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Russian Armed Forces Gallery And Discussion Thread
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19/ 09/ 2008
Russian strategic bombers return home from Venezuela
MOSCOW, September 19 (RIA Novosti) - Two Russian Tu-160 Blackjackstrategic bombers returned to their base in central Russia early onFriday after a 15-hour flight home from Venezuela, a Russian Air Forcespokesman said.
"After a 15-hour flight two Tu-160 strategic bombers landed at theirhome base in Engels at 01.16 Moscow time on Friday [09.16 GMTThursday], Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said.
The bombers arrived in Venezuela on September 10 and were accompaniedby NATO fighters during their 13-hour flight to the South Americancountry.
According to Drik, the bombers were carrying dummy missiles withoutwarheads and their primary mission was to practice patrol sorties in atropical climate.
The journey back to Russia was the longest flight in the history ofRussian strategic patrols, and was conducted over neutral waters in theAtlantic and the Arctic oceans. During the flight, the aircraftconducted night-time aerial refueling for the first time in recentyears.
Commenting on the results of the patrol mission, the deputy commanderof the Russian Air Force's strategic aviation, Maj. Gen. AlexanderAfinogentov said the experience of the mission would help reassess thecapabilities of Tu-160 bombers and hone the crews' skills in prolongedinstrumental flights.
Russia resumed strategic bomber patrol flights over the Pacific,Atlantic and Arctic oceans last August, following an order signed bythen-president Vladimir Putin. Russian bombers have since carried outmore than 90 strategic patrol flights and have often been escorted byNATO planes.
Russia has repeatedly stated that all strategic patrol have beenperformed in strict accordance with international rules on the use ofairspace over neutral waters, without violating the borders of otherstates.
In addition, Russia's Foreign Ministry earlier said that the landing ofstrategic bombers in Venezuela did not mean that Russia had establisheda military base in the South American country.
"Russia does not have military bases in Latin America," AndreiNesterenko, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said. "The landing atthe Venezuelan airbase was carried out in line with prior agreementsbetween Russia and Venezuela."
U.S. State Secretary Condoleezza Rice was biting in her remarks onThursday concerning a patrol carried out along the South American coastby the Russian bombers during their mission.
"We are confident that our ties with our neighbors ... will in no waybe diminished by a few aging Blackjack bombers visiting one of LatinAmerica's few autocracies," she said.
The Tu-160 supersonic bomber with variable geometry wings has been manufactured since 1984 and was adopted by the Air Force in 1987.
The bomber is designed to strike strategic targets with nuclear andconventional weapons deep in continental theatres of operation.
The aircraft has all-weather, day-and-night capability and can operateat all geographical latitudes. Its two internal rotary launchers caneach hold 6 Raduga Kh-55 cruise missiles or 12 Raduga Kh-15 short-rangenuclear missiles.
Russia currently has 16 modernized Tu-160 bombers in service with thestrategic aviation. They feature a new set of fire-control systems,overhauled navigation equipment and avionics.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080919/116949143.html |
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14/ 10/ 2008
Russian strategic bombers complete week-long drills
MOSCOW, October 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russian strategic bombers havesuccessfully completed a series of large-scale, week-long exercises,the Long-Range Aviation commander said on Tuesday.
The drills, part of the Stability 2008 strategic command and staffexercises, were conducted on October 6 through 12 under the commandCol. Gen. Alexander Zelin, Air Force commander, involving over 30warplanes.
"A total of 40 sorties have been flown with an aggregate of 300 flying hours clocked," Maj. Gen. Pavel Androsov said.The Stability-2008 maneuvers are being conducted in various parts ofRussia and Belarus with the goal of practicing strategic deployment ofthe Armed Forces, including the nuclear triad, to counter potentialthreats near Russia's borders. They started on September 22 and willlast until October 21.
Russian strategic bombers, Tu-160 Blackjacks and Tu-95MS Bear-Hs, haveflown with full combat payloads and launched all of theirstandard-issue cruise missiles for the first time in over two decades.
Tu-95MS and Tu-160 aircraft can carry six and 12 Kh-55 (AS-15 Kent) long-range cruise missiles, respectively.
The Air Force has said the scope of the exercise is unprecedented,involving the Tu-22M3 Backfire strategic bombers, air superiorityfighters, interceptors and aerial tankers.
According to various sources, in addition to 16 Tu-160 bombers theRussian Air Force currently has 40 Tu-95MS bombers and 141 Tu-22M3bombers in service.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081014/117727246.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 02:19 AM ] |
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15/ 10/ 2008
Ex-Soviet states to hold joint air defense drills in 2009
ST. PETERSBURG, October 15 (RIA Novosti) - Members of theCommonwealth of Independent States have agreed to conduct joint airdefense exercises in the summer of 2009, the Russian defense ministersaid on Wednesday.
"The joint exercises with live firing, dubbed Combat Commonwealth-2009,will be held in June-September 2009," Anatoly Serdyukov told a newsconference after a meeting of CIS defense ministers.
The Council of CIS defense ministers held its 55th meeting in St.Petersburg on Wednesday, focusing on the role and activities of thecollective CIS peacekeeping force in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflictzone, and improving the integrated air defense system of CIS countries.
The CIS, a loose alliance of former Soviet states, comprises Russia,Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Moldova,Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Ukraine is a founding and participatingcountry but technically not a member state. Turkmenistan holdsassociate status.
