevithick. March 2018 . 19 March 2018.
9. Web site: Russia's New Avangard Hypersonic Missile System To Enter Service By 2019. www.defenseworld.net. 19 March 2018.
10. News: Introducing 'Avangard' and 'Sarmat': Putin shows off new hypersonic, nuclear missiles . National Post . 1 March 2018 . 19 March 2018.
11. Web site: Russia loads missile with nuclear-capable glide vehicle into launch silo. Reuters.
12. Web site: Putin named the reason for the development of hypersonic weapons. 19 September 2020. 27 September 2020. 25 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201125170138/https://tekdeeps.com/putin-named-the-reason-for-the-development-of-hypersonic-weapons-rossiyskaya-gazeta/. usurped.
13. Web site: Hyper-glide Delivery Systems and the Implications for Strategic Stability and Arms Reductions. April 2015.
14. Web site: Эксперт об "изделии 4202": теперь США будут меньше бряцать оружием . Ria . 28 October 2016 . 16 September 2018.
15. Web site: ЦАМТО / Новости / Траектория полета ракеты "Авангард" проходит на высоте десятков километров. Armstrade.
16. News: Conversation with Gerbert Yefremov . 19 September 2020 . 27 September 2020 . .
17. Web site: Pentagon Tests Hypersonic Glide Body . Reif . Kingston . Bugos . Shannon. April 2020. armscontrol.org. . 2 July 2020.
18. Web site: Hypersonic Missiles Are Unstoppable. And They're Starting a New Global Arms Race. . Smith . R. Jeffrey . R. Jeffrey Smith. 19 June 2019 . . 2 July 2020 . "Jack Reed ... told me it might make sense to question the weapons' global impact or talk with Russia about the risks they create, but the priority in Washington right now is to get our versions built.".
19. Web site: Russia unveils new strategic delivery systems. Jane's Information Group. 2018. www.janes.com.
20. https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/could-russias-hypersonic-avangard-icbm-really-travel-20-times-speed-sound-169252 Could Russia's Hypersonic Avangard ICBM Really Travel At 20-Times The Speed Of Sound?
21. Web site: Kinetic Energy Calculator .
22. Web site: Strategic Rocket Forces. russianforces.org. 7 January 2020.
    Web site: ЦАМТО / Новости / РВСН получили на вооружение четыре ракетных комплекса "Авангард".
    Web site: Russian nuclear trifecta modernization level highest in history, defense minister says .
    Web site: Missile regiment near Orenburg being rearmed with Avangard system — Defense Ministry .
    Web site: Avangard missiles put on combat duty in Russia's southern Urals .
23. Web site: ЦАМТО / / В Оренбургской области завершены работы по перевооружению очередного полка соединения РВСН на РК «Авангард» . ЦАМТО / Центр анализа мировой торговли оружием . 2023-12-18 . ru . . 2023-12-19.