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Russia: Strategic Forces to Deploy Fewer Missiles Than Planned Russia is expected to deploy six Topol-M ballistic missiles this year, many fewer than previously planned, a Russian defense official said yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 22). The expected deployment of Topol-M missiles, also known as SS-27s, is in line with a government arms modernization program scheduled to run through 2010, said Col. Gen. Alexander Moskovsky, deputy defense minister in charge of weapons programs. Previously, however, the Russian strategic forces had planned to deploy 30-40 new Topol-M missiles per year, according to official documents. Because of funding setbacks, only 10 Topol-M’s could be deployed each year in 1998 and 1999 and six each year in 2000 and 2001. The strategic forces’ share of the new weapons budget has shrunk from 40 percent in 1998 to 18 percent last year and is expected to remain at that level for this year, Moskovsky said. The Topol-M is a small, single-warhead missile that can be launched from a missile silo or a mobile launcher, according to the Associated Press. The Topol-M is expected to replace Soviet-era ballistic missiles as they are removed from service (Associated Press, Jan. 29).
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