Russia slates 12 more missile silos for destruction
Russia's Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) plan to eliminate 12 more silo launchers for RS-20 intercontinental ballistic missiles (Western designations SS-18 and Satan) before the end of the year, a Defence Ministry source told Interfax on Thursday. "Under the schedule of SMF reductions, six silo launchers for RS-20 missiles have been blown up. Another 12 launchers will be destroyed before the end of the year. As planned, three regiments equipped with missile systems whose service life has expired will be decommissioned in 2003," the source said. One regiment has three RS-20 intercontinental ballistic missile launchers.
The elimination of silo launchers in the regiment based in Kartaly, in the Chelyabinsk region, has been completed. According to the source, the missiles and launchers are being destroyed in compliance with the Russian-US START-1 treaty. According to him, another missile regiment based in Kartaly is being withdrawn from combat duty. Its launchers are also subject to destruction.RS-20 missiles have been on combat duty from 18 to 23 years. The SMF has about 150 Satan missiles in its inventory. If its service life is extended, the R-36M-2 missile can stay on combat duty until 2010 or even longer. RS-20 missiles are also used in space programmes.
According to open sources, the R-36M-2 heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (treaty designation RS-20, NATO designation Satan, US designation SS-18) runs on liquid fuel, can be fitted with several types of warheads and used against underprotected objects and area-type targets. In the latter case, the missile can be fitted with multiple warheads with individually homing payloads that ensure accurate hitting of multiple targets. The maximum range is 11,000 km.
Under the START-1 treaty that took effect on December 5, 1994, Russia and the United States can have no more than 1,600 deployed nuclear missile carriers and no more than 6,000 nuclear munitions for them. The recent Russian-US Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty provides for the reduction of the number of strategic nuclear munitions to 1,700-2,200 pieces per party by December 31, 2012.
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