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About Russia
December 17th is celebrated in Russia as the day of the
Strategic Rocket forces.
A regiment of new Topol-M state of the art ICBMs entered service to the occasion .
In 1989 the Strategic Rocket Forces had over 1,400 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), 300 launch control centers, and twenty-eight missile bases. The Soviet Union had six types of operational ICBMs; about 50 % were heavy SS-18 and SS-19 ICBMs, which carried 80 % of the country's land-based ICBM warheads. In 1989 the Soviet Union was also producing new mobile, and hence survivable, ICBMs. A reported 100 road-mobile SS-25 missiles were operational, and the rail-mobile SS-24 was being deployed.
The Strategic Rocket Forces also operated SS-20 intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) and SS-4 medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs). Two-thirds of the road-mobile Soviet SS-20 force was based in the western Soviet Union and was aimed at Western Europe. One-third was located east of the Ural Mountains and was targeted primarily against China. Older SS-4 missiles were deployed at fixed sites in the western Soviet Union. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), signed in December 1987, called for the elimination of all 553 Soviet SS-20 and SS-4 missiles within three years. As of mid-1989, over 50 % of SS-20 and SS-4 missiles had been eliminated.
Russia continued the reduction in strategic missile inventory required under START I, although at a pace slower than the United States would like. By mid-1996 all nuclear warheads on former Soviet SRF missiles in Kazakstan and Ukraine had been returned to Russia or destroyed, and all missiles left Belarus by the end of 1996.
The Russian SRF missile inventory not only is shrinking in response to treaty requirements but also is changing in character. The new Topol-M is the only system suited to Russian strategic requirements and acceptable under the requirements of START I, so rocket production efforts will concentrate on this model for the foreseeable future. The SS-25 Topol was fielded in SRF regiments comprising three battalions totaling nine launch vehicles. In 1996 forty such regiments were operational. Several older operational ICBM systems also remained in the field. These included an SS-17 regiment of ten silos, six SS-18 silo fields totaling 222 missiles with multiple warheads, four SS-19 silo fields totaling 250 missiles with multiple warheads, and ninety-two SS-24 missiles of which thirty-six are mounted on trains. All except the SS-24 were being phased out in favor of the SS-25 Topol.
The composition of missiles and warheads of the Strategic Rocket Forces must be revealed as part of the START II treaty exchange. The latest date of exchange was January 1, 2005.
The Strategic Rocket Forces operate four distinct missile systems. The oldest system is the R-36M / SS-18 Satan which is capable of carrying ten warheads. 85 remain in service, although plans to retire the older of the two versions in service, the R-36MUTTH, will leave 40 of the less aged R-36M2 in service past 2020. The other missile capable of carrying a MIRV warhead is the UR-100NUTTH or SS-19 as it is known to NATO, with 129 in service with up to six warheads each. The most numerous missile serving is the Topol or SS-25, a road-mobile missile. Despite over 300 in service, they are reaching the end of their service lives and are due for replacement.
The only new missile entering service is the Topol-M, or SS-27, and can be either silo-based or road-mobile. Deployment has begun with the announcement of the first operational unit, but full-scale entry into service is expected from 2006.
Organizationally, the Strategic Rocket Forces are divided into three Missile Armies, each with constituent Missile Divisions at each missile base. The commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces is Colonel General Nikolay Solovtsov, appointed on April 27, 2001 by President Vladimir Putin. Order of battle of the forces is as follows:
27th Guards Missile Army (HQ: Vladimir)
7th Guards Missile Division at Vypolzovo with 18 Topol
10th Guards Missile Division at Kostromo completing liquidation
14th Missile Division at Yoshkar-Ola with 27 Topol
28th Guards Missile Division at Kozelsk with 60 UR-100NUTTH
54th Guards Missile Division at Teykovo with 36 Topol
60th Missile Division at Tatischevo with 69 UR-100NUTTH and 40 Topol-M
31st Missile Army (HQ: Rostoshi)
8th Missile Division at Yur'ya with 27 Topol
13th Missile Division at Dombarovskiy with 46 R-36M
42nd Missile Division at Nizhniy Tagil with 36 Topol
59th Missile Division at Kartaly completing liquidation
33rd Guards Missile Army (HQ: Omsk)
23rd Guards Missile Division at Kansk with 45 Topol
35th Missile Division at Barnaul with 36 Topol
39th Guards Missile Division at Novosibirsk with 45 Topol
51st Guards Missile Division at Irkutsk with 36 Topol
62nd Missile Division at Uzhur with 40 R-36M
Strategic Rocket forces.
