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| Europe |
| Russia reveals new missile |
| 2004-12-06 |
| RUSSIA revealed today it was fitting its strategic bombers with cruise missiles capable of delivering a massive precision strike thousands of miles away - giving away the first clear hint of its post-Cold War military strategy. "Russia's long-range air force finally has a new weapon," the government's Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily announced in a headline. "We now have a strategic cruise missile with a non-nuclear warhead," the paper wrote. "We have broken the US monopoly on the use long-range conventional cruise missiles," an unnamed senior air force commander told ITAR-TASS. The technology appears to be similar to cruise missiles that the US has long attached to its own intercontinental bombers like the B-2 Stealth bomber. The announcement followed months of cryptic statements from President Vladimir Putin and his top generals that Russia was developing a new missile program that is a step ahead of any Western rivals - including technology developed by the US. Mr Putin declared last month that Russia had "conducted tests of the latest nuclear rocket systems" in a cryptic comment that puzzled military strategists but seemed aimed at Washington and its mooted missile defence shield that Moscow considers illegal. Russia has been developing a range of new missiles capable of penetrating US defences as a result. Generals announced earlier this year the successful tests of a hypersonic intercontinental missile that has no officially-confirmed rival in the US. Moscow is also believed to be developing a multi-stage intercontinental ballistic missile that uses cruise missile technology to zigzag and avoid being shot down once it re-enters the earth's atmosphere. Russia also announced that it was making its most feared and powerful trans-Atlantic missile mobile within the next two years. But the latest technology announced today would see old Soviet-era conventional missiles be carried by strategic bombers with a global range. |
| Posted by: |
| #9 Bad bot! Bad, bad bot! (thwack thwack thwack...) |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-12-06 10:15:18 PM |
| #8 US CM's have a much greater range than 400 miles - its only so because we make extensive use of our powerful CVN's, surface warfare ships, subs and airpower to deliver these CM's close to target, as closer means greater accuracy + regional/geopol intimidation. The gen implication here is that Russia has finally dev working MICRO-MISSLES, as compared to the large or huge, comparatively inaccurate but still devastating, air-launched monsters the "former" USSR dev during the Cold War for its air forces. PRIVATELY, I'm NOT convinced these CM's are the weapons, as Russian military editors-commens have been calling for the Russian Navy to dev and convert their mediocre aircraft carriers into full-fledged multipurpose sea control ships capable of using LR nuclearized attack missles plus Unmanned Vehicles for anti-surface and anti-sub defense. Thanks to GMD, SPAWAR/SATWAR, and micro-techs, etc. I believe the dawn of submarine based, wholly underwater FLEET/ NAVAL ACTIONS AND DECISIVE BATTLES, includ UV vs UV, IS ABOUT TO DROP ON THE HEADS OF THE WORLD'S MAJOR NAVIES. Lets all sing the "TRANSFORMERS" SONG, "more than meets the eye, ...robots in disguise"! The Russkis and Chicoms know many of the fluttering "stars" and light streaks overhead at night is actually US GMD, and they know the US tech is way way ahead of anything they can dev or deploy in space, in the air, or on the earth's surfaces land or sea surface - this leaves their navies and hyper deficit -ridden Commie Fascist Commie governments the underwater warfare dimension., besides the Clintons of course, and the Left's 2020 maxima timeline to force or induce America unto anti-sovereign Socialism and OWG, i,e, Communism. International Leftism-Socialism-Communism right now is akin to a desperate wild animal - selfish power for the sake of power matters more than reform, self-worth/dignity, lket alone telling the truth or even making an honest mistake. THEY KILLED 000'S ON 9-11, ARE PUTTING AMERICAN LIVES IN JEOPARDY VIA THIER PLANNED ANTI-US/W INSURGENCY IN IRAQ, WANT AND ARE WORKING FOR THE US TO WAGE WAR AND BE WARRED AGAINST, AND ARE WILLING AND PREFER TO DESTROY THE WHOLE WORLD UNLESS THE USA AND THE WEST CONCEDES TO ANTI-DEMOCRATIC, ANTI-CAPITALIST GLOBAL SOCIALISM, GLOBAL REGULATION, GLOBAL SECULARISM, AND OWG, ETC.! |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2004-12-06 10:13:38 PM |
| #7 Aris, a fair point. |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-12-06 8:16:30 PM |
| #6 Matt> Since, as far as I know, Putin hasn't done much to prevent another Beslan, it seems to me that this announcement is for domestic PR purposes Why would Putin care to prevent another Beslan? More Beslans are good for Putin. After all he took advantage of the last Beslan to abolish municipal elections. Next Beslan he'll just use to abolish any last pretense at democracy. "This last terrorist atrocity shows that we don't have the luxury for the instability of democratic elections, so I'm declaring myself dictator for life. Hurrah." Putin's much more interested in preventing more Orange Revolutions. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2004-12-06 7:27:37 PM |
| #5 Since, as far as I know, Putin hasn't done much to prevent another Beslan, it seems to me that this announcement is for domestic PR purposes. Much easier to announce you have a new toy than to get rid of Basayev. |
| Posted by: Matt 2004-12-06 5:36:53 PM |
| #4 It's good enough for ME, Central Asia and China. I suspect those are areas of greater concern for the Ruskies than the U. S. and more likely theaters of use, not to mention export. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2004-12-06 5:29:34 PM |
| #3 Mruise missile: Welcome to the club, 25 years late. Wonder what guidance system it uses, e.g. other than digital terrain mapping? Can it be spoofed? Maneuvering reentry vehicle: Again 25 years late. Pershing 2. Air launched non ballistic trajectory missile: Are they they going to launch them from AN-224s or do they propose to launch them over Baltimore to hit DC? Maybe the Russians are really worried about close, and rapidly modernizing, neighbors? Also non ballistic trajectory makes decoy discrimination a snap. |
| Posted by: ed 2004-12-06 5:25:00 PM |
| #2 I'm still not worried. US cruise missles only have around 400 mile range. The new versions will most likely only be 600 miles. To get the "thousands" of miles, you have to put them on a plane and fly them, with several in air refuels, to get across the atlantic or pacific. The Russians still don't have anything close to defeating the Slammer (AIM-120 AMRAAM) air-to-air death dealer. The bombers wouldn't even get close to the launch point if they came at the United States. A launch at one of our Middle East bases would be a problem, but not a knock out blow and the whole MAD concept would come back. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2004-12-06 5:09:07 PM |
| #1 Yeah, well, let's seem them actually test some before we all get excited. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2004-12-06 4:19:15 PM |