Russia UNVEILS Longest Air Defence System Built To Strike In Space | A-235 EXPLAINED

[00:00:03]Hidden deep within Russia's vast military network is a weapon few ever see, but one that could decide the outcome of a future war.

[00:00:13]Moscow operates what is believed to be the world's longest-range air defense system, shielding some of the nation's most critical strategic assets, according to Military Watch magazine.

[00:00:33]The A-235 is the top tier of Russia's anti-missile network, on par with the United States Advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or the THAAD.

[00:00:46]The strategic missile defense system has been in service since 2019, designed to protect Moscow and other key national command assets from intercontinental ballistic missiles, [music] ICBMs, hypersonic weapons, satellites, and space aircraft. The highly classified system is assessed to have the longest engagement [music] range of any operational missile defense system in the world, with interceptors capable of engaging targets hundreds of kilometers [music] away and at altitudes extending into space.

[00:01:21]It is estimated [music] to have an effective engagement envelope exceeding 1,000 km against certain ballistic [music] missile trajectories.

[00:01:32]The A-235 entered combat duty after successful tests [music] from its mobile launcher in 2018.

[00:01:40]At the heart of the system is [music] a powerful combination of phased-array radars, ultra-fast interceptors, and an automated [music] battle management network capable of tracking and engaging multiple incoming threats simultaneously.

[00:01:55]Unlike conventional surface-to-air missile systems designed to target aircraft or cruise missiles, [music] the A-235 was built for a far more demanding mission: destroying ballistic missile [music] warheads traveling at several kilometers per second through space or during the final moments of their descent toward a target.

[00:02:15]One of the system's defining features is its reliance on hit-to-kill and ultra-high-speed kinetic interception technology, replacing [music] the A-135 system's dependence on nuclear-tipped interceptors. The A-235 is integrated [music] with Russia's early warning satellites and long-range radar network. The moment a ballistic missile launch is detected, the system rapidly calculates the predicted impact point and launches an interceptor on a collision course [music] with the incoming threat. Its sophisticated radar network can track hundreds of objects simultaneously, distinguishing [music] genuine warheads from decoys and debris in one of the most complex environments in modern [music] warfare.

[00:02:59]Traveling at hypersonic speeds, the interceptors can rapidly climb into the upper atmosphere and even exoatmospheric space using on-board [music] guidance systems and real-time radar updates.

[00:03:12]They are designed to collide with [music] or detonate near an incoming warhead before it reaches its target.

[00:03:20]The A-235 provides [music] Russia with a unique layer of protection for key strategic and military targets, forming a critical pillar of the country's missile defense architecture.

[00:03:32]Its capabilities are further reinforced by the deployment of the S-500 air and missile defense system, which provides an additional layer of protection against intercontinental range ballistic [music] missiles, hypersonic threats, and even certain space-based targets.

[00:03:49]As the global race for advanced missile defense accelerates, Russia is not alone.

[00:03:54]The United States [music] is pressing ahead with its ambitious Golden Dome missile defense initiative, while China unveiled its next-generation HQ-29 missile defense system [music] in 2025.

[00:04:14]>> By the United States to withdraw from the anti-ballistic missile treaty back in 2002, we found ourselves compelled, and I really want to emphasize this point. We were absolutely compelled to begin thinking very seriously about how to ensure our own strategic security in the face of this entirely new geopolitical reality, and the absolute necessity of maintaining a strategic balance of power, a true and lasting parity.

[00:04:38]That is precisely the reason why, and I wish to emphasize this point once again, Russia commenced the development of entirely advanced systems that possess no global equivalents whatsoever, thereby ensuring the guaranteed and successful penetration of all existing and all future missile defense systems of various types.

[00:04:58]We are currently in the process of systematically implementing the comprehensive nuclear forces development program that was officially adopted in this regard. Developmental work on the Avangard intercontinental missile system >> In a dramatic reminder that the nuclear arms race never [music] truly ended, Russia has released explosive new footage of what [music] it says is a successful test launch of its next-generation RS-28 Sarmat, the missile known in the West as Satan 2.

[00:05:27]The visuals show the giant silo-based missile blasting into the sky in a fireball of smoke and flame, as President Vladimir Putin hailed it as the most powerful strategic missile ever built.

[00:05:40]And the numbers Moscow is now putting on the table are staggering.

[00:05:45]According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Sarmat can travel more than 35,000 km. Reuters separately reported Putin saying the missile's claimed range exceeds 35,000 km.

