The Strategic Rocket Forces completed deployment of the first full regiment of RS-24 Yars missiles. As a result, the Teykovo division now has nine missiles of this type.
The first three RS-24 missiles entered service in the first half of 2010, the other three – in December 2010. The incomplete regiment of six missiles began combat service in March 2011. Shortly afterwards, the Rocket Forces announced that three more RS-24 missiles will be deployed in 2011. Now that this deployment is completed, no more RS-24 missiles are expected to enter service in 2011.
Meanwhile, the minister of defense promised recently that production of ICBMs of all types will triple in 2011-2015 compared to the 2006-2010 period (I will have to look at the numbers to see what this would mean in practice). His optimism, however, is not quite shared by Yuri Solomonov, who gave a very interesting interview to Kommersant.
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"If this is the situation, we need reprimands of all government officials responsible, regardless of their rank," Medvedev said today at his residence near Moscow. "If not, we must attend to those who are sowing panic. You remember that in wartime panic-mongers were shot. I’ll allow you to fire them".
What is your take on this? Are they going to pay for the missiles or fire Solomonov? It is almost a rhetorical question
Assuming they can co-produce the Bulava and Yars, there shouldn't be a need for tripling ICBM production. To be honest I can see marginal adjustments, but I'm not sure there is a need for such intense production spikes. What happens when the ICBM forces reach the treaty limits, and the factories (beefed up to handle the extra demand) all of a sudden have nothing to do, because the service life of existing missiles is such that replacing them makes little sense?
Feanor, when that happens, they retire the oldest missiles and build new ones. Or invent a new threat that requires more weapons. The military-industrial complex has figured it out 50 years ago.
You give the Russian defense lobby too much credit.
In Teykovo, there are two regiments where mobile Topol-M are deployed and one with RS-24. There were four Topol site in this 54th div. Do you think the 4th site will be transformed for RS-24 ? Or three regiments in a divsion will be the new "norme" ?
What will be the next division equiped with RS-24 ? Novosibirsk, Irkoutsk ?