At the beginning of 2008 the Russian strategic forces included
682 strategic delivery platforms,
which can carry up to 3100
nuclear warheads. The Strategic Rocket Forces
have 430 operational missile systems of four types that can carry 1605 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 September 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.
On September 25, 2008 the Space Forces conducted a successful launch of a Proton-M launcher (with DM upper stage), which delivered into orbit three Glonass-M satellites. The launch took place at 12:49:37 MSK (08:49:37 UTC) from the the launch complex...
Kommersant reports today that the test of the Bulava missile, which took place on September 18, 2008, was not quite successful. According to the Kommersant report, all three stages of the missile performed well, but then the bus failed to...
Everything went according to the plan - on September 18, 2008, Dmitri Donskoy submarine of the Northern Fleet successfully launched a Bulava missile. According to the Russian Navy, the launch was conducted from a submerged submarine deployed in the White...
A RIA Novosti report quoted an unnamed representative of the military that the Russian Navy is planning to conduct SLBM launches in the Pacific, most likely on September 15th (although the launch window would last until September 20th). The missiles...
At a briefing in Vlasikha yesterday, General Nikolai Solovtsov, the commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces, provided some details on the Topol-M deployment plans. The plan, unveiled in February, called for 65 Topol-M missiles by the end of 2008. Solovtsov...
The Rocket Forces apparently scaled down the missile flight test program. The initial plan announced in February 2008 called for 11 missile launches. In May the plan the Rocket Forces corrected the plan - at the time it was announced...
Russian ministry of defense announced that two Tu-160 bombers landed at the Libertador military airfield in Venezuela on September 10. According to an MoD report, the flight took 13 hours and the planes landed at 20:50 MSK (16:50 UTC, 12:20...
According to a report that appears to be based on information provided by representatives of the 12th Main Directorate (12th GUMO), the Russian military conduct an inventory of nuclear warheads "at least twice a year"....
Speaking at a briefing two days days ago, Paula DeSutter, Assistant Secretary of State, mentioned that Georgia-related setbacks notwithstanding, State Department is hopeful that "things can evolve in a positive way so that we can move forward on a post-START...
On August 29, 2008 the Rocket Forces conducted a successful launch of a Dnepr launcher from the silo No. 95 of the launch complex No. 109 of the Baykonur test site. The launch took place at 11:15:53 MSK (07:15:53 UTC)....
The book
