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Russia deploys new missile batch
Itâs old, itâs not WOT, but just to keep us informed, what the heck:Russia has deployed a fresh batch [six missiles] of its top-of-the-line strategic nuclear missiles after a break caused by a funding shortage... Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov inaugurated the new set of Topol-M missiles at the Tatishchevo missile base in the central Saratov region Sunday, describing them as a "21st-century weapon" unrivaled in the world. "This is the most advanced state-of-the-art missile in the world," Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said in remarks broadcast by Russian television stations Monday. "Only such weapons can ensure and guarantee our sovereignty and security and make any attempts to put military pressure on Russia absolutely senseless." "unless, of course, youâre from Chechnya" U.S. military analysts equate the missile, known as the SS-27 in the West, with the American Minuteman III, the older of the two land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles in the U.S. inventory...The Topol-M missiles, capable of hitting targets more than 6,000 miles (9,650 km) away, have so far been deployed in silos... The daily Izvestia said that the Topol-M lifts off faster than its predecessors and maneuvers in a way that makes it more difficult to spot and intercept. It is also capable of blasting off even after a nuclear explosion close to its silo, the newspaper reported. In Washington, a State Department official said the latest Topol-M deployment is regarded a continuation of the Russian program that started in 1998 and doesnât violate strategic weapons treaties. The new deployment is consistent with what the Russian government had told the U.S. government to expect, the official said... Next year, design work will start on a next-generation heavy nuclear missile, which will enter service after 2009, the officer said. The new missile will be capable of carrying 10 nuclear warheads with a total weight of up to 4.4 tons, compared to Topol-Mâs combat payload of 1.32 tons, he added. Posted by: RW2004 2003-12-31 |
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