[00:05:58]Speaking after the launch, Putin framed the missile as the product of more than two decades [music] of strategic competition with the United States. He said Russia's modern nuclear program accelerated after the United [music] States withdrawal from the anti-ballistic missile treaty, arguing Moscow was forced to guarantee strategic parity in what [music] he called a new military reality.

[00:06:22]>> The concerted efforts to enhance and modernize strategic deterrence forces were officially resumed within the Russian Federation and have been continuously ongoing since the early 2000s.

[00:06:32]We had other things on our minds back then, to be frank. Russia was going through a very difficult period in its history.

[00:06:41]However, following the decision by the United States to withdraw from the anti-ballistic missile treaty back in 2002, we found ourselves compelled, and I really want to emphasize this point.

[00:06:50]We were absolutely compelled to begin thinking very seriously about how to ensure our own strategic security in the face of this entirely new geopolitical reality and the absolute necessity of maintaining a strategic balance of power, a true and lasting parity.

[00:07:07]That is precisely the reason why, and I wish to emphasize this point once again, Russia commenced the development of entirely advanced systems that possess no global equivalents whatsoever, thereby ensuring the guaranteed and successful penetration of all existing and all future missile defense systems of various types.

[00:07:27]We are currently in the process of systematically implementing the comprehensive nuclear forces development program that was officially adopted in this regard. Developmental work on the Avangard intercontinental missile system first began back in the year 2004.

[00:07:43]This specific system has been actively deployed on combat duty ever since the year 2019. Following that, we successfully introduced the Kinzhal, which is a highly advanced air-launched medium-range hypersonic missile that has been officially in active service since 2017.

[00:07:58]It is already being utilized throughout the course of the special military operation, but work on its improvement, including significantly enhancing its precision in its non-nuclear configuration, is still actively ongoing at this time.

[00:08:12]Commencing from the year 2025, the ground-launched intermediate-range ballistic missile system known as Oreshnik has been officially placed into active combat service, and it possesses the capability to also be equipped with tactical nuclear warheads.

[00:08:26]Work is in its final stages on two systems equipped with small nuclear propulsion units, namely the unique unmanned underwater vehicle Poseidon and the unique global-range cruise missile Burevestnik.

[00:08:40]Burevestnik.

[00:08:46]And now, let us turn our attention to the Sarmat missile system. We officially initiated the development process for this project back in 2011. Then, in 2018, the progress of this work and the significant strategic advantages offered by these new highly advanced missile systems, the Sarmat included, were finally revealed to the public.

[00:09:04]Let me remind you what we were discussing then and what the advantages of our latest system are. First of it is the most powerful missile system in the world, matching the power of the Voyevoda missile system currently in our arsenal, which as just mentioned is still of Soviet manufacture.

[00:09:23]The total explosive yield of the warhead that has been delivered is now more than four times greater than the capacity of the most powerful nuclear device currently deployed by any Western nation.

[00:09:36]Secondly, and most importantly, the missile can follow not only a ballistic, but also a suborbital trajectory. Sub T missi missi T.

[00:09:43]It which in the third place provides us with an impressive operational range extending to well over 35,000 km. While at the same time, the overall accuracy has been improved by a factor of two.

[00:09:53]And finally, it possesses the unique capability to successfully penetrate all currently existing as well as any future missile defense systems.

[00:10:03]By the time this year reaches its conclusion, the Sarmat missile system will most certainly be placed into active combat service. What a Uh I congratulate the Ministry of Defense, all employees, researchers, engineers, production managers of the defense industrial complex, prime contractors, and the thousand-strong network of partners on this major event and undeniable success. Thank you for your work at strengthening Russia and uh Russia's defense capability.

[00:10:34]>> What makes Sarmat particularly concerning for Western planners is not just payload, it is trajectory. Russia claims the missile can fly not only on a ballistic arc, but on a suborbital path, potentially circling the globe before approaching targets from unexpected [music] vectors.

[00:10:53]By the end of this year, Putin says Sarmat will officially enter combat duty with the strategic rocket forces.

[00:11:00][music] Reuters reports the deployment follows years of delays and past testing setbacks, including a failed test in 2024 identified by satellite analysts.

[00:11:11]If fully operational as claimed, Sarmat would become one of the central pillars of Russia's nuclear deterrent. And another signal that, [music] as the war in Ukraine grinds on, Moscow is once again reminding the world of the weapons it keeps in reserve.

[00:11:43]>> Mhm.