snip:
MOSCOW (March 29 [2004], 5:17 am AST) - Russia has designed a "revolutionary" weapon that would make the prospective U.S. missile defense useless, Russian news agencies reported Monday, quoting a senior Defense Ministry official. The official, who was not identified by name, said tests conducted during last month's military maneuvers would dramatically change the philosophy behind development of Russia's nuclear forces, the Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies reported. If deployed, the new weapon would take the value of any U.S. missile shield to "zero," the news agencies quoted the official as saying.
The official said the new weapon would be inexpensive, providing an "asymmetric answer" to U.S. missile defenses, which are proving extremely costly to develop. Russia, meanwhile, also has continued research in prospective missile defenses and has an edge in some areas compared to other nations, the official said
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November 03, 2005 Moscow (CNSNews.com) - Russian media are hailing an intercontinental ballistic missile test, calling it a successful demonstration of the military's capability to pierce the U.S. anti-missile defense shield.
The Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile has unique capabilities, making it virtually invulnerable, Russia's leading television broadcaster, Channel 1, commented Wednesday.
Trud, a pro-government daily, said the American anti-missile defense umbrella was no longer a problem for Russia because the test-launch demonstrated that the newest warhead could overcome it.
On Tuesday, Russia test-fired the new missile a new Topol, which boasts a range of some 10,000 kilometers. It was fired from a ground-based launcher and hit a target in a testing ground in neighboring Kazakhstan, the Defense Ministry reported.
Russia's Kommersant daily said the military claimed that "maneuvers" by the warhead during the final stretch of its trajectory would prevent missile defense systems from intercepting and destroying the incoming missile.
This would therefore be Moscow's "asymmetrical" response to the U.S. missile defense system, it said.
Deployment of the new warheads would begin next year, Strategic Missile Forces commander Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov announced last month.
Russia recently test-fired a Bulava missile from a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. The Bulava is a modified, sea-based version of the land based Topol-M.
If successful, Topol-Bulava missiles would be the first intercontinental weapon system Moscow has created since it withdrew from the SALT-2 treaty with the U.S. in response to the American missile defense plans.