Russia Deploys Additional ICBMs

Russia has deployed three new Topol-M ICBMs designed to defeat missile defense systems, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, May 9).

The missiles, each with a range of more than 6,000 miles, were placed on an off-road vehicle operating near a town roughly 150 miles northeast of Moscow, according to Russian press reports.  Until December 2006, Russia installed all its Topol-M missiles in silos.

Russian leaders have said their nation’s security would be threatened by U.S. plans to place missile defense elements in Poland and the Czech Republic (see GSN, Dec. 14).

By separating its rocket boosters in flight earlier than older designs, the Topol-M increases its chances of evading detection by early warning systems, according to head designer Yuri Solomonov.  The resemblance in flight of the missile’s warhead to its decoys also increases the likelihood that the weapon would reach its target, he said (Associated Press/USA Today, Dec. 16).

Russia today conducted a test launch of an ICBM from a submarine operating in the Barents Sea, the Xinhua News Agency reported.  The missile hit the intended target on the Kamchatka Peninsula, according to ITAR-Tass.

“The launch has been carried out under the combat training schedule for checking the combat readiness of the Naval Strategic Nuclear Forces,” said naval spokesman Igor Dygalo (Xinhua News Agency, Dec. 17).

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