The Russian strategic forces of nuclear deterrence, as in the United States, consist of ground (silo and mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles), naval (strategic missile submarines) and aviation components (long-range bombers with cruise missiles and nuclear bombs).
As of June 22, 2013, according to information within the framework of data exchange under the START-3 Treaty, the strategic nuclear forces (SNF) of Russia included 448 combat-ready (but not necessarily deployed) strategic carriers capable of carrying 2,323 nuclear warheads.
The deployed carriers carried 1,480 nuclear warheads, tk. not all SLBMs on nuclear submarines are equipped with the "standard" number of nuclear warheads, and the Kh-55 cruise missiles on strategic missile-carrying bombers are not deployed at all, but are "in storage points" separate from the aircraft.
Two years earlier, our country had 492 deployed strategic delivery vehicles, i.e. in 2 years the number of delivery vehicles decreased by 10%. The reduction in the number of Russian nuclear weapons continues quite intensively. From 2005 to 2008, 337 ICBMs / SLBMs were dismantled. Until 2020, it is planned to dispose of 399 ICBMs and SLBMs and 260 silos / SPUs. The reduction of Russian nuclear charges and delivery vehicles is proceeding at a much higher pace than provided for by the agreement with the United States. In addition, unlike the American side, our country does not have a significant return potential of nuclear warheads.
Silo UR-100NUTTH of the 28th Guards Missile Division in the Kozelsk area
Strategic Missile Forces are the most formidable and combat-ready part of the Russian nuclear triad. The Strategic Missile Forces are armed with mobile and silo-based land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.
ShPU R-36 M UTTH of the 13th missile division, Orenburg region
The Strategic Missile Forces include 311 missile systems capable of carrying 1,078 nuclear warheads. Currently, the Strategic Missile Forces are armed with 52 heavy missiles R-36M2 (SS-18), 40 missiles UR-100NUTTKh (SS-19), 108 mobile soil complexes Topol (SS-25), 60 complexes Topol-M silo-based (SS -27), 18 Topol-M (SS-27) mobile complexes and 33 new mobile complexes with the RS-24 Yars missile.
Silo Topol-M, 27th Guards Missile Army, Saratov Region
The Strategic Rocket Forces are the only branch of the Russian Armed Forces in which the army-divisional structure is completely preserved, modified or abolished in other branches and branches of the armed forces.
Hangars for mobile RT-2PM "Topol", ZATO "Ozerny" Tver region
Ground-based strategic ICBMs as part of the Strategic Missile Forces are deployed in the positional areas of 11 missile divisions of three missile armies. The headquarters of the Strategic Missile Forces is located in the village of Vlasikha, Moscow Region.
As the R-36M UTTKh / R-36M2 and UR-100N UTTKh ICBMs are withdrawn from combat duty, it is planned to replace them with the RS-24 Yars. It should be noted that this replacement is not equivalent. The RS-24 Yars ICBM carries 3 warheads, and the R-36M2 carries 10 warheads. In this regard, it is planned to develop a new heavy rocket.
The Russian Navy includes 7 SSBNs of projects 667BDR and 667BDRM built in 1979-1990.
SSBN TK-208 "Dmitry Donskoy" was modernized on pr. 941UM. The boat is used for testing the D-30 Bulava-M complex, for which two launchers have been converted to R-30 ballistic missiles. The rest of the Project 941 SSBNs were withdrawn from the fleet.
SSBN "Dmitry Donskoy" pr. 941UM in Severodvinsk
On January 10, 2013, a solemn ceremony of raising the flag took place on the new generation nuclear-powered submarine, project 955 Yuri Dolgoruky, which marked the transfer of the boat to the fleet. The ship is enlisted in the 31st submarine division of the Northern Fleet, based in Gadzhievo.
SSBN pr. 955 "Borey" during the repair in Severodvinsk, the covers of the missile silos are open
The second submarine of this type, "Alexander Nevsky", was handed over to the fleet on December 23, 2013. The ship was enlisted in the 25th submarine division of the Pacific Fleet, based in Vilyuchinsk.
The main weapons of these ships are 16 launchers of the D-30 complex with R-30 Bulava SLBM missiles. The Bulava launch range is up to 9300 km. It can carry up to 10 individually guided warheads.
Russian strategic missile submarines have two permanent bases: Gadzhievo in the Northern Fleet, and Rybachy in the Pacific Fleet.
SSBN pr. 667BDRM in Gadzhievo
In Gadzhievo, located on the Kola Peninsula, the operating five SSBNs of the project 667BDRM "Dolphin" are based, which are equipped with a total of 80 launchers of R-29RM missiles.
Not far away in Roslyakovo there is a repair base where SSBNs of the Northern Fleet are being repaired and maintained.
SSBN pr. 667BDRM in dry dock in Roslyakovo
At Rybachye, not far from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, nuclear submarines of the Pacific Fleet are based. There, in between trips, there are two boats of the project 667BDR "Kalmar". Currently, the 667BDR missile carriers have 32 R-29R missiles.
In the same place in Rybachye, on the other side of the bay, there is a complex for maintenance and repair of submarines.
SSBN pr. 667BDR in Rybachye
The strategic aviation is armed with 66 heavy bombers, which were armed with about 200 long-range cruise missiles. This number includes 11 Tu-160 bombers and 55 Tu-95MS bombers.
The Tu-95MS strategic bomber is equipped with turboprop engines. The bomber's strike armament consists of six Kh-55 long-range cruise missiles located in the bomb bay. The bomber variant, designated Tu-95MS16, can additionally carry up to 10 cruise missiles placed on pylons under the wings, but the range of the bomber is significantly reduced.
