A nuclear missile, powerful enough to wipe out an area twice the size of Britain, has been revealed as Russia’s newest – and largest ever – weapon.
“It was no secret that Vladimir Putin was seeking to replace his deadly arsenal of SS-18 weapons, branded ‘the Satan’” the UK’s Daily Star newspaper said.
However the power of the new RS-28 missile, Satan 2, could in fact wipe out an area the size of France, it said, adding that it is believed to have a top speed of four and a half miles a second.
The first images of the super-nuke were revealed this by Kremlin engineers.
Satan 2, which is currently undergoing tests near Miass, is set to be rolled out by 2018.
Eperts have warned that Russia’s new nuclear weapon will make the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki look like ‘popguns’.
In a statement alongside the first image, creators said: ‘In accordance with the Decree of the Russian Government “On the State Defense Order for 2010 and the planning period 2012-2013”, the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau was instructed to start design and development work on the Sarmat.
‘In June 2011, the Russian Ministry of Defense signed a state contract for the Sarmat’s development.
‘The prospective strategic missile system is being developed in order to create an assured and effective nuclear deterrent for Russia’s strategic forces.’