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Missile regiment near Orenburg being rearmed with Avangard system — Defense Ministry

The missile is currently being placed into the silo

MOSCOW, November 18. /TASS/. Russia’s Strategic Missile Force has begun to rearm another regiment of the Yasnensky missile formation with the Avangard system, the Defense Ministry said on Friday.

"In the Orenburg region, work is underway to re-arm the Yasnensky formation of the Strategic Missile Force with the Avangard silo-based missile system," the Defense Ministry said.

The missile is currently being placed into the silo.

"The implementation of measures due in 2022 for rearming the Strategic Missile Force will enhance the combat capabilities of the ground component of the strategic nuclear forces for coping with strategic deterrence tasks," the Defense Ministry stressed.

The related infrastructure is ready for putting another missile regiment on combat duty. It includes, in addition to the combat launch complex proper, rooms for preparing shifts on duty, for carrying out combat duties and for rest and recreation.

The Avangard warhead is capable of flying though the dense layers of the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds of up to Mach 27 (about 32,000 kilometers per hour), performing direction and altitude maneuvers and overcoming any anti-missile defenses. President Vladimir Putin first mentioned the Avangard system in March 2018.

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