MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. New hypersonic systems and precision weapons will be priorities of a new state program to 2027, head of the Federation Council's defense and security committee, and former Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Force, Viktor Bondarev told TASS on Saturday.
"The Armed Forces will receive new hypersonic missile systems. The hypersonic in future will move the strategic deterrence force from the nuclear to non-nuclear sphere. <...> Another priority of the state program is precision weapon, which changes fundamentally the war's character," he said.
According to him, an important aspect of using hypersonic non-nuclear weapons is that "the damage would not be less, but at the same time a third party, which is not a party to the conflict, would not be affected."
"Use of precision weapons minimizes contact fight with potential enemies, acting effectively by non-contact methods," the senator added.
The high accuracy of shooting increases the shells’ striking force thus saving their quantity. "And, most importantly, it saves lives of servicemen," he said.
Viktor Bondarev told TASS, that the Russian Strategic Missile Force will receive under a new state program on weapons the modern Sarmat and Rubezh missile systems.
"Development of the strategic force is outlined in the new state program as a priority direction," he said. "The military will update the strategic missile systems: we shall replace Topols with more up-to-date Yars. Besides, the Strategic Missile Force will begin receiving new intercontinental ballistic missile systems Rubezh and Sarmat."
Development of the Sarmat ballistic missile system began in 2013.
The Sarmat silo-based heavy liquid propellant intercontinental ballistic missile is intended to replace the operational R-36M2 Voyevoda missile. Its payload will reach 10 tonnes compared to 8.75 tonnes carried by its predecessor. As Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said earlier, the first pop-up tests of the Sarmat missile should begin until the end of 2017.
According to the deputy defense minister, this missile will be so powerful that it will be able to fly towards its targets both through the North and South Poles and will therefore have a practically global firing range.
At about that time, work was launched to develop the RS-26 Rubezh mobile ground-based missile platform derived from the RS-24 Yars project with new targetable warheads for breaking through anti-missile defense.
In experts’ estimates, the system has a maximum range of 12,000 km but can be launched against targets at a range of 2,000-6,000 km (which, as the United States claims, violates the INF Treaty). The missile was accepted for service in late 2016.