Russia’s hypersonic missile test failed: Rocket went up in smoke as soon as it was launched

Russian Missile Crash: Russia’s military strength has suffered a major blow. In a video viral on Russian Telegram channels, the UR-100N intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle is seen turning into a ball of fire after the launch. In the video, purple smoke is seen rising, which spread over the city of Yasni. Local residents claimed that the missile exploded in the air. The incident took place at the Yasny launch site in Russia’s Orenburg Oblast, where the 13th Red Banner Rocket Division of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces is deployed.

Yasny is one of the 11 major launch sites in Russia. Long-range ground-launched missiles with nuclear warheads are fired here. According to a Ukrainian military media outlet, viewing of the video showed that the missile had an explosion on board during flight, causing it to lose control. The remaining rocket fuel caught fire. In this video viral on Instagram, initially a clear sky is visible, then suddenly a huge cloud of purple-blue smoke emerges, which slowly spreads and covers the surrounding areas. The color of the cloud turned purple due to the chemical mixture of liquid fuel, which is seen rotating in the air. At the end of the video, a glowing orange cloud is seen, indicating the burning of remaining fuel. It seemed as if a volcano had erupted.

What is Russia doing with these missiles?

Russian media outlet Astra reported that a plume of purple haze rose after the missile test near the town of Yasny, which is adjacent to the launch site. Soviet-era R-36M2 Voyevoda ICBM was used at this site. But, from 2019 they are going to be replaced with Avangard missile system. It is equipped with guided hypersonic warhead. In 2022, a regiment of the 13th Division was equipped with Avangard. The Avangard warhead can be carried by two missiles, which include the older UR-100N and the newer RS-28 Sarmat. But the use of RS-28 is considered impossible because despite claiming to enter service in 2023, many of its test launches have failed.

question on invincible weapon

This failure amid the Ukraine war is raising questions on Russia’s hypersonic technology. Avangard is said to be ‘undefendable’. Which can fly at a speed of Mach 20 to 27. But, this is not the first major failure, before this in 2018 also a test had failed. The Russian government has not yet given any official statement, but the video is becoming increasingly viral on Telegram channels. Experts say that this was a liquid fuel test of UR-100N, which is proved by the purple haze.