AviationNews – A recent intelligence assessment based on satellite imagery reveals that Russia’s RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile remains plagued by severe test failures despite being declared combat-ready in 2023. The findings highlight ongoing delays in Moscow’s efforts to modernize its strategic nuclear arsenal and replace aging Soviet-era delivery systems.
The RS-28 Sarmat—designated “Satan II” by NATO—was officially placed on active combat duty by Russian state space agency Roscosmos in September 2023. However, independent defense analysts and satellite observations from Planet Labs and Maxar Technologies confirm that the heavy liquid-fueled missile has suffered multiple catastrophic launch failures. These mishaps include a September 2024 launch explosion that completely destroyed a test silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, as well as subsequent launch anomalies. Out of at least five known test attempts, only a single flight test in April 2022 achieved full operational success.
Operationally, the 208-ton Sarmat is engineered to carry up to 10 heavy nuclear warheads or Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles across intercontinental distances. The missile utilizes a cold-launch gas ejection system from modified silos before initiating its primary liquid-propellant first-stage ignition. Technical analysts indicate that severe combustion instabilities and propulsion mechanics during early boost phases have caused catastrophic structural failures, neutralizing the operational readiness of the system.
“The Sarmat’s employment history is, to date, a testing history rather than an operational one,” noted strategic defense analysts at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). “While Moscow touts the system as a major leap in strategic payload capability, years of delays and repeated test failures leave its operational reliability an open question.”
Looking ahead, persistent engineering struggles force Russian military planners to keep legacy R-36M2 Voevoda missiles in service longer to maintain silo-based nuclear deterrence. International intelligence agencies continue tracking Russian test sites as defense contractors work to rebuild destroyed launch infrastructure and fix critical propulsion defects.
The continuous setbacks surrounding the RS-28 Sarmat reveal significant technical and industrial bottlenecks within Russia’s aerospace supply chain. Until military engineers conduct successful validation launches, Moscow’s claims of an operational next-generation heavy ICBM fleet remain unproven.