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Russian Missile Fizzles
A Russian ballistic missile self-destructed moments after taking off from a submarine Wednesday, the second failed test launch in two days of maneuvers meant to display the countryâs military might.Oops, they did it again! President Vladimir Putin didnât mention the failure, but said Russia would soon get new strategic weapons that would protect the country for years to come. "Cuz the old ones suck" He also said the Moscow might develop a missile defense system. We offered to share, but did you listen? Putin didnât offer specifics about the new weapons - presumably a new generation of missiles - but said they will be "capable of hitting targets continents away with hypersonic speed, high precision and the ability of wide maneuver." "Plus, theyâre invisible and come in seven flavors!" The massive exercises have been described as the largest in more than 20 years, and come less than a month before a presidential election Putin is expected to win. The opposition being kidnapped and beaten. They are broadly seen as part of campaign efforts aimed at playing up Putinâs image as a leader determined to restore Russiaâs military power and global clout. But two launch failures in as many days were an embarrassment for Putin and further tarnish the image of the Russian military, which has been plagued by chronic funding shortages, low morale and frequent crashes and accidents. And those are on good days. The missile launched from the Karelia submarine on Wednesday veered from its flight path less than two minutes after take-off, triggering its self-destruct system, Russian Navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo told The Associated Press. No one was hurt, he said in a telephone interview. Look at the bright side, the sub didnât blow up this time. That came a day after a missile failed to launch from the Novomoskovsk submarine. Russian officials and media had conflicting statements about the reason for the failure. The naval chief, Adm. Vladimir Kuroyedov, ended up saying Tuesday that the navy had never planned a real launch and successfully conducted what he described as an imitation "electronic" one. "Launch? What launch?" Posted by: Steve 2004-02-18 |
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