▁Miss ile ▁use ▁The ▁only ▁oper ational ▁military ▁application ▁of ▁the ▁concept , ▁as ▁of ▁December ▁ 2 0 1 9 , ▁is ▁the ▁hyp erson ic ▁gli de ▁vehicle ▁( H GV ) ▁Av ang ard ▁( ; ▁), ▁which ▁officially ▁entered ▁active ▁service ▁as ▁an ▁IC B M ▁payload ▁on ▁ 2 7 th ▁December ▁ 2 0 1 9 . ▁ ▁Development ▁work ▁on ▁what ▁was ▁to ▁become ▁the ▁Av ang ard ▁H GV ▁began ▁in ▁the ▁Soviet ▁era . ▁ ▁The ▁vehicle , ▁then ▁referred ▁to ▁as ▁Object ▁ 4 2 0 2 , ▁was ▁reported ▁in ▁October ▁ 2 0 1 6 ▁to ▁have ▁had ▁a ▁successful ▁test .. ▁Russian ▁president ▁Vladimir ▁Put in ▁announced ▁on ▁ 1 ▁March ▁ 2 0 1 8 ▁that ▁Av ang ard ▁had ▁entered ▁serial ▁production , ▁claim ing ▁that ▁its ▁man oe uv rab ility ▁makes ▁it ▁inv ul ner able ▁to ▁all ▁current ▁miss ile ▁def ences . ▁ ▁Through ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s , ▁the ▁skip - g lide ▁concept ▁saw ▁interest ▁not ▁as ▁a ▁way ▁to ▁extend ▁range , ▁which ▁was ▁no ▁longer ▁a ▁concern ▁with ▁modern ▁miss iles , ▁but ▁as ▁the ▁basis ▁for ▁man eu ver able ▁re entry ▁vehicles ▁for ▁IC B M s . ▁The ▁first ▁known ▁example ▁was ▁the ▁Al pha ▁D rac o ▁tests ▁of ▁ 1 9 5 9 , ▁followed ▁by ▁the ▁Bo ost ▁G lide ▁Re entry ▁Ve h icle ▁( B GR V ) ▁test