Vladimir Putin boasts Russia is world leader in hypersonic weapons

The Russian president said that for the first time in history the nation now leads the world in developing an entire new class of weapons

He said that the first unit equipped with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle is set to go on duty this month

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Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:35pm, 24 Dec 2019Updated: 4:43am, 25 Dec 2019

President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia has developed a strong edge in designing new weapons and that it has become the only country in the world to deploy hypersonic weapons.

Speaking at a meeting with top military brass, Putin said that for the first time in history Russia is now leading the world in developing an entire new class of weapons, unlike in the past when it was catching up with the United States.

The Russian leader noted that during the cold war era, the Soviet Union was behind the US in designing the atomic bomb and building strategic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

“Now we have a situation that is unique in modern history when they are trying to catch up to us,” he said. “Not a single country has hypersonic weapons, let alone hypersonic weapons of intercontinental range.”

He said that the first unit equipped with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle is set to go on duty this month, while the air-launched Kinzhal hypersonic missiles already have entered service.

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