December 29,2008:
Russia has activated another two battalions (three missiles each) of
Topol-M ICBMs. These are the road-mobile versions, that avoid destruction in a
first strike, by constantly moving around on the roads 200-300 kilometers
northeast of Moscow. The two new battalions belong to the 54th Strategic
Missile Division.
Of the other
54 Topol-M missiles in service, 48 are fired from underground silos. There are
now twelve road mobile Topol M missiles in service. The 54 foot long
transporter for these 46 ton missiles is a 16 wheel vehicle, using a 710
horsepower diesel engine. Russia continues to make component and design
improvements to its most modern ICBM, the Topol M. This has increased its service
life from ten to 21 years.
Russia is in
the midst of replacing Cold War era RS-18 (SS-19) and RS-20 (SS-18) ICBMs with
the newer Topol M (also known as
RS-24 or SS-27), more rapidly than
earlier planned. This is the result of more money being allocated to buying
ICBMs, and more reliable new ICBMs becoming available. A naval version of the Topol M (the Bulava),
for use on SSBN submarines, was supposed to enter mass production in 2008, but
technical problems caused that to be delayed at least a year. A recent Bulava
test failed. Even so, Russia is not
producing enough Topol Ms each year to replace the older liquid fuel missiles
before their reach the end of their planned service life. So these older missiles
are being refurbished, to extend their time in service.
Russia
continues to test launch RS-18 and RS-20 ICBMs. Russia still has 140 (out of a
1980s peak of 360) RS-18s in service, and expects to keep some of them active into
the next decade. The test firings for the last two years have been successful,
and other quality-control tests have come back positive. The 106 ton, 76 foot
long missile uses storable liquid fuel, meaning that the missile is inherently
more complex than a solid fuel missile.
The U.S.
introduced solid fuel rockets for ICBMs in the early 1960s, but it took Russia
two more decades to master this technology. The RS-18 entered service in 1975,
and it wasn't until the 1980s that Russia began producing reliable solid fuel rocket motors, large enough
for ICBMs. The last RS-18s were manufactured in 1990, and Russia expects each
of them to have a useful life of 30 years via the same kind of product
improvements being applied to the Topol M. Annual test launches insure reliability. The RS-18
was developed as a "light" ICBM, in effect, a competitor for the U.S.
Minuteman series. The RS-18 was the first Russian ICBM to carry MIRV (Multiple,
Independent Reentry Vehicles). That means each warhead had its own guidance
system. The SS-19 carries six warheads, and has a range of 10,000
kilometers. Topol-M has a range of
11,000 kilometers. Russia is also extending the life of its heavier (217 ton)
RS-20 ICBMs to 30 years. This missile carries ten warheads, and is also being
converted to launch satellites.