Missile Avangard
Russia's Avangard, introduced in 2019, is a hypersonic glide vehicle designed as an ICBM payload that maneuvers through the atmosphere to evade missile defense systems.
| Warhead | Nuclear and conventional |
| Weight | 2,000 kg (4,409 lb) |
| Max. speed | 36,750 km/h (Mach 36.8) |
Description
The Avangard, previously designated Objekt 4202, Yu-71, and Yu-74, is a Russian hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV). Development began following the United States' withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty in 2002 to counter ballistic missile defense systems. In October 2016, the system underwent its first fully successful flight test, launched via an R-36M2 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Dombarovsky Air Base to the Kura Missile Test Range. The system was publicly disclosed in March 2018, at which point testing was complete and serial production had commenced.
The Avangard is designed to be carried as a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) payload on heavy ICBMs, including the UR-100UTTKh, R-36M2, and RS-28 Sarmat. It can deliver both conventional and nuclear payloads. The system operates as a pure glide vehicle without an independent propulsion system, performing horizontal and vertical evasive maneuvers at high speeds during flight. Operating at lower altitudes than traditional ballistic warheads, it travels at speeds between Mach 20 and Mach 30. This velocity generates kinetic energy equivalent to 21 tons of TNT, independent of any explosive warhead.
The Russian Strategic Rocket Forces are the sole operator of the Avangard. The system is deployed with the 13th Red Banner Rocket Division at Yasny, Orenburg Oblast, where it is integrated onto UR-100N UTTH ICBMs.