Russia Reports Successful Test of Missile

By ANDREW E. KRAMER

Published: May 23, 2012  NY Times

MOSCOW — Russia's military reported a successful test on Wednesday of a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that generals said was designed to overpower the American missile defense system.

Russian generals told news agencies that the missile's technological development was a direct response to the American plans for a shield. The rocket, they said, uses a new type of fuel to shorten the time it needs to launch into space, increasing its ability to evade interceptors. One Russian news portal said the rocket was called the “Avant-garde.”

Whatever its military significance, the launch, as with other prominently announced tests, seemed intended as much to deliver a political message as demonstrate the rocket’s ability to streak across Russia and hit a target on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

read more...