RUSSIA'S defence ministry has released new images of the 'Satan 2' nuclear missile, which is said to be so powerful it could wipe out an area the size of the UK.
The intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which replaces an earlier version codenamed 'Satan' by Nato, is thought to be the largest atomic weapon-carrying rocket ever produced - capable of housing as many as a dozen warheads inside its shell.
Russian media said the RS-28 Sarmat thermonuclear-armed ballistic missile could "erase from the face of the earth land plots the size of Texas".
Images of the rocket were declassified by the Kremlin on Sunday and have been made public for the first time.
Worryingly, the missile has been designed with stealth technology which enables it to be fired at a target without being picked up by radar systems.
Seven years in the making, RS-28 Sarmat, as it is officially known, will soon begin testing and will enter service in 2018.
Russian broadcaster Zvezda said the new weaponry would "determine in which direction nuclear deterrence in the world will develop".
With an estimated payload of 10 tonnes of atomic warheads, the weapon is 2,000 times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Design Bureau, which released the images, said: "In June 2011, the Russian Ministry of Defence 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."
Weapons experts have warned the missile could travel potentially undetected as far as London or the east and west coast of the US.
The release of pictures showing the latest addition to Russia's arsenal comes as relations between Moscow and the West plumb new depths over airstrikes in Syria and the proxy war in Ukraine.
Russia has ploughed vast sums of money into upgrading its arsenal, announcing this week the development of the world's most powerful sniper rifle which can kill a target fro two miles away,
The SVLK-14 Sumrak Twilight could be used to target Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
Arms developer Nikolay Lobaev said: "Last year we successfully shot a target 3,400 metres (3,718 yards) away.
"Since then, we have implemented a number of innovations including making the barrel longer and the bullet slightly heavier.
"Hopefully, this year we will be able to set a new record."
But the gun comes with a hefty price tag of £26,200, Mr Lobaev added.
The intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which replaces an earlier version codenamed 'Satan' by Nato, is thought to be the largest atomic weapon-carrying rocket ever produced - capable of housing as many as a dozen warheads inside its shell.
Russian media said the RS-28 Sarmat thermonuclear-armed ballistic missile could "erase from the face of the earth land plots the size of Texas".
Images of the rocket were declassified by the Kremlin on Sunday and have been made public for the first time.
Seven years in the making, RS-28 Sarmat, as it is officially known, will soon begin testing and will enter service in 2018.
Russian broadcaster Zvezda said the new weaponry would "determine in which direction nuclear deterrence in the world will develop".
With an estimated payload of 10 tonnes of atomic warheads, the weapon is 2,000 times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Design Bureau, which released the images, said: "In June 2011, the Russian Ministry of Defence 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."
Weapons experts have warned the missile could travel potentially undetected as far as London or the east and west coast of the US.
The release of pictures showing the latest addition to Russia's arsenal comes as relations between Moscow and the West plumb new depths over airstrikes in Syria and the proxy war in Ukraine.
Russia has ploughed vast sums of money into upgrading its arsenal, announcing this week the development of the world's most powerful sniper rifle which can kill a target fro two miles away,
The SVLK-14 Sumrak Twilight could be used to target Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
Arms developer Nikolay Lobaev said: "Last year we successfully shot a target 3,400 metres (3,718 yards) away.
"Since then, we have implemented a number of innovations including making the barrel longer and the bullet slightly heavier.
"Hopefully, this year we will be able to set a new record."
But the gun comes with a hefty price tag of £26,200, Mr Lobaev added.
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