Avangard is a silo-based missile system.
Russia has deployed the deadly Avangard missiles in the Orenburg Region in southern Urals. It is one of the six "invincible" weapons unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018.
Here are five facts on the Avangard missile:
The Avangard is a nuclear-capable, hypersonic missile system developed by Russia. It is also known by its alternate names - Project 4202 and Yu-74 - according to US-based think tank, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Russian news agency TASS claimed that the missile can travel at hypersonic speed of Mach 27 (about 32,000 km per hour) while maneuvering and overwhelming any missile defence. It has a range of over 6,000 km and weighs approximately 2,000 kg.
The Avangard missile system with a hypersonic unit will effectively complement the weapons systems of the Strategic Missile Forces and expand the combat capabilities of the group of missile forces, Russia's defence ministry said.
CSIS said in a report that the Avangard missile was first developed in the mid-1980s by the erstwhile USSR. Russian defense manufacturer NPO Mashinostroeniya reportedly reinstated the project in the mid-1990s under the designation "Project 4202".
There have been approximately 14 flight reported tests of the Avangard between 1990 and 2018, said the CSIS report.
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