For a while, it appeared that deployment of Topol-M missiles in silos was discontinued after the number of missiles reached 60 at the end of 2012. Deployment of the last four missiles took more than a year, so it did seem that the program is approaching the end. But no, as it turns out, the deployment continued and a couple of stories today mentioned that there are now seven Topol-M regiments in Tatishchevo and more are probably to come.
There were reports in the fall of last year that there is a quite a bit of new construction at the Tatishchevo maintenance base (below), so we should probably expect that at some point all UR-100NUTTH missiles there will be replaced by Topol-M.
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It is very strange...
First, in the Russian MoD original official statement it is literally "more than about five regiments":
http://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12007792@egNews
Secondly, the analysis of Spetsstroy open tenders after 2012 (2013-2014) shows purchases for the proceeding construction only on one Tatishchevo object -- 733/365-6t:
http://www.tenderer.ru/tenders/7/tender12391411.html
And the index "T" means that this site has to be "technical base"... (???)
That's interesting. Maybe someone mixed up (that would include me). Maybe they said seven at the press event, but didn't publish the number in the official MoD release. On the other hand, there is the Spetsstroy data.
Current status of the Russian strategic nuclear forces from Col.-Gen. Victor Yesin:
http://www.vpk-news.ru/articles/23904
Do you think we could trust his numbers? I have my doubts.
Yes, I too have doubts in relation of the RVSN data...
The number of silos available now in Tatishevo is 100. So 60 SS-27 mod1 that leaves 40 SS-19 in Tatishevo and 26 in Kozelsk (if Gen Yesin is right). Possible?
Which regiment converts to SS-27 in Tatishevo recently?