The Latest Russian ICBM Launch: Why Is It Named "SATAN II"?

 

      "This set of human scum named a missile after me.  How delightful!"

Leave it to the Russkies to scare the Bejeezus out of half the planet by launching an ICBM called "SATAN II".  This in a climate of fear as the Ukraine war rages on but Russia  went ahead anyway and tested its new Inter- Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) RS-28 Sarmat on Wednesday.  The Russian President said the test would make Russia’s enemies “think twice”.   He isn't exaggerating.

The RS-28 Sarmat (NATO name Satan-II) is reported to be able to carry ten or more warheads and decoys and has the capability of firing over either of the earth’s poles with a range of 11,000 to 18,000 km. It is expected to pose a significant challenge to the ground-and-satellite-based radar tracking systems of the western powers, particularly the USA.  This is especially if each separate warhead is hypersonic-powered itself, as some Western missile experts conjecture.

On Wednesday, it was launched from Plesetsk in North West Russia with the intended target in the Kamchatka peninsula almost 6,000 km away. As per Russian news reports, the missile will have at least five more launches in 2022 before being inducted into the Russian military. Prior to the actual launch, a dummy missile test also took place. Computer simulated missile launches were also done multiple times and some of them were also shared publicly. This was the first test launch of the ICMB Sarmat after having been delayed earlier in 2021. For reasons not known to the public, the test was pushed to December 2021 and then to April 2022.

The ten warheads are Multiple Independently-Targetable Re-entry Vehicles and each has a blast yield of .75 megaton, enough to incinerate most of NYC, L.A., Miami or D.C. The RS Sarmat will also be the first Russian missile which can carry smaller hypersonic boost-glide vehicles. These are maneuverable and hard to intercept. The upgraded electronic counter measures, guidance systems and alternative warhead carrying capacity makes the RS-28 Sarmat ICBM more lethal than the R-36M Voyevoda ICBMs (NATO name Satan) currently in service in Russia.  

Some reports say that while the height and weight of Sarmat ICBM is the same as in the older one, it has more speed and high throw weight. However, the Sarmat is a liquid- fuelled missile as compared to US ICBMs which have moved on to solid fuel systems. Regardless of the different propulsion system, the Sarmat is supposed to pose a significant threat to the US Missile Defense Systems.

According to a report by news agency TASS, the Sarmat is named after nomadic tribes that roamed the steppes of present-day Southern Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan in the early medieval period. According to Encyclopedia Britannica: “Sarmatians were highly developed in horsemanship and warfare.” It goes on to say that the administrative capabilities and political expertise of Sarmatians contributed to their gaining widespread influence and by the 5th century BC they held control of the land between the Urals and the Don River. “In the 4th century they crossed the Don and conquered the Scythians, replacing them as rulers of almost all of southern Russia by the 2nd century,” it adds.

This leaves the question of why NATO has named this line of ICBM, "SATAN".  Most likely this is on account of the multiple, independent (MIRV) warhead capability and use of decoys - that can be used to divert and confuse any interception efforts.  But if hypersonically powered the latest version of MIRVs will truly merit the monicker "Satan".