The commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces, Lt.-General Sergei Karakayev, announced today that all new mobile Topol-M missiles will carry multiple warheads. This modification of the missile is officially known as Yars or RS-24. The first three RS-24 missiles were deployed in Teykovo earlier this year. The report does not seem to suggest that any new mobile missiles will be deployed in Teykovo this year.

The switch from single-warhead to MIRVed Topol-M was expected - it is taken into account in the force projections prepared some time ago. Also, it appears that my other assumption - that the Topol-M missiles that have been already deployed will not be MIRVed - will also hold.

Unlike its mobile counterpart, the silo version of the Topol-M will still be deployed as a single-warhead missile. The Rocket Forces plan to complete deployment of the sixth regiment in Tatishchevo, bringing the number of missiles to 60. This means that deployment in Tatishchevo goes according to the plan. Karakayev also announced that the Rocket Forces will continue deployment of silo-based Topol-Ms in 2011.