In March 2012 New START data exchange Russia reported 494 deployed launchers with 1492 nuclear warheads. The Strategic Rocket Forces
are estimated to have 332 operational missile systems of four types that carry 1092 warheads.
The strategic fleet includes 11 strategic missile
submarines. The operationally deployed 96 missiles can carry 336 nuclear warheads.
Strategic aviation bomber force consists
of 66 bombers that have about 200 weapons assigned to them.
In April 2012 the space-based tier of the early
warning system included four operational satellites on highly
elliptical orbits and one geostationary satellite.
The Russian ministry of defense published presentation slides from the missile defense conference that was held in Moscow on May 3-4, 2012 (thanks to Eugene Miasnikov for the link). No big surprises there - Russia's position on missile defense has...
As much as I don't like the New START data exchange rules that keep almost all the data secret, on some level the uncertainty feels right. Indeed, why would anybody seriously care if there are, say, 55 or 50 SS-18...
U.S. State Department released New START aggregate data from the last information exchange. The numbers are current as of 1 March 2012. According to the release, in March 2012 Russia had 494 deployed launchers, 881 total launchers, and 1492 operationally...
One of my readers (thank you, SL) pointed out that someone identified the location of the Voronezh-M radar at Mishelevka and posted a photo of the radar there. Construction of the radar was first reported in December 2010. It appears...
At 09:49 MSK on March 30, 2012 (05:49 UTC) the Space Forces conducted a launch of a Proton-K launcher (with DM-2 booster stage) from the Baykonur site (launch pad No. 24 of the launch complex No. 81). The satellite, designated...
K-51 Verkhoturie submarine of the Project 667BDRM class has been launched ("left covered slipway") on March 24, 2012 after a scheduled repair and overhaul that began in August 2010. The submarine is expected to return to service in the fall...
According to Russian minister of defense Anatoly Serdyukov, who spoke at a meeting at the ministry on March 20, 2012, the new early-warning radar in Mishelevka has entered trials. The radar, Voronezh-M, is similar to the one deployed in Lekhtusi,...
On February 3, 2012, Admiral Vladimir Vysotskiy, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy announced that the Russian strategic submarines will resume regular patrols "on the 1st of July or a bit later." According to Vysotskiy, the Navy was awaiting this...
In the last couple of months there was a flurry of statements on the future of Russian strategic forces. Most of them were part of the presidential election campaign - the "strong defense" rhetoric was an important part of the...
The fire on the Ekaterinburg submarine in December 2011 was, as it turns out, a very serious incident - the submarine had full complement of torpedos and missiles on board. Reports in the Russian press - Novaya Gazeta and Kommersant-Vlast...
The book
