Russia: Satan-2 Hypersonic Nuclear Missile Ready For 'Serial Production'

Russia takes Satan-2 hypersonic nuclear missile into forest for imminent new tests amid warning the weapon is about to go into 'serial production'

By WILL STEWART and CATRIN PICTON FOR MAILONLINE

Russia is warning that new tests of its deadly hypersonic Satan-2 missile are imminent and on the brink of going into 'serial production.'

Vladimir Putin's space chief Dmitry Rogozin has been seen inspecting the giant weapon as it was taken into a forest by rail.

'The world's most powerful global-range nuclear-tipped missile is being prepared for new tests and serial production,' said Mr Rogozin.

Last month he said the doomsday weapon, also called Sarmat, was already in mass production.

Russia state TV and politicians have regularly suggested deploying the missile during the Ukraine crisis.

The Roscosmos chief recently visited the Krasmash defence plant in Krasnoyarsk, in eastern Siberia, to inspect the process of producing Sarmat for flight tests.

The weapon is about the size of a 14-storey tower block and Mr Rogozin has said that Satan-2 is far ahead of anything the West has.

He said recently: 'As for technical performance, what they have in their arsenal certainly lags behind what we have.