Russia's Sarmat RS-28 is a nuclear weapon Americans should fear

The initiation of Russian military aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 reignited international concerns over the potential for nuclear conflict. In the event of such a dire scenario, a clash involving the United States and Russia appears inevitable. A focal point of concern is the RS-28 Sarmat missile, which poses a serious threat to U.S. national security.

The Sarmat RS-28 was first unveiled alongside six other new nuclear developed by Russia in March 2018 according to The War Zone, and in April 2022 Moscow launched its first successful test launch of the nuclear-capable missile. But what makes the Sarmat such a powerful weapon?

Picture: R-36 ICBM / Photo Credit: Wikicommons By Michael - Nuclear silo, CC BY 3.0

Designed as an intercontinental ballistic missile that could strike anywhere in the world, the Sarmat Rs-28 is a three-stage liquid-fueled rocket that can be equipped with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV), glided bombs, or a powerful 10,000-kilogram payload according to Center for Strategic Studies’ Missile Threat project.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By David James Paquin

"This is a great, significant event in the development of promising weapons systems for the Russian army," Vladimir Putin said in a speech after the first successful launch of the Sarmat in April 2022 according to a translation of his comments from Business Insider. 

"This truly unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our Armed Forces, reliably ensure the security of Russia from external threats and make those who, in the heat of frantic, aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country, think twice," Putin added. 

Nicknamed the S a t a n II by NATO intelligence according to Business Insider, the RS-28 Sarmat is a truly terrifying weapon of war designed for maximum destruction. 

"Measuring around 112 feet long and weighing just over 211 tons, the liquid-fuel ICBM is capable of carrying more than a dozen nuclear warheads, which can destroy entire cities,” wrote Business Insider’s Sophie Ankel, who pulled her information from Vice. 

Photo by Twitter @DrPippaM

“The warheads are known as Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicles,” Ankel added, “which means they can be sent to hit different targets at once.”

One RS-28 missile could theoretically hit multiple targets and Military Today broke down some of the Sarmat’s new multiple re-try warhead options. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Fastfission

“It can carry 10 Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs) with a blast yield of 0.75 MT each” Military Today wrote in a post to its website analyzing the raw destructive power of the Sarmat RS-28.

“Alternatively it can carry 16 smaller MIRVs, or up to 24 Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles,” Military Today added. “It is the first Russian missile capable of deploying these highly maneuverable vehicles.”

Photo by Twitter @strategiecs

The military website added that the RS-28’s penetration aids had been improved, which they believe would make the missile far more difficult to intercept. 

The Sarmat is what Missile Threat called a silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile and it has an effective range of 6200-11,000 miles, which means Moscow could hit nearly any point in the world with the missile. 

Missile Threat also noted that the RS-28 was designed to replace Russia’s aging R-36 silo-based missile, an intercontinental ballistic missile that was designed by the Soviet Union in the late 1960s.

Photo by Twitter @DnKornev

What sets the RS-28 apart from other long-range devices is its sheer destructive power. Not only can Putin’s newest intercontinental ballistic missile be used to launch multiple warheads at once but it can also be switched to drop a single 10,000-kilogram payload.

Photo by Twitter @DnKornev

To put that number into perspective, the bomb that destroyed the city of Hiroshima during World War II had a total payload of 64 kilograms of highly-enriched uranium according to data from the World Nuclear Association. 

Alexei Zhuralev is a member of Russia’s Duma and once explained how only a few RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles would be needed to totally destroy the United States. 

Photo by Andrew Butko, own use, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alexey_Zhuravlev_in_Donetsk.jpg

“I will tell you absolutely competently that to destroy the entire East Coast of the United States, two Sarmat missiles are needed," Zhuravlev said during a May 2022 appearance on Russia-1 according to a translation from the New York Post. 

“And the same goes for the West Coast,” Zhuravlev added. “Four missiles, and there will be nothing left,” comments that might not be too off the mark if we look at Military Today’s estimates of the RS-28 Sarmat’s destructive capabilities. 

“A single RS-28 missile with MIRVs can completely destroy 3 US states, such as Maryland, Vermont, and Rhode Island,” according to Military Today, which is a truly terrifying prospect for anyone opposing this deadly weapon. 

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