Addressing the Russian Federal Assembly on 20 February, President Vladimir Putin underscored that the creation of the Avangard hypersonic missile can be compared to the creation of the first artificial satellite of the Earth in terms of significance.
During congressional testimony earlier this week, US Air Force General Terrence O’Shaughnessy specifically focused on the advanced Russian Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, which he said travels at a reported 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometres) per hour — “fast enough to defeat current missile defences and capable of striking the homeland within 15 minutes of launch atop a ballistic missile”.
The comments came after Russian President Vladimir Putin told the country’s Federation Assembly on 20 February that the significance of creating the Avangard hypersonic missile can be likened to the creation of the Earth’s first artificial satellite.