The Strategic Rocket Forces will add three more RS-24 road-mobile missiles to the six missiles that have been already deployed in Teykovo. This will complete deployment of the first RS-24 regiment.
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The Strategic Rocket Forces will add three more RS-24 road-mobile missiles to the six missiles that have been already deployed in Teykovo. This will complete deployment of the first RS-24 regiment.
Comments
Russia produces only three ICBM in year ?
Yes, it looks like it. But there are SLBMs - as I understand, Russia wants to equip Yuri Dolgorukiy this year - that would take some production capacity.
I was under the impression that silo-based Topol-M production was continuing, along-side road-mobile RS-24.
So are there plans to increase production rate of these missiles as part of the army's modernization program? I recall reading an article from Interfax last week quoting Putin that offensive missile production would be doubled by 2012-2013. So are ICBMs included?
Yes, you are right - the Rocket Forces are going to deploy four silo-based Topol-Ms in 2011 and four - in 2012.
That will include all missiles - from RS-24 to Bulava and Iskander.
So in a nutshell, 3 RS-24, 4 Topol-M silo, and X number of Bulava? Given that they produced in the double digits, it looks like they may indeed be producing to arm the Dolgorukiy. And this is before the tests that are supposed to allow it to enter service.
Russian government has budget outlays for 36 missiles this year
However, remember: number of missiles produced does not equal the number of missiles deployed.
Some missiles are obviously produced for testing. Other times missiles are manufactured in one year, but operationally deployed in another year, so in some years production exceeds deployments, while in others deployment exceeds production. And, as always, there are plans and there's reality.
Over the last years Russia produced 8 "Topol-M" / "Yars" ICBMs yearly. On 21 March and 20 April 2011 Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that Russia will double the production of ballistic missile systems from 2013. On 20 December 2010 chief designer Yuri Solomonov of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology (MITT) announced the development of a new heavy ICBM and on 17 March 2011 the development of a new land-based ICBM by 2013.
Currently Russia has 70 deployed single-warhead "Topol-M", 6 multiple-warhead "Yars", and at least 3 non-deployed ICBMs. On 3 January 2011 the RVSN announced its intention to conduct 3 RS-24 test launches in 2011. On 30 November 2010 "Russia Today" reported:
"Meanwhile testing of the silo-based version of the Yars missile will continue. The first test regiment armed with it will be put on duty by the year´s end." Because the ground-mobile version of the RS-24 is deployed since 2010, it is possible that the RVSN will test launch the silo-based version in 2011. If the RVSN launches 2 silo-based test missiles in 2011 theoretically they can deploy the first 2 silo-based RS-24 ICBMs in December 2011.
From December 2010 until December 2012 Russia will deploy 10 silo-based "Topol-M" ICBMs in the sixth regiment in Tatishchevo (2010: 2, 2011: 4, 2012: 4). In this relation it is possible that the RVSN can switch 9 mobile single-warhead "Topol-M" missiles (or at least the front sections) from Teykovo to Tatishchevo and replace this ICBMs gradually with the new RS-24.
.....................................December 2010....December 2011....December 2012
Deployed-ICBMs
RS-12M2 silo............................52........................56.......................60 (60)
RS-12M2 mobile.......................18........................18.......................18 ( 9)
RS-24 silo..................................0.........................2.........................6 ( 6)
RS-24 mobile.............................6.........................9.........................9 (18)
Total........................................76.......................85.......................93 (93)
Non-deployed ICBMs..................3.........................2*........................0 ( 0)
Total........................................79.......................87........................93 (93)
* 2 ICBMs counted as test missiles for 2011
According to this prediction Russia will produce 8 ICBMs in 2011 and 2012, but can deploy 9 ICBMs in 2011 and 8 in 2012.
Marino: Thank you for bringing this all together. One correction, though - as I understand, there will be no silo-based RS-24.
Dear Pavel,
of course it is possible that Russia will only deploy the mobile version of RS-24 ICBMs. "Russia Today" published the news with the silo-based test regiment. Maybe it is true, maybe not. We will see what Russian sources will say after the announced RS-24 test launches this year. My prediction is only a possible option or interpretation. If the RS-24 will not be deployed in silo launchers, so the RVSN can deploy up to 15 mobile RS-24 ICBMs until December 2012 (and eventually 9 converted "Topol-Ms" with MIRVs. But now you can see: this is the situation without a detailed and published (!) START data exchange.