Previously, the USSR and Russia were “catching up” with other countries in armament, but now others are catching up with Russia, Putin said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said this is the first time in history that Russia is ahead of other countries in terms of arms development. He said this on Tuesday, December 24, at a board meeting of the Defense Ministry, TASS reported.
He noted that neither the USSR nor Russia has ever “sought to threaten other countries”.
Thus, according to Putin, the Soviet Union “has always caught up” with the United States – both on the atomic bomb, and on strategic aviation, and the first intercontinental missiles.
“Today, we have a unique situation in our new and recent history: they are catching up with us. No country in the world has any hypersonic weapons at all, and no country in the world has any continental-range hypersonic weapons”, – the president said.
He also said that Russia is working to create a ground version of the Zircon sea-based hypersonic missile.
He noted that Russia already has aviation-based hypersonic dagger systems, laser warfare systems Peresvet and Caliber missiles in its troops. The Russian Strategic Missile Forces has also begun equipping it with the latest Avangard hypersonic system.
“We are working on other systems as planned: the intercontinental ballistic missile with increased power Sarmat, the hypersonic ground- and sea-based Zircon missile, an unmanned underwater intercontinental range vehicle Poseidon, a global range cruise missile with a nuclear propulsion system Burevestnik”, – Putin said.
“There are other means, they are less talked about, but they are, they come in the troops and work”, – the president concluded.
Putin said earlier that unless Russia and the U.S. sign a new treaty on further reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms, there will be nothing to restrain the arms race in the world.