Posted on 08/28/2008 5:45:39 AM PDT by maquiladora
MOSCOW, Aug 28--Russia on Thursday successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to overcome anti-missile systems, short after the United States got signed a controversial anti-missile base deal in Poland earlier this month.
The Topol RS-12M missile was tested "to develop equipment for potential combat use against ground-based ballistic missiles," Alexander Vovk, a spokesman for the forces, was quoted as saying by Interfax.
In the face of Russia's vehement opposition, Warsaw and Washington signed a preliminary deal on August 20 basing part of the US missile shield in Poland which Russia considers as a threat to its national security.
Moscow warned Poland of making itself a target for Russia's military "100 percent" by hosting elements of the US anti-missile system, following the deal.
"Experience shows the most economical and quickly achievable countermeasures against the development of a missile-defense system are so-called asymmetrical measures," Vovk said.
Those measures include the missile being less detectable and its path less predictable, foiling missile-detection systems, he was quoted as saying.
The missile was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia and flew 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) to hit a target on Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East, RIA Novosti reported.
lot of gamesmenship going on . . .
Did Russia test it on Georgia, or some other E. European country?
MOSCOW, August 28 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian Topol strategic missile test-launched on Thursday from the Plesetsk space center has successfully hit a designated target on the Kamchatka peninsula, a Strategic Missile Forces spokesman said.
A joint team from SMF and Space Forces fired an RS-12M (SS-25 Sickle) ICBM at 14.36 Moscow time (10.36 GMT) from the Plesetsk space center in a launch that tested not only the performance characteristics of the missile but also the capabilities of a new warhead to penetrate strong missile defenses.
“An experimental warhead hit a target at a testing range on the Kamchatka peninsula with high precision, demonstrating its capability to deliver pinpoint strikes on well-defended targets,” Col. Alexander Vovk said.
The missile, whose service life was extended to 21 years last year, covered a distance of about 6,000 kilometers (over 3,700 miles) before it hit the target.
“The performance data gathered during the test launch will be used to increase the effectiveness of future Russian mobile ballistic missile units,” Vovk said, adding that the Topol ICBM remains the core of the Russian mobile strategic missile forces.
Russia has been enhancing the performance characteristics of its ballistic missiles in response to U.S. plans to place a missile-defense shield in central Europe near Russian borders.
Vovk said that judging from experience the most economical and quickly achievable countermeasures against the deployment of missile-defense systems are the so-called asymmetrical measures.
“These measures include enhanced “stealth” capability, a variability of flight trajectory and the use of warheads capable of penetrating any missile shield,” he said.
The RS-12M Topol has a maximum range of 10,000 km (6,125 miles) and can carry a single
550-kiloton nuclear warhead.
The missile was last tested on December 8, 2007.
..550 Kilotons. Thats Hiroshima X 50 and thats just a spark compared to what else is out there.
Does anyone have links to statistics on what all the Ruskies are capable of doing?
Even the US (I once read) that just one of our boomer subs could wipe out 90% of all life on eatrh if its weapons were properly placed....and we’ve got SEVEN of them. Does anyone have links on our capabilities?
http://thebulletin.metapress.com/content/t2j78437407v3qv1/fulltext.pdf
As of 2008, Russia has 5,192 active nuclear warheads. An additional 8,808 intact warheads are estimated to be in reserve or awaiting dismantlement, making the total stockpile approximately 14,000 weapons.
It does not now nor will it ever work... they have nothing other than barbaric weapons that work. Hi tech... if they can’t buy it from us they do not have it.
LLS
Do what we say or we'll shoot you full of Minty White Freshness!
These ICBM/SLBM tests have been going on for decades now. They are nothing new. Check back the news search engines for all the Russian ICBM/SLBM tests going back several years.
The Russians even pre-announce the tests under START treaty. Normally a window of four days is given which allows the U.S. to put in RC-135s off the coast of Kamchatka to observe the missile/warhead under treaty compliance. Even prior to START the agreements on pre-notification goes back to the early 1970s. The reason is that nobody wants a misinterpretation of a launch. Without it that launch could either be a rogue or intended attack.
The Russians even pre-announce their space launches in order that they are not interpreted as being a ballistic launch. The U.S. reciprocates with its launches.
And the clock gets closer to midnight...
Prayers for the conversion of Russia.
Moscow warned Poland of making itself a target for Russia's military "100 percent" by hosting elements of the US anti-missile system, following the deal.
"Experience shows the most economical and quickly achievable countermeasures against the development of a missile-defense system are so-called asymmetrical measures," Vovk said.
The Russians don’t need such a missile warhead to defeat the ABM systems that will be located in Poland and Czech Republic. Those systems can be taken out by conventional means in time of conflict. To a Russian nuclear deterrent they pose no threat whatsoever.
The START treaty is due to expire next year and looks like that Russia won’t be re-signing it. They are then free to put as many warheads, decoys etc on their missiles as they want. The maneuvering warhead that they are developing is simply Russia’s over-reaction to U.S. ABM ambitions and is pure gamesmanship.
The Russians have their own ABM system, but even that is not sufficient to stop the U.S. nuclear deterrent. The dangerous part now is if the Russians withdraw from the treaty on pre-announcement of launches. It would take us all the way back to pre-1971 era of no notice launches.
They are not bluffing, and we had better not be. If we push this, it will lead to war. Which is honestly what it appears Putin wants. But we need to do it in a way that makes it clear that Russia is the aggressor. He is playing a game where he suspects that he can do what ever he wants and most of the US will blame Bush or McCain.
Georgia is lost, and the Ukraine is probably also (to many ethnic Russians who want to be in Russia), but we have to draw the line at Poland and Alaska (for the latter is considered part of Holy Russia by many), and build up. If we jump now, we risk loosing most of our guys in the Middle East.
No. You have misread my post. The treaty was backed up by physical inspections of missile sites and bomber bases. the numbers of missile delivery platforms and the warheads were reduced in their thousands. The telemetry channels were open on the missile launches. The Treaty under that inspection regime limited the number of physical launch platforms etc.
There is absolutely nothing that the U.S. can do to stop or prevent even the current Russian nuclear arsenal. ABM defense isn’t some sort of magic umbrella. No sides ABM systems can defeat each others nuclear arsenal. Even if there was a fool proof ABM system the next step to overcome it would be each side putting nuclear weapons in orbit around the earth.
If the ABM systems are not a threat to Russia, they would not object to them in the slightest. Why take a negative publicity hit you did not need to take ? And I think its a safe bet that not every single one of the Russian sites were being inspected. It is the largest country on the planet.
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