As of June 2008, the Russian strategic forces included
667 strategic delivery platforms,
which can carry up to 3070
nuclear warheads. The Strategic Rocket Forces
have 415 operational missile systems of four types that can carry 1575 warheads.
The strategic fleet includes 14 strategic missile
submarines. Their 173 missiles can carry 611 nuclear warheads.
Strategic aviation bomber force consists
of 79 bombers that can carry up to 884 long-range cruise missiles.
In October 2008 the space-based tier of the early
warning system included four satellites that appear operational--two on highly
elliptical orbits and two on a geostationary orbit.
Persistent problems encountered by the Bulava missile during its flight test program raise a an interesting question - Is this experience is any different from the "good old" Soviet days? From archival documents we now have a good record of...
On December 25, 2008 the Space Forces conducted a successful launch of a Proton-M launcher from the Baykonur launch site. The launcher equipped with a DM booster stage delivered into orbit three new Glonass-M satellites.
The Strategic Rocket Forces added a regiment of road-mobile Topol-M missiles to its missile division in Teykovo. News reports do not mention the exact number of missiles involved, but it appears that nine missiles were deployed, bringing the number of...
The test launch of the Bulava sea-launched ballistic missile, conducted on December 23, 2008, ended in a failure after a malfunction of the third stage of the missile triggered its self-destruct mechanism. The launch was performed about 06:00 MSK (03:00...
The Russian Navy announced earlier this week that the Dmitry Donskoy submarine will conduct another flight test of the Bulava missile on Sunday, December 21st (the previous was in November). That day is already over in Russia and the Navy...
To achieve the next step in the disarmament process, Washington and Moscow will need to overcome three major points of disagreement. Here's how they can do it.
Bellona reports that the Zvezdochka plant in Severodvinsk began liquidation of the K-496 Borisoglebsk submarine of the Project 667BDR/Delta III class. This means that at the moment there are no submarines of this class with the Northern Fleet - the...
On December 2, 2008 the Space Forces conducted a successful launch of a Molniya-M rocket from the Plesetsk launch site. The launcher delivered into orbit a new early-warning satellite that will work as part of the first-generation US-KS early-warning system (also known as Oko).
The Space Forces are planning to launch a new US-KS/Oko early warning satellite at about 08:00 MSK (05:00 UTC) on December 2nd from the Plesetsk launch site. The satellite will be delivered into a highly-elliptical orbit by a Molniya-M launcher....
The Strategic Rocket Forces extended the service life of the UR-100NUTTH/SS-19 missiles to 33 years. The decision was apparently based on the results of the successful test of the missile in October 2008. Previously, the service life of UR-100NUTTH was...
The book
