Global Security Newswire
Daily News on Nuclear, Biological & Chemical Weapons, Terrorism and Related Issues
Russian Looks to Modernize Air Force Nuclear Delivery Vehicles
Russia’s plan to modernize its armed forces appears to be based, in part, on the desire to keep the Russian air force as part of the country’s nuclear triad, Aviation Week & Space Technology reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 10).
This month, the Russian Defense Ministry released a paper entitled “Modern Tasks for Development of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.” The paper reveals plans to maintain a fleet of 80 long-range strategic bombers capable of carrying a total of 500 nuclear-armed cruise missiles, according to Aviation Week.
The Russian Air Force is working to modernize its cruise missile arsenal, Aviation Week reported (see GSN, May 20, 2002). The Raduga design bureau is currently at work on the Kh-101/Kh-102 set of cruise missiles and the Kh-555 missile. The Kh-102 is believed to be capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, while the other two cruise missiles carry conventional warheads (Barrie/Komarov, Aviation Week & Space Technology, Oct. 13).
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Country Profile
Russia
This article provides an overview of Russia’s historical and current policies relating to nuclear, chemical, biological and missile proliferation.
