The Russian military has test-fired an RS-12M Topol intercontinental ballistic missile with a new reentry vehicle specifically designed to defeat U.S. and Western missile defense systems.
On Dec. 26, 2017, the Russian Strategic Missile Force fired a Topol with the “perspective [sic] armament” from the Kapustin Yar range in the Astrakhan Region near the border with Kazakhstan, state-run media outlet TASS reported.
The Russian government did not say how far the missile flew or where it landed, though U.S. intelligence agencies most assuredly know.
“During the tests, specialists obtained experimental data that will be used in the interests of developing effective means of overcoming anti-ballistic missile defense and equipping the perspective grouping of Russian ballistic missiles with them,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, according to TASS. “The test courses and the measuring systems at the Kapustin Yar practice range allow testing perspective [sic] armament capable of overcoming ABM defenses, including their future configuration, across the entire range of the conditions for the armament’s delivery to targets in the interests of the Strategic Missile Force and the Navy.”
Russia frequently uses Cold War-era Topols to test new technologies. The Kremlin has been steadily replacing them with modern or upgraded versions. [source]
