The Russian military has released a video of Wednesday's public missile launch which deployed the state of the art Avangard hypersonic glider during its final trial. The weapon will enter service next year.
The footage shows a missile silo cover opening and the missile blasting off after an officer counts down the launch sequence. However, the short clip doesn’t show the moment the glider was deployed.
The test is the last one to prove Avangard’s capabilities and has been observed by the Russian President Vladimir Putin, who labelled the launch a “big victory.”
READ MORE: Avangard hypersonic glider ready for service after final test, Putin announces
The new weapon system is to enter service in 2019, when a special regiment gets their missiles tipped with Avangards, according to the MoD.