More details in link below

http://www.redstar.ru/index.php/news-menu/vesti/tablo-dnya/item/14613-rvsn-rossii-perspektivy

That heavy silo-based ICBMs, he said, "gives you the opportunity to deliver the warheads to targets not only energetically optimal trajectories with hard azimuths of approach warheads to targets, therefore, with the predicted azimuths of approach, but also deliver warheads and strikes from different directions including shipping units via the South Pole. "

In addition, a huge stock of useful payload to heavy ICBM allows equip its various means to overcome missile defense, which ultimately will "oversaturate" any missile defense system.
Heavy ICBMs at equipping its precision warheads with conventional warheads would be an adequate response to the implementation of the constraint in the United States announced the concept of global instant impact by conventional means
Another priority of the Strategic Missile Forces, as said Victor Esin, - completion of work this year complex "yars" and its modifications - the SS-26.

The third priority - creating long-term combat equipment, which will be able to overcome existing and future missile defense system.

Speaking about the place RVSN Russian nuclear triad, Esin noted that they accounted for 60 percent of carriers and more than 50 percent of nuclear weapons. The costs for the maintenance and development of the Strategic Missile Forces do not exceed 5 percent of the total expenditure on national defense.

According to him, Russia is not being developed bottom of intercontinental ballistic missiles. They were banned Soviet-American agreements still in the 1980s.

However, in Russia are conducted development work on the creation of combat rail missile systems designed to launch an ICBM. Viktor Esin recognized that the development of such systems, there are several obstacles. Thus, in Russia there is no technical experience in this field, as in Soviet times they were created in Ukraine. Second, lost all the infrastructure that was created in Soviet times, and recreating it is necessary to invest huge amounts of money.

"via the South Pole"?

Interesting... sounds like a FOBS (fractional orbit) system.

Also wondering if any version of the "Sarmat" will be equipped with a high yield warhead as a possible EMP or hard target weapon.

Not necessarily FOBS.

RAND's recent white paper on Minuteman follow-up raised the issue of Southern Launch. The only requirement for being able to accomplish it is extra fuel mass to cover extra distance.

Considering that we are discussing a 100-ton missile, extra fuel is not an issue.

http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/MG1200/MG1210/RAND_MG1210.pdf

I'd be very skeptical about this South Pole business. It makes absolutely no sense.

The Trajectory over South Pole would take it over least ABM deployed sites ....unlike the conventional ICBM trajectory one that takes over many European ABM sites.

Its a good capability to have not an absolute necessary one

I am pretty sure the SS-18 can also fly over South Pole if required based on the fact that it has the energy to do so.

What would the military justification be for such a “South Pole” shot? How much longer would it take a “South Pole” shot to reach a Minuteman III silo than a “North Pole” shot?

Frank Shuler
USA

Hi, can you update the latest on the FOBs capability for the RS-28 Sarmat? Is that still likely? If so, what is the US doing about it?

I have serious doubts about FOBS capability - not that it's particularly difficult, it just doesn't make much sense (as the Soviet Union discovered in the 1960-1970s). I don't think the U.S. needs to do anything about it.