MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. Russia’s military-industrial complex has launched serial production of a new glide vehicle called Avangard, President Vladimir Putin told the Federal Assembly on Thursday in his annual State of the Nation Address.

"I can tell you that we have all this already and it works well. Moreover, Russia’s industry has begun to batch-produce this system. It is yet another type of strategic weapon at Russia’s disposal. We’ve called it Avangard," Putin said.

As follows from what he explained, the glide vehicle is capable of performing extensive maneuvering, including lateral maneuvers by several thousand kilometers, and of changing altitudes. "This makes it absolutely invulnerable to any air defense and missile defense weapons," Putin said.

"New composite materials have allowed for coping with the problem of keeping the winged vehicle under control during a prolonged flight amid plasma. In fact, while approaching the target it looks like a meteorite. A fireball. The temperature on its surface may reach 1,600-2,000 Celsius. Control of the winged vehicle remains reliable all the way," he said.

"By virtue of obvious reasons we cannot show the real look of this product today. I believe, it is of great significance even now. I believe everybody understands this," Putin stressed.