Russia hopes to deploy new sub-launched nuclear missile next year
Jack Linthicum
NX-30 Bulava (Mace), then we can rest easy. The fact that it is
submarine launched also adds real time to the treshold of when it will
be operational, since the launching subs have yet to be built.
Russia hopes to deploy new nuclear missile next year
Michael Stott
Reuters North American News Service
Oct 02, 2008 09:30 EST
MOSCOW, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Russia hopes to deploy a new nuclear missile
next year designed to penetrate anti-missile defences and will build
eight submarines to carry it, defence officials said on Thursday.
The latest statements underline Moscow's determination to upgrade its
nuclear strike forces on land, sea and air. They are regarded by
Russian commanders as the cornerstone of the country's defences.
Colonel-General Vladimir Popovkin, head of armaments for the Russian
armed forces, told the Defence Ministry newspaper "Red Star" that
Russia's recent war with Georgia "compels us to rethink the current
state of the armed forces and how they should develop further".
President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have both
pledged to extend Russia's recent military build-up with extra funds
to buy new, high-tech arms. On Wednesday, Putin announced an extra
$3.1 billion of spending next year, partly to replace equipment lost
in the Georgia war.
Despite the billions of dollars spent on them since Putin came to
power as president in 2000, Russia's 1 million-strong armed forces
remain poorly equipped, badly paid and reliant on a large proportion
of unwilling conscripts.
The deputy commander in chief of the Russian navy, Admiral Alexander
Tatarinov, said on Thursday that by 2015 Moscow would build a fleet of
nuclear-powered submarines to carry a new, nuclear-capable strategic
missile.
"The navy has gone over to building ships and nuclear submarines by
the batch," Tatarinov told Interfax news agency.
"A new state armaments programme includes a plan to build a batch of
eight nuclear submarines that would be armed with new Bulava strategic
missiles."
SPENDING
Defence analysts based in Moscow say much of the extra spending has
not reached the front line because of corruption or mismanagement and
many weapons programmes are running late.
One of these is the Bulava, a submarine-launched long-range nuclear
missile which Putin says will be capable of penetrating any missile
defences -- a reference to Washington's plans for a new global system
to shoot down hostile rockets.
The Bulava, a modified version of the land-based Topol-M, has had a
chequered history with several test launch failures and is running at
least two years late.
The navy pronounced the latest Bulava exercise on Sept. 18 a success,
saying the missile flew from the White Sea across Russia to the Far
East.
Popovkin, who is also deputy defence minister, said he hoped the armed
forces would accept the Bulava for service next year. Upgrading
Russia's strategic nuclear forces remained a priority because they
were the cornerstone of its defences, he said.
"As long as we are a nuclear power, no hotheads will venture to attack
our country," Popovkin said in the interview.
" ... We have already this year started fitting out strategic nuclear
forces with the Topol-M missile," he added.
Russia also plans to modernise its nuclear-capable Tupolev TU-160
supersonic strategic bombers and to fully commission the first nuclear-
powered submarine to carry the Bulava missile, he added.
The submarine, the Yuri Dolgoruky, was launched in February, six years
after its original scheduled date, though it still lacks the missiles
it was designed to carry.
Source: Reuters North American News Service
eatfastnoodle
does it matter? Not really, unless somebody seriously thinks about
nuclear war or truly believes missile defense has any chance against
Russian missiles.
Aurelius
> does it matter? Not really, unless somebody seriously thinks about
> nuclear war or truly believes missile defense has any chance against
> Russian missiles.
It matters much!
As you should know six of eight Bulava tests failed. It will be very sad
if Russian sailors on-board "Dolgorukiy" finish as their comrades from
"Kursk" after some Bulava test launch.