Russia Beefing Up Missile Forces

NewsMax.com ^ | 12/13/04 | Phil Brennan

[Paul Ross]

Claremont Institute is finally beginning to be noticed!

[Americanwolf]

My only question become with the Russian economy in such disarray and the military industrial complex being a shadow of its former self... where did the technology for this come from?

China....that is the most likely scenario....

You really begin wonder how much the dirty pool Clintons played with China is going to cost the US in the long run.

[untrained skeptic]

I don't know if the Russian's new missile is really able to pierce any ABM defense we might deploy or not. If they are bluffing, we shouldn't call that bluff. They need to have something that makes them feel that they can effectively defend themselves from the US and allow them to project influence.

Russians need to have their national pride in order to stabilize their country and hope to get their economy under control.

I'm really not that worried about Russia having a missile that can defeat our ABM system.

I'm much more worried if they start selling the technology to nations like Korea, Syria, and Iran.

Russia is a country with too much to lose by starting a war with the US.

I'm not sure North Korea's government is so sure they have a lot to lose.

[PeterFinn]

I wonder if we'll lend the money to pay for their new toys?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We paid them to destroy their old missiles. Now they're building new missiles. Amazing !

[Avenger]

"I'm much more worried if they start selling the technology to nations like Korea, Syria, and Iran. Russia is a country with too much to lose by starting a war with the US."

Well, that's the point. They can sell or threaten to sell this technology to other countries in order to blackmail the U.S. They're hoping they can get a little leverage out of this.

[Paul Ross]

The sea-based variant of this Topol-M is interesting...the Balava. This basically gives them the equivalent of an NMD-proof first-strike weapon. I hope Rumsfeld is paying attention. I have my doubts about the laser-proofing claims however. They can't know what properties of laser they will face...Infrared, X-Ray, with either thermal heating, or shock-kill. I think they are bluffing.

Armoring up the RV can be done. But not the missile itself, unless they can get the RV up to full speed, and drops the booster, before it exits the atmosphere for its arc to target.

[nanak]

No Wonder Bush can See into Putin's Soul!

[sandviper]

so much for stability.

[demecleze]

Anybody know if these are solid fueled as the Soviet nuclear arsenal was liquid fueled? (with liquid fuel can't have them fully fueled because of corrosion plus more launch failures)

If not, I would be alot more scared of SS-18, as they have hundreds of them. Plus the 20-25 megaton warhead or 10X550kt load is very bad news.

[topher]

I don't know if the Russian's new missile is really able to pierce any ABM defense we might deploy or not. If they are bluffing, we shouldn't call that bluff. They need to have something that makes them feel that they can effectively defend themselves from the US and allow them to project influence.

The key to any evasion would be to avoid detection.

At one time in the 1980s it was claimed that the Russian subs could dive so deep that it was impossible to sink.

Except we had nuclear depth charges.

I would say if you can track something, you can take it out.

If it is going above Mach 5, reaction time is minimal. So I imagine that type of speed must be something the Russians have in the missle.

We recently tested SCAMJET technology that might be able to intercept such a beast, and it breathes air, not solid rocket propellant.

[ken21]

i don't understand why rasPutin is so paranoid.

the euros aren't going to attack russia, nor are we.

[Calvin Locke]

We paid them to destroy their old missiles.

I guess, on the bright side, they couldn't put the old missles on the auction block.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

ebay'll be pi**ed !

[klpt]

[Calvin Locke]

ebay'll be pi**ed !

Now you got me remembering a '60s "Batman" scene with Batman chastising an admiral for selling a
used nuclear sub to someone (Penguin?) with a false address.

[untrained skeptic]

Russia is a huge country with a history of making the world take notice.

If Putin can't show that Russia has the power to exert influence under his leadership, the people of Russia won't support him for long.

Russia's stability requires that they be able to exert some level of influence in the world. They aren't content to be a minor player in the world. It's better to have them able to have some power to influence the world, then to let them feel that they need to prove to the world that they are still a major power.

[untrained skeptic]

They aren't afraid of being attacked. They are afraid of losing influence in the world.