Russian missile forces to hold 200 drills in next 6 months

 

Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces will conduct over 200 exercises in the next six months, the Defense Ministry said.

 

Russia’s SMF plans by 2016 to modernize its command-and-control systems in order to improve their ability to overcome missile defenses and increase the survivability of delivery vehicles. At present, six types of silo-based and mobile ICBM systems are on combat duty with the SMF, including the heavy Voyevoda (SS-18 Satan), capable of carrying 10 warheads, the Topol-M (Stalin) and RS-24 Yars systems.

 

On Thursday, SMF successfully tested a prototype of a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which is expected to replace Topol-M and Yars in the future. The missile was fired from a mobile launcher at the Kapustin Yar testing range in the Astrakhan region and hit its designated target at the Sary Shagan testing range in Kazakhstan.