A regiment of new Topol-M state of the art ICBMs entered service to the occasion .
In 1989 the Strategic Rocket Forces had over 1,400 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), 300 launch control centers, and twenty-eight missile bases. The Soviet Union had six types of operational ICBMs; about 50 % were heavy SS-18 and SS-19 ICBMs, which carried 80 % of the country's land-based ICBM warheads. In 1989 the Soviet Union was also producing new mobile, and hence survivable, ICBMs. A reported 100 road-mobile SS-25 missiles were operational, and the rail-mobile SS-24 was being deployed.
The Strategic Rocket Forces also operated SS-20 intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) and SS-4 medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs). Two-thirds of the road-mobile Soviet SS-20 force was based in the western Soviet Union and was aimed at Western Europe. One-third was located east of the Ural Mountains and was targeted primarily against China. Older SS-4 missiles were deployed at fixed sites in the western Soviet Union. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), signed in December 1987, called for the elimination of all 553 Soviet SS-20 and SS-4 missiles within three years. As of mid-1989, over 50 % of SS-20 and SS-4 missiles had been eliminated.
Russia continued the reduction in strategic missile inventory required under START I, although at a pace slower than the United States would like. By mid-1996 all nuclear warheads on former Soviet SRF missiles in Kazakstan and Ukraine had been returned to Russia or destroyed, and all missiles left Belarus by the end of 1996.
The Russian SRF missile inventory not only is shrinking in response to treaty requirements but also is changing in character. The new Topol-M is the only system suited to Russian strategic requirements and acceptable under the requirements of START I, so rocket production efforts will concentrate on this model for the foreseeable future. The SS-25 Topol was fielded in SRF regiments comprising three battalions totaling nine launch vehicles. In 1996 forty such regiments were operational. Several older operational ICBM systems also remained in the field. These included an SS-17 regiment of ten silos, six SS-18 silo fields totaling 222 missiles with multiple warheads, four SS-19 silo fields totaling 250 missiles with multiple warheads, and ninety-two SS-24 missiles of which thirty-six are mounted on trains. All except the SS-24 were being phased out in favor of the SS-25 Topol.
The composition of missiles and warheads of the Strategic Rocket Forces must be revealed as part of the START II treaty exchange. The latest date of exchange was January 1, 2005.
The Strategic Rocket Forces operate four distinct missile systems. The oldest system is the R-36M / SS-18 Satan which is capable of carrying ten warheads. 85 remain in service, although plans to retire the older of the two versions in service, the R-36MUTTH, will leave 40 of the less aged R-36M2 in service past 2020. The other missile capable of carrying a MIRV warhead is the UR-100NUTTH or SS-19 as it is known to NATO, with 129 in service with up to six warheads each. The most numerous missile serving is the Topol or SS-25, a road-mobile missile. Despite over 300 in service, they are reaching the end of their service lives and are due for replacement.
The only new missile entering service is the Topol-M, or SS-27, and can be either silo-based or road-mobile. Deployment has begun with the announcement of the first operational unit, but full-scale entry into service is expected from 2006.
Organizationally, the Strategic Rocket Forces are divided into three Missile Armies, each with constituent Missile Divisions at each missile base. The commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces is Colonel General Nikolay Solovtsov, appointed on April 27, 2001 by President Vladimir Putin. Order of battle of the forces is as follows:
27th Guards Missile Army (HQ: Vladimir)
7th Guards Missile Division at Vypolzovo with 18 Topol
10th Guards Missile Division at Kostromo completing liquidation
14th Missile Division at Yoshkar-Ola with 27 Topol
28th Guards Missile Division at Kozelsk with 60 UR-100NUTTH
54th Guards Missile Division at Teykovo with 36 Topol
60th Missile Division at Tatischevo with 69 UR-100NUTTH and 40 Topol-M
31st Missile Army (HQ: Rostoshi)
8th Missile Division at Yur'ya with 27 Topol
13th Missile Division at Dombarovskiy with 46 R-36M
42nd Missile Division at Nizhniy Tagil with 36 Topol
59th Missile Division at Kartaly completing liquidation
33rd Guards Missile Army (HQ: Omsk)
23rd Guards Missile Division at Kansk with 45 Topol
35th Missile Division at Barnaul with 36 Topol
39th Guards Missile Division at Novosibirsk with 45 Topol
51st Guards Missile Division at Irkutsk with 36 Topol
62nd Missile Division at Uzhur with 40 R-36M
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