According to the US magazine Newsweek, the head of a Russian laboratory working on hypersonic missiles, a weapon President Vladimir Putin has declared offers a strategic edge for Russia, has been detained on suspicion of treason.
Hypersonic missiles can move at speeds up to nine times the speed of sound, and Putin has stated that the Russian missiles are unrivalled and will be deployed with the Navy in the coming months.
According to the institute’s website, Andrei Sheplyuk directs a hypersonic laboratory at the Novosibirsk Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and has recently coordinated research to help the development of hypersonic missile systems.
Another top scientist at the Shiplyuk Institute, located in Novosibirsk’s Akademgorodok Scientific Park, roughly 2,800 kilometres (1,750 miles) east of Moscow, was held last month, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
According to a source close to the FSB intelligence agency’s probe, Maslov is accused of leaking state secrets concerning hypersonic technology.
The Defense Ministry said in May that a hypersonic Zircon missile had been successfully tested at a distance of around 1,000 kilometres (625 miles), and the Northern Fleet commander indicated the weapon will be installed aboard a new frigate before the end of the year.
In recent years, a number of Russian scientists have been charged with treason, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in jail, for allegedly transferring secret materials to outsiders. ?\s-daily\s.
Moscow has arrested a Russian missile scientist on suspicion of treason.
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