Russia first prepared Avangard supersonic surfers for a missile regiment after the weapon was introduced more than a year ago by Putin.

"At 10am this morning, the first missile regiment equipped with the Avangard strategic weapons system is ready to fight. I congratulate all of us and especially the strategic missile force in the grand event. of the country, "Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin today.

The first Russian missile regiment equipped with the supersonic surf vehicle Avangard is thought to be stationed in the Orenburg region.

Putin introduced Avangard supersonic surfing for the first time in a speech in March 2018. The Avangard is mounted on the UR-100N ballistic missile, which can achieve tremendous speed during the approaching stage while maintaining high maneuverability.

The Russian army tested Avangard in December 2018, reached a speed of Mach 27 (about 33,000 km / h) and hit the target 6,000 km away from the launch site. The Russian Defense Ministry invited a group of U.S. military observers to visit the missile system with Avangard supersonic surfers on November 24-26, in an effort to make arms transparent.

Putin said Avangard and a range of advanced weapons were developed to ensure the Russian nuclear forces were strong enough to confront the enemy's preemptive strike strategy in the event of a conflict.

"We no longer need to play catch with the West in the field of arms development. This is a special moment in our modern history when the West has to run after Russia," Putin said at the regular meeting. year at the Ministry of Defense December 24.

The United States also attempts to "race" in the field of supersonic weapons. Trump's Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year 2020, which was signed on December 21, allocates an additional $ 34 million for "programs to build prototype energy weapons and supersonic weapons."

The supersonic weapon has a speed of about 6,000-12,000 km / h, operating on the principle of exchanging extremely high cooldown speed of the warhead to increase the range and ability to penetrate enemy missile defense.