Vladimir Putin successfully launches nuclear test missile that can reach America in 12 minutes

The missile flew from Yasny Launch Base to the peninsula of Kamchatka, a distance spanning thousands of miles

By Matthew Rozsa

Staff Writer

Published November 18, 2016 4:44PM (EST)

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with leadership of the Defense Ministry and military-industrial complex in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. (Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with leadership of the Defense Ministry and military-industrial complex in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. (Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Vladimir Putin has successfully test-launched a new supersonic missile that could breach NATO's missile defense systems — and reach the United States in twelve minutes.

The missile, known as the Object 4202 rocket, managed to fly from Yasny Launch Base to the peninsula of Kamchatka, a distance spanning thousands of miles. Because its speed reaches 4000 mph, it would be practically impossible to intercept, rendering it impervious to being stopped by NATO's defense systems. The missiles could reach the shores of the United Kingdom in as little as thirteen minutes. It is also invisible to US anti-missile systems and can evade radar.

The missile has been designed to carry Satan 2, Russia's new nation killer nuclear weapon that are more formally known as RS-28 Sarmat super-nukes. It will be able to carry three of these weapons at a time, and each RS-28 Sarmat is believed to contain 16 nuclear warheads. If detonated, a Satan 2 bomb can destroy a land area the size of France or Texas.

Russia's Tactical Missiles Corporation has claimed that the new missiles will make the nuclear bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki look like "popguns."

The successful launch will almost certainly put renewed pressure on President-elect Donald Trump to take a more aggressive stance against Putin. Trump attracted controversy during the 2016 election by vowing to lessen America's role in NATO and by effusively praising Putin, leading many foreign policy experts to worry that he would embolden the Russian president to try to reestablish Russia's Cold War-era empire. Without American support, NATO could become weak enough that Putin may continue the imperialistic overtures first seen in Ukraine and the Crimea.

Even worse, the missile's ability to reach the United States means Putin could pose a direct threat to America's security as well as that of our European allies.


By Matthew Rozsa

Matthew Rozsa is a staff writer at Salon. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012 and was awarded a science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute in 2022.

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Cold War Donald Trump Missiles Nuclear Bomb Russia Vladimir Putin