A Huge Mistake Could Have Happened: Why the Sarmat Missile Exploded During Testing

A huge mistake could have happened: why the Sarmat missile exploded during tests Anzhelika Baibak

Unsuccessful tests of the Sarmat missile/Collage 24 Channel

Russia conducted tests of the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, which turned out to be a complete failure. Experts believe that the weapon, which is capable of carrying a nuclear charge, exploded due to a major mistake by Russian specialists.

Der Spiegel writes about this, citing specialists from various institutes. The tests probably failed due to problems with the liquid-fuel engine.

Why the Sarmat missile exploded during tests

On Sunday, September 22, satellite images of a huge crater at the Russian Plesetsk test site began appearing online. According to analysts, these images confirm the unsuccessful tests of the Sarmat missile.

Although earthquake experts from the Norwegian institute Norsar were unable to find evidence of a strong explosion, expert George Barros from the Institute for the Study of War believes that the diameter of the crater after the missile explosion should be at least 62 meters.

Timothy Wright, an expert from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, added in a commentary to Der Spiegel that the explosion of the Sarmat missile looks like a big mistake. According to Wright, mistakes should always be expected during testing of new systems, but not on such a large scale.

Wright believes that the Sarmat missile could have exploded due to problems in the liquid-fuel engine. The expert noted that such difficulties are the most common in the Russian military-industrial complex.

Rocket industry expert and lecturer at the Munich University of the Bundeswehr Markus Schiller added that the Sarmat explosion clearly demonstrates the real state of affairs in Russia, which is not going very well.

Experts add that solid fuel is usually used for missiles, but Russia fills its ammunition exclusively with liquid fuel. Therefore, before launching the missile, it must be refueled, which carries enormous risks. The media recalled that in 1960, during tests, an explosion occurred while refueling the Soviet R-16 missile. Then 126 people died, including the commander of the missile forces Mitrofan Nedelin.

By the way, Russia is already testing the Sarmat missile for the fifth time, but only one of them can be called “successful”. So, in April 2022, a missile with a warhead mockup was launched from the Plesetsk test site. Then the Sarmat covered about 5,000 kilometers to the Kamchatka Peninsula.