As part of the modernization of the army, the strategic nuclear forces are currently being updated. This part of the armed forces, which is one of the main elements of the country's defense, needs timely renewal, which will allow it to maintain the required combat capability. By the end of this decade, it is planned to almost completely replace the existing weapons and equipment.
On April 30, the General Designer of Strategic Missile Systems, Hero of Labor, Yuri Solomonov, met with Moscow schoolchildren. During this event, Yuri Solomonov recalled that nuclear weapons, despite their enormous destructive power, are the guarantors of peace. It is for this reason that the country's military and political leadership pays great influence to the development of strategic nuclear forces and maintaining parity with a potential adversary. To ensure the country's security, it is necessary to ensure the reliability of nuclear weapons. To this end, several new projects were launched, which later led to the emergence of new models of missile systems.
Yuri Solomonov believes that all existing plans for the development of strategic nuclear forces are being successfully fulfilled, which will make it possible in the future to ensure parity with the main probable adversary - the United States. According to Yuri Solomonov, already in 2018 Russia and the United States, fulfilling the terms of the START-3 Treaty, will achieve absolute parity.
It should be noted that the expected parity is primarily associated with existing international agreements. The United States and the Russian Federation signed the Treaty on Measures to Further Reduce and Limit Strategic Offensive Arms, or START III, in 2010. In accordance with this agreement, the two countries must bring their strategic nuclear forces in line with certain conditions by 2018. In 2018, both countries should have 700 deployed nuclear weapons carriers. The total number of media should not exceed 800 units. Deployed carriers can carry no more than 1,550 nuclear warheads.
In accordance with the terms of the START-3 treaty, the United States and Russia exchange information on the number of carriers and warheads twice a year. Information is transmitted on the quantitative aspects of the strategic nuclear forces as of March 1 and September 1. Some time after the transfer of data, the American side publishes information about the nuclear arsenals of both countries. The last such report to date was published on April 1.
Currently, 785 carriers of all types are deployed in the United States. This number includes all ICBMs, submarine ballistic missiles and strategic bombers on duty. Only 515 carriers are currently deployed in Russia.
The total number of media at the moment is approximately equal. The American strategic nuclear forces have 898 delivery vehicles, and the Russian ones have 890.
Approximate parity is also observed in the case of the total number of deployed warheads. In the United States, deployed carriers are equipped with 1,597 warheads, in Russia - 1,582 warheads.
Over the past six months, since the exchange of data on September 1, 2014, the quantitative aspects of the strategic nuclear forces of the two countries have changed slightly. Last fall, the United States and Russia had 794 and 528 deployed vehicles, respectively. At the same time, the total number of carriers reached 912 (USA) and 911 (Russia) units. With regard to deployed warheads, Russia had a slight advantage, which was the reason for some joyful publications. The nuclear triad of Russia as of September 1 of last year had 1,643 deployed warheads. In the United States, only one less unit was deployed.
As you can see, in the past six months, the reduction of both carriers and warheads in service in the two countries has continued. This trend is explained by the fact that most of the published indicators still exceed the values established by the START III treaty. Thus, both the US and Russia will have to continue downsizing to meet the terms of the treaty.
Nevertheless, reductions in the framework of the contract have been going on for several years, as a result of which deviations from the terms of the contract are now not too large. So, over the next few years, the Americans will have to remove 85 deployed carriers from duty and reduce the total number of all carriers by 98 units. In addition, 47 deployed warheads are to be sent to warehouses.
Russia will also have to reduce the number of weapons. It is necessary to reduce the number of deployed warheads by 32 units. In addition, you will have to get rid of 90 media. It is noteworthy that until 2018 Russia may not only not reduce, but also increase the number of deployed carriers. At the moment, the strategic nuclear forces keep 515 missiles and bombers on alert, while the START-3 treaty allows them to increase their number to 700.
Thus, the United States will have to take off duty and decommission a certain number of carriers and nuclear warheads over the next few years. Russia will also be forced to reduce the total number of delivery vehicles and the number of deployed warheads. At the same time, there is a certain "reserve" that can be used to optimize strategic nuclear forces. Until 2018, the Russian military has the right to deploy 185 additional carriers.
Using the available opportunities, as well as simply fulfilling the terms of the existing treaty, Russia can really achieve parity with the United States in quantitative terms. It is noteworthy that the current situation allows the Russian military not only to reduce arsenals, but also to develop them by developing and building new carriers. With the correct use of the available possibilities, the assumptions of Yu. Solomonov may well come true. By 2018, the two countries can really equalize in terms of the quantitative aspects of their strategic nuclear forces.
Currently, the strategic nuclear forces of Russia are armed with delivery vehicles of various types. The newest carriers of nuclear weapons can be considered ballistic missiles "Yars" and "Bulava", intended for the Strategic Missile Forces and submarines of the Navy. In addition, in the near future, new missiles should enter service, which will form the basis of the strategic missile forces for the next few decades.
According to domestic media reports, on March 18, the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering and the Strategic Missile Forces conducted another test launch of the new RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. According to some reports, in the future the Rubezh complex in a mobile soil configuration will replace the existing Topol and Topol-M systems.
The commander-in-chief of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel-General Sergei Karakaev, previously stated that the RS-26 Rubezh missile system would be put into service next year. At the end of 2015, the new complex will be shown to specialists from the United States, as required by the existing agreements in the field of strategic weapons.
Over the next few years, the development of another intercontinental ballistic missile for the Strategic Missile Forces, known under the symbol "Sarmat", will continue. According to reports, the new missile will belong to the heavy class. Its purpose is to replace obsolete products of the R-36M family in the troops. The Rocket Forces have a significant number of R-36M missiles and their modifications, but over the next few years they will need to be replaced with new weapons of a similar purpose.
For obvious reasons, it is not yet known how many missiles of this or that new type will be built and handed over to the Strategic Missile Forces. In addition, making assumptions and the prospects of missile forces and their weapons, it should be borne in mind that the new "Rubezhi" and "Sarmatians", among other things, are intended to replace the missiles in service. Thus, the setting on duty of new products will be associated with the removal of old ones. This does not allow us to believe that the number of deployed missiles will seriously increase.
It should not be forgotten that the main task of the armed forces and the defense industry at the present time is not an increase in the number of certain weapons, but an increase in the share of new systems. Thus, at least one of the main goals of new projects is the renewal of arsenals and the fleet of equipment. In the case of strategic missile forces and other components of the nuclear triad, our country, observing all existing agreements, has the ability to both renew and build up arsenals. It is necessary to seize this opportunity and develop strategic nuclear forces to ensure the country's security.
