Russia continues to modernize the material part of the armed forces. Along with other branches of the armed forces, strategic missile forces are receiving new weapons and military equipment. The Strategic Missile Forces are an important part of the strategic nuclear forces, and their development is one of the highest priority tasks. At present, it is the missile forces that carry out the main work on the nuclear deterrence of a potential adversary. The Strategic Missile Forces account for about half of all deployed nuclear warheads, which is why in the near future this type of military will remain the main part of the so-called. nuclear triad.
At the end of November, Russian President V. Putin announced some data on the progress of rearmament of the Strategic Missile Forces and on the future of these troops. So, in 2013, two regiments received new mobile missile systems "Yars". Delivery of another 22 complexes of this model is planned for the next year. Over the next few years, Yars missiles are to replace obsolete types of items that are being removed from duty. It is assumed that in the near future the Strategic Missile Forces of Russia will end the operation of the R-36M2 Voevoda and UR-100N UTTH missiles. There are currently several dozen such missiles with expiring service lives in the military.
Thus, in the short term, the strategic missile forces will retain three types of missile systems: RT-2PM Topol, RT-2PM2 Topol-M and RS-24 Yars. At the same time, the share of new missiles will continue to grow. So, in the middle of last year it was reported that the share of the Topol-M and Yars complexes is about a third of the total. For this reason, the continuation of the construction and supply of new models of missiles to the troops should accordingly affect the quantitative aspects of the range of systems used.
An important feature of the new Yars missiles is the multiple warheads used on them with individual targeting warheads. This means that the rocket of the new model, in contrast to the old Topol or Topol-M, equipped with a monoblock warhead, is capable of attacking several targets at once. According to various sources, the RS-24 Yars missile carries from three to six warheads with a capacity of 150-300 kilotons.
It should be noted that the use of a multiple warhead is associated with some technical difficulties, and also affects the likelihood of completing a combat mission: when the missile is destroyed in the active phase of the trajectory, several warheads will not be delivered to the targets at once. Nevertheless, a multiple warhead with individual guidance units is considered a convenient and suitable for mass exploitation option for equipping intercontinental ballistic missiles.
An interesting fact is that foreign military personnel and specialists overseeing the upgrade of the Russian strategic missile forces do not panic. The ongoing delivery of new missiles with higher characteristics to the troops is the expected and natural result of the implementation of the current programs. Statements and assessments of foreign experts are restrained and short. The renewal of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces is called an expected process, which, nevertheless, must be paid attention to, maintaining parity in the quantity and quality of strategic weapons and observing the terms of international treaties.
At the same time, another point of view is voiced, according to which the leading countries of the world, primarily the United States, should consider the renewal of the Russian missile forces as a cause for alarm. Finally, there are frequent calls to take action against the arming Russia. However, such statements are more like a banal hysteria or an attempt to build a sensation out of the blue in order to raise your rating.
An important feature of the foreign reaction to the rearmament of the Strategic Missile Forces of Russia is the fact that any statements by experts, journalists or people interested in this topic will remain private opinion. Foreign countries, primarily the United States, with which Russia is bound by several treaties in the field of strategic nuclear weapons, have no serious grounds for official claims. Russia fully complies with the terms of the existing treaties.
In accordance with START III, Russia can have 800 carriers of nuclear weapons, 700 of which can be simultaneously deployed. According to information published this fall, the number of Russian carriers does not exceed 900 units, and less than 500 are on duty. Thus, our country has a solid reserve for the modernization of the strategic nuclear forces in general and the strategic missile forces in particular.
In recent years, US officials have proposed several times again to reduce the permissible number of nuclear weapons and their carriers. These initiatives did not receive support from the Russian side, which is why, in the foreseeable future, our country will have to comply with the restrictions imposed by the existing START III treaty. As long as Russia fully complies with all its obligations, other states have no cause for accusations.
With such a development of events, the foreign nuclear powers can only analyze the state of their nuclear forces, think over ways of their renewal and modernization, and also fulfill the terms of the treaties. In doing so, however, the United States or other nuclear powers will have to take into account the development of Russian nuclear forces and the Strategic Missile Forces in particular. As for Russia, it can calmly continue to implement its plans, but at the same time it must abide by its obligations. As the events of recent years show, our country has decided to use this opportunity and renew its nuclear shield.
