Putin says Russia ready to deploy hypersonic Avangard missile in 2019

Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country is ready to launch its first hypersonic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads.In a meeting with military officials on Wednesday, Putin said the weapons will be deployed next year."The new Avangard missile system is invincible for today's and future air defense systems and missile defense systems. This is a big success and a big victory…Next year Avangard system will be deployed into service. A regiment will be created which will start its combat duty."He was speaking after overseeing what the Kremlin said was a pre-deployment test of the new missile system.Avangard uses aerodynamic forces to sail on top of the atmosphere, traveling more than five times the speed of sound.