U.S. Inspects Russian Missile-Scrapping Facilities

Experts from the U.S. Defense Department yesterday finished inspecting a Russian facility that is disposing of missiles once used by that country’s Strategic Missile Troops, ITAR-Tass reported (see GSN, Jan. 27).

“Pentagon specialists watched the destruction of ground-based solid fuel ballistic missiles in the settlement of Bershet, Perm Territory, for three days under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START 1),” the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Pentagon officials inspected three additional facilities in the Perm Region that are used to destroy missiles. Up to 15 solid-fuel ICBMs are scrapped annually at those sites, ITAR-Tass reported.

“The missile engine disposal technology is based on the pyrolysis reaction, which is burning in high temperature with oxygen,” said a ministry official. “The resultants then go through multistage fine filters, which make them completely harmless.”

The U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction program provides roughly $450 million annually for disposal of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in Russia. (ITAR-Tass, June 19).

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