Yu-74 Hypersonic glider
Yu-74 Hypersonic glider (Avangard), developed under codename Project 4202, is an advanced hypersonic weapon system created by Russia for nuclear warhead or electronic warfare delivery. The glide vehicle is carried by the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile and it is believed to travel at speeds between Mach 5 and Mach 10 with a distance of 3400 miles.
When approaching a target, the glider supposedly is capable of sharp high speed horizontal and vertical evasive maneuvers in flight, which Russian officials claim makes it "invulnerable to any missile defiance system". The blast yield of a nuclear warhead carried by the Avangard is reportedly more than 2 megatons TNT.
The high speed of the Avangard likely gives it far better target-penetration characteristics than lighter subsonic cruise-missiles. The Avangard weighs about 2,000 kg and travels at Mach 20–27, giving it the equivalent of 21 tons of TNT in kinetic energy.
Speed, ultra-maneuverability, and unpredictable trajectory make for a lethal combination and their development is expected to counter any missile defense system deployed by U.S. or NATO forces.
