Russia has tested a prototype of a radical new hypersonic nuclear warhead, it has been claimed.

Troops launched an RS-18 ballistic missile on Tuesday which is believed to have been a test of the advanced hypersonic glider warhead, according to RT.com.

It is eventually expected to be used by the Satan 2 'super-nuke' that is capable of wiping out England and Wales and is 2,000 times as powerful as the Hiroshima bomb.

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The latest test is believed to have been conducted from a site near the town of Yasny, Orenburg region, in the southern Urals, and the warhead reached the Kura test range in Kamchatka in Russia's Far East. MilitaryRussia.ru posted this image from the test.

Defence blog MilitaryRussia.ru says the launch was meant to test Russia's hypersonic glider warhead, currently known by its developer designation, 'object 4202', or Aeroballistic Hypersonic Warhead.

The hypersonic glide vehicle would be able to get past missile defences as they make it impossible to calculate the warhead's ballistic trajectory.

The latest test is believed to have been conducted from a site near the town of Yasny, Orenburg region, in the southern Urals, and the warhead reached the Kura test range in Kamchatka in Russia's Far East.

Troops launched an RS-18 ballistic missile on Tuesday which is believed to have been a test of the advanced hypersonic glider warhead, according to RT.com. Pictured, a previous launch of the RS-18.

'The test was a success. The warhead was delivered to Kura field,' the Defense Ministry reported.

A hypersonic glider vehicle (HGV) is different from a conventional ballistic missile warhead in that it travels most of the time in the stratosphere rather than in space.

This gives an HGV-tipped missile greater range and may give anti-missile systems a shorter window to respond to an attack.

RUSSIA'S 'SUPER NUKE' Russia has unveiled chilling pictures of its largest ever nuclear missile, capable of destroying an area the size of France. The RS-28 Sarmat missile, dubbed Satan 2 by Nato, has a top speed of 4.3 miles (7km) per second and has been designed to outfox anti-missile shield systems. Each missile contains 16 nuclear warheads, according to pictures revealed online from the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau. It is also able to evade radar. The new Sarmat missile could deliver warheads of 40 megatons - 2,000 times as powerful as the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Satan 2 super-nuke that is capable of wiping out England and Wales and 2,000 times as powerful as the Hiroshima bomb Advertisement

Crucially HGV's can change direction during the approach to a target at high speed, making interception significantly harder.

Object 4202 is reportedly meant to be used with Russia's next-gen heavy strategic missile the RS-28 Sarmat.

Military experts estimate that the new ICBM, an image of which was first made public this week, may carry up to three HGVs as payload.

A previous possible test of object 4202 was reported in April.

Russia is among the first in the world to work towards the raw materials for hypersonic planes, according to a new Kremlin report. It states aviation experts are working to develop new materials to withstand the stress of travel above Mach 5 (stock image used)

HYPERSONIC MATERIALS According to reports from Russian-backed media, aviation engineers and researchers in Russia are working to develop new materials for hypersonic flight. The new materials could potentially withstand temperatures of 1,500˚C, generated by speeds of Mach 5 and above. Hypersonic vehicles become engulfed in a superheated bubble of plasma, which reflects electromagnetic radiation, cutting the vehicle off from the outside world. Advertisement

Earlier this month it was claimed Russia is readying itself to become a leader in the construction of hypersonic aircraft, a new report reveals.

Kremlin-backed media claim engineers in the Federation are among the first in the world to work towards new materials for planes capable of reaching hypersonic speeds.

The move could help Russia produce a new fleet of aerial war machines that could launch nuclear attacks from space.

Aviation researchers are reportedly working to develop the materials which can withstand the stress and high temperatures of travelling many times the speed of sound.

The findings come from a state-backed research fund, which claims to Russia is a leader in the development of such resistant materials, reports Sputnik.

Breaking the sound barrier and reaching speeds of close to 4,000 miles per hour puts the structure under immense stress.

Russia has already revealed its plans for a stealth bomber capable of hypersonic speeds, with an engine which could be ready as early as 2020.

Russia has already revealed its plans for a stealth bomber capable of hypersonic speeds, with an engine which could be ready as early as 2020.

The PAK-DA craft, which would travel far higher than existing planes, would be able to reach any target on earth within two hours and could deliver a nuclear warhead.

But in order to achieve hypersonic capabilities, engineers have to overcome a number of design hurdles.

Firstly, the heat generated from the air resistance means materials for the plane's wins and fuselage must be able to maintain temperatures of more than 1,500˚C (2,700˚F) during flights, which would otherwise melt steel and other conventional materials.

According to Sputnik, a statement from the Fund for Perspective Research, said: 'This [problem] is addressed by creating innovative composite materials based on carbon fibers.

Breaking the sound barrier and reaching speeds of close to 4,000 miles per hour puts the structure under immense stress. Pictured is a long-range supersonic interceptor jet, capable of travelling faster than the speed of sound

'There has been considerable progress in this sphere, and Russia is one of the world leaders.'

Engineers in the US, Australia, UK, China and others are working to develop hypersonic aircraft – which can travel at Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.

A US-Australian group is looking to Scramjet technology.

These engines are designed to carry only hydrogen fuel, sucking in the oxygen they need for combustion and achieving speeds greater than Mach 7.

Britain's closest programme to the Russian hypersonic jet is a top secret stealth drone being developed by BAE Systems. The £200million Taranis aircraft will be the most advanced built by British engineers.

RACE FOR HYPERSONIC TRAVEL Scramjets have been under development for decades, but a breakthrough came in May 2013 when the US Air Force Research Laboratory's Boeing X-51A WaveRider flew for 240 seconds over the Pacific. It flew on scramjet power, reaching Mach 5.1 and ran until its fuel was exhausted. Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works - builder of the Mach 3.5 SR-71 Blackbird spyplane - then unveiled plans to develop a successor, dubbed the SR-72, pictured. Designed for reconnaissance and strike missions, the SR-72 would combine turbojet and scramjet engines to enable the aircraft to take off from a runway, accelerate to a Mach 6 cruise, and then return to a conventional runway landing. Lockheed Martin believes a prototype could be flying as soon as 2023 and the SR-72 could enter service by 2030. Advertisement

Chinese engineers are reportedly looking to develop hypersonic aircraft capable of taking passengers to the edge of space, which it claims will be ready by 2030.

Aside from the structural stress and high temperatures involved in hypersonic travel, researchers will have to overcome issues with communication.

Hypersonic vehicles become engulfed in a superheated bubble of plasma, which reflects electromagnetic radiation, cutting the vehicle off from the outside world.

According to Sputnik, Russian researchers at more than 40 state laboratories are working on these issues.