Yep and I didn't say Skybolt was a service weapon or serviceable. Just that ALBM is not a new thing Kinzhal perfected. Nor was it that much of a challenge hence why I dont rate Kinzhal in the same level as the other "hypersonics". That was the only point I tried to make with the 1960s Skybolt project.
While Avangard was tracked by US in 2016, US was tracking Chinese hypersonic gliders since 2013. It doesn't mean much if we don't know the thing they were tracking, its performance and readiness. This doesn't prove Avangard was in service in 2016. Putin said Russia had Avangard in 2018. Assuming this as official disclosure and that this disclosure from Putin is indication of Avangard having reached service (if not earlier), then indeed it precedes the known earliest official announcement of service for DF-17 which was 2019. This is just official word on a weapon being in service. Weapon A could have reached service in 2010 but announced in 2020 while Weapon B in service 2019 and announced 2019. Doesn't mean Weapon B was first.
Russia however did have all the tools to have fielded their glider before China though. Both were all in the same decade at least and possibly even the same adjacent years.
I guess my disregard for Avangard and Zircon comes from Russia having never even shown the world a glimpse of just their shape. Meanwhile US and China are both more secretive nations than Russia when it comes to cutting edge military programs and both US and China have been very comfortable showing the wares they allow the public to see.
Russia showed off T-50 prototypes over a decade before Su-57 reached RuAF. Russia showed off the T-14 over a decade before it can even be produced in any real number. Same with SAMs. Meanwhile China showed the new armoured vehicles when they've already hit service and production is probably gearing up. SAMs of essentially more types than the rest of the world combined as they already hit service. J-20 first prototype sight 2011, 6 years before first unit in PLAAF. US is somewhere in between. Russia certainly shows off more (post Soviet era) and is more willing to show the world. And yet not even a glimpse at what avangard and zircon really look like. Every other missile they've shown off well before becoming a mainstay.
I get that these are somewhat strategic weapons but if US and even China are comfortable showing some, either US and China's no shows are far more advanced than the shows or Russia not showing is to take advantage of ambiguity to improve image of strength in these times where it does need to present strength rather than hide strength. Avangard at most is just a plain glider similar to DF-17, maybe smaller, maybe larger. Meanwhile China's continued hundreds of hypersonic flights and up to mach 30 tunnels with more computing power in single cities than all of Russia.