The Tu-160 strategic bomber is the most powerful strike aircraft complex in the world. The strike armament of the supersonic bomber consists of 12 Kh-55 long-range cruise missiles placed in the bomb bay. Following the modernization program currently under way, the bombers will be capable of carrying free-fall bombs and non-nuclear cruise missiles.
Bombers Tu-95MS and Tu-160 at Engels airfield
The main location of Russian long-range aviation is the 6950th Guards Aviation Base in the city of Engels (Saratov Region). It includes two regiments of heavy bombers: the 121st Guards regiment with Tu-160 bombers and the 184th regiment with Tu-95MS bombers.
Tu-95MS, Ukrainka airfield, Amur region
The rest of the Tu-95MS are based in the Far East, in the Amur region, at the 6952th aviation base located at the Ukrainka airfield.
Traditionally, strategic defense includes anti-missile defense systems, missile attack warning systems, and space control.
Information from satellites of the missile attack warning system is received and processed in real time at the western command post Serpukhov-15 (village Kurilovo, Kaluga region) and the eastern command post located in the Komsomolsk-on-Amur region.
Western CP SPRN in the Kaluga region
The ground component of the Missile Attack Warning System (EWS) are radars that control outer space. For this, radars such as "Daryal", "Volga" and "Voronezh" are used.
Radar station "Daryal", in the vicinity of Pechora
The bulky and energy-intensive stations of the old type should be replaced by a new generation of Voronezh radar stations, which are built in a year and a half (previously it took 5 to 10 years).
The newest Russian radars of the Voronezh family are capable of detecting ballistic, space and aerodynamic objects. There are options that work in the meter and decimeter wavelengths. The basis of the radar is a phased array antenna, a pre-fabricated module for personnel and several containers with electronic equipment, which allows you to quickly and cost-effectively upgrade the station during operation.
Radar station Voronezh-M, Lekhtusi, Leningrad Region (object 4524, military unit 73845)
Radar station Voronezh-DM, Kaliningrad region
Adopting Voronezh into service allows not only to significantly expand the capabilities of missile and space defense, but also to concentrate the ground grouping of the missile attack warning system on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Positions of radar early warning systems and their sectors of view
To cover potentially dangerous areas in terms of missile attack, it is planned to put 12 radars of this type on alert. The new radar stations will operate in both meter and decimeter ranges, which will expand the capabilities of the Russian missile attack warning system. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation intends to completely replace, within the framework of the state armament program until 2020, all Soviet radars for early warning missile launches.
The A-135 missile defense system deployed around Moscow is operated by a missile defense division. The command and measurement point of the missile defense system, combined with the Don-2N radar, is located in the city of Sofrino, Moscow region.
Radar Don-2N
53T6 anti-missile silos are located next to the radar.
The Moscow missile defense system includes the Don-2N radar, a command and measurement point and antimissiles of 68 53T6 (Gazelle) missiles designed to intercept in the atmosphere. 32 51T6 (Gorgon) missiles, designed to intercept outside the atmosphere, have been removed from the system. Russian interceptors, in contrast to the American ones with a kinetic warhead, are equipped with nuclear charges.
Anti-missile silos 53T6 in Ascherino
The interceptor missiles are located in silo launchers located in positional areas around Moscow. Close intercept missiles are located in five positional areas - Ascherino (16 launchers), Oboldino (16), Korolev (12), Vnukovo (12) and Sofrino (12).
Anti-missile silos 53T6 in Vnukovo
Long-range intercept missiles with megaton thermonuclear warheads were deployed in two units, based in Naro-Fominsk-10 and Sergiev Posad-15, at the moment they have been removed from combat duty and unloaded from the mines.
Radar and anti-missile silos 51T6 in Naro-Fominsk-10
The outer space control system includes the Okno optoelectronic complex in Nurek (Tajikistan), which makes it possible to detect objects at altitudes up to 40,000 km. The complex began work at the end of 1999. The facilities of the complex make it possible to process data, determine the parameters of movement of objects and transfer them to the appropriate command posts.
Complex "Window" in Tajikistan
For this purpose, the radio engineering unit "Krona" is also used not far from the village of Storozhevaya in Karachay-Cherkessia. The unit includes specialized radars of decimeter and centimeter ranges. The Krona system consists of an early warning radar and an optical tracking system. It is designed to identify and track satellites. The Krona system is able to classify satellites by type.
Part of the complex "Krona" with decimeter radar, Karachay-Cherkessia
The system consists of three main components:
- Decimeter phased array radar for target identification
-CM-band radar with parabolic antenna for target classification
-Optical system combining an optical telescope with a laser system
Part of the "Krona" complex with a centimeter radar and a laser rangefinder, Karachay-Cherkessia
The Krona system has a range of 3,200 kilometers and can detect targets in orbit at altitudes up to 40,000 kilometers. A similar complex is being created in the Far East in the Fokino region. The system located in Primorye is sometimes called "Krona-N", it is represented only by a decimeter radar with a phased antenna array.
Complex of the system "Krona" in the Primorsky Territory
At present, Russian nuclear forces, space control facilities and missile attack warnings are the guarantors of the country's independence and territorial integrity. They, despite the ongoing processes of reforming the armed forces, remain the most combat-ready and formidable part of them, capable of crushing any aggressor.
At the same time, this should not be a reason for complacency, the processes of degradation, physical and moral aging of equipment and weapons have also affected this vital part of the Russian army. Against the background of the development of the American national missile defense system and technical improvement with a simultaneous increase in the number of Chinese nuclear weapons, urgent measures are required that can fend off new threats and give a new impetus to the development of Russian strategic forces.
