Last year, Russian president Vladimir Putin bragged about several new weapons that were being developed. One of these was the Avangard, hypersonic boost-glide weapon, that supposedly can penetrate US missile defenses while carrying a nuclear warhead.
Putin said the device had already entered serial production, but as it seems Russia’s supply of carbon fiber material is unable to withstand the extreme temperatures of hypersonic flight and for several months the Kremlin is having a hard time finding alternative source for the critical carbon fiber components needed
“It’s expected that they will make no more than 60 of these hypersonic weapons because it’s just proving to be too expensive to develop,” one person told CNBC on the condition of anonymity.