MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Russia has completed the upgrade of its capacities for the serial production of Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in the upper house of Russia’s parliament on Wednesday.

"The modernization of industrial production for the serial output of the Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile has been completed," the defense minister said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry is fulfilling the tasks set by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly and building up the containment potential, Shoigu stressed.

Kinzhal precision hypersonic airborne missile systems are already on experimental combat duty, the defense chief recalled.

Russia also continues flight development tests of the Tsirkon seaborne hypersonic missile. The first regiment set of Avangard hypersonic missile systems and Peresvet laser weapons assumed combat duty in December last year, the defense chief stated.

The RS-28 Sarmat is a Russian advanced silo-based system with a heavy liquid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile. It has been in the process of its development since the 2000s to replace the R-36M2 Voyevoda ICBM.

It weighs about 200 tonnes and has a throw weight of around 10 tonnes. The Sarmat is capable of breaching any existing and future missile defenses.