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US Officials: Russia Tests Long-Range Ballistic Missile
Russia has conducted a test of a long-range missile with a new jet-powered last stage, The Washington Times quoted US intelligence officials as saying Monday.
The officials think the move is aimed at the US plans to deploy a missile-defense system against long-range missiles.
The flight test of the road-mobile SS-25 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) took place from a launch site in central Russia two weeks ago. It was tracked to an impact area several thousand miles away on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
US officials said the missile's flight took an unusual path: Its last stage was a high-speed cruise missile that flew within the Earth's atmosphere at an altitude of about 100,000 feet.
"It looks like the Russians were testing scramjet technology," a official said.
A "scramjet", short for supersonic-combustion ramjet, is a high- powered jet engine capable of reaching speeds of five times of the speed of sound.
The SS-25 ballistic missile has three stages and a post-boost vehicle carrying the warhead. It has a maximum range of more than 7,000 miles.
Citing a policy of not discussing intelligence matters, Pentagon spokeswoman Cictoria Clarke declined to comment on the Russian missile test.
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