Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Mr Putin that the first missile unit equipped with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle entered combat duty, the Defence Ministry said. A new hypersonic weapon of intercontinental range has become operational in Russia. Earlier this week, Mr Putin emphasised that Russia is the only country armed with hypersonic weapons. It is expected to be fitted to the prospective Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile after it becomes operational. The US has mulled new defence strategies to counter hypersonic weapons developed by Russia and China.

Source: Daily Mail December 27, 2019 16:52 UTC