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Russia ‘successfully’ tests hypersonic missile
Why is it in news?
- Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed final tests of a hypersonic missile, which he had earlier said would render existing missile systems obsolete.
- The final test comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to pull out of a key Cold War-era nuclear weapons pact.
More in news
- Test had taken place in far eastern Kamchatka.
- Mr. Putin had unveiled features of the Avangard during his annual address in March, which he said would be part of a new generation of “invincible” weaponry.
- The hypersonic missile could fly at 20 times the speed of sound and manoeuvre up and down, meaning that it could breach defence systems.
- The intercontinental “Avangard” system would be ready for use from 2019.
- The final test comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to pull out of a key Cold War-era nuclear weapons pact, the three-decade-old Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF)
- Mr. Putin has laid out plans to develop missiles banned under the deal if the U.S. abandons it.
Source
The Hindu