- Russia says it test fired an ICBM with technology that could defeat Western missile defense systems.
- The launch was the second such test Russia conducted in 2017, and the missile could have been equipped with hypersonic re-entry vehicles.
- Russia has been very vocal about its disapproval of American missile defense systems in Europe and Asia.
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Russia is testing new tech for its ICBMs that could defeat NATO missile defenses
With its most recent test in December, Russia is getting close to hypersonic missile proliferation.
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The Russian Strategic Missile Forces, the branch of the military responsible for Russia's intercontinental ballistic missiles, says they test-fired an RS-12M Topol ICBM in the closing days of 2017.
The firing took place at the Kapustin Yar practice range in the southern Astrakhan Region, just north west of the border with Kazakhstan.
Russia has been in the process of modernizing and revamping its ICBM arsenal and has inducted 80 new ICBMs in last five years, according to The Diplomat. From 2012-2017, Russia conducted over forty successful ICBM tests.
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Notably, the RS-12M Topol missile was equipped with "perspective armament" that would allow it to overcome missile defense systems, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
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