An integrated air defense network was set up by 10 CIS member countries on February 10, 1995.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081015/117749210.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 02:20 AM ] |
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15/ 10/ 2008
CIS defense ministers to meet in St. Petersburg
ST. PETERSBURG, October 15 (RIA Novosti) - The Council of CISdefense ministers will hold its 55th meeting in St. Petersburg onWednesday, a spokesman for the alliance's executive committee said.
During the meeting defense ministry officials from theRussian-dominated Commonwealth of Independent States are expected toconsider around 20 defense cooperation issues.
The defense ministers will also focus on ways of improving the united air defense system of CIS countries.In the light of developments in the North Caucasus, CIS members willalso review the role and activity of the collective CIS peacekeepingforce in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict zone.
The CIS, a loose alliance of former Soviet states, comprises Russia,Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Moldova,Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Ukraine is a founding and participatingcountry but technically not a member state. Turkmenistan holdsassociate status.
http://en.rian.ru/world/20081015/117739640.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 02:20 AM ] |
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24/ 09/ 2008
Russia's Northern Fleet joins Russia-Belarus war games
MOSCOW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - Naval task groups from Russia'sNorthern Fleet have joined large-scale Russia-Belarus militaryexercises now in their third day, the fleet's press service said onWednesday.
The Stability-2008 drills will last until October 21 in various regionsof Russia and Belarus with the goal of practicing strategic deploymentof the Armed Forces, including the nuclear triad, to counter potentialthreats near the Russian border.
"Various warships, nuclear-powered and diesel submarines, navalaviation and coastal troops from the Northern Fleet will participate inthe exercises," the press service said in a statement.
The naval units will practice strategic deployment and interoperabilityof various units in missions in territorial waters, exclusive economiczones and specific regions of the world's oceans, the document said.
The Northern Fleet is the most capable part of the Russian Navydefending the country's territory beyond the Arctic Circle. About twothirds of all the Russian Navy's nuclear force is in service with thefleet.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080924/117077968.html |
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29/ 09/ 2008
Russian warships to hold drills in northern Atlantic
SEVEROMORSK, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's warshipscurrently on a long-range sortie to the Caribbean will conduct a numberof exercises in the Atlantic Ocean, a Northern Fleet spokesman said onMonday.
A naval task group from the Northern Fleet, comprising thenuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy (Peter the Great), thelarge ASW ship Admiral Chabanenko, and support ships, left a naval basein northern Russia on September 22 and is currently in the northernAtlantic, having covered a distance of 1,000 nautical miles (2,000 km)in a week.
"The ships from the task group will hold a number of air defense andASW exercises, and also various communications and maneuvering drills,"Capt. 1st Rank Igor Babenko said.
During the current tour of duty the Russian warships will alsoparticipate in joint naval exercises with the Venezuelan navy in theCaribbean on November 10-14, in line with the 2008 training program,and in order to expand military cooperation with foreign navies.
During the entire mission, the task group is expected to cover a distance of 15,000 nautical miles (30,000 km).
According to the Russian Navy, the movements of the convoy are closelymonitored by the U.K. HMS Argyll frigate and NATO aircraft.
Russia announced last year that its Navy had resumed and would build upa constant presence in different regions of the world's oceans.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080929/117265522.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 01:03 AM ] |
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Russian warships head to the Caribbean
A Russian naval task force departed Monday on a tour of duty in theAtlantic Ocean, including joint naval drills with the Venezuelan navyin November
"A naval task force from the Northern Fleet, comprising thenuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, the large ASW shipAdmiral Chabanenko, and support ships, left the Severomorsk base earlyMonday to conduct training exercises in the Atlantic," Capt. 1st RankIgor Dygalo said.
Pyotr Velikiy is a Kirov (Orlan) class nuclear-powered guided missileheavy cruiser, which has practically unlimited operational range andcarries 20 SS-N-19 Shipwreck surface-to-surface missiles with eithernuclear or high-explosive warheads and about 500 surface-to-airmissiles of different types, supplemented by a large number of otherweaponry.
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Dygalo said that during the tour of duty the Russian warships wouldparticipate in joint naval exercises with the Venezuelan navy onNovember 10-14, in line with the 2008 training program and in order toexpand military cooperation with foreign navies.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez earlier confirmed that Venezuela wouldhold joint naval exercises with Russian warships in the Caribbean andsaid the Russian navy would receive a warm welcome in the LatinAmerican country. In the photo: Pyotr Velikiy nuclear-powered guidedmissile heavy cruiser
The large ASW ship Admiral Chabanenko
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The large ASW ship Admiral Chabanenko leaving Severomorsk
Pyotr Velikiy nuclear-powered guided missile heavy cruiser
A task force from the Northern Fleet, consisting of the AdmiralKuznetsov aircraft carrier, the Udaloy-Class large AWS ships AdmiralLevchenko and Admiral Chabanenko, as well as auxiliary vessels,conducted from December 2007 to February 2008 a two-month tour of dutyin the Mediterranean Sea and North Atlantic.
http://en.rian.ru/photolents/20080923/117046881_9.html
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11/ 10/ 2008
Russian president observes record firing of Sineva ICBM
SEVEROMORSK, October 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President DmitryMedvedev joined the Northern Fleet on Saturday for military exercisesin the Barents Sea including a full-range test of the Sineva ballisticmissile.
Medvedev announced that the missile had traveled a record 11,547 km(7,170 miles), declaring it a serious part of the arsenal for some timeto come.
"It seems to me that practically all tasks that were set, weresuccessfully carried out," the president said, noting that data on thetest would have to be analyzed.
An aide to the Russian navy commander said it was the first time asubmarine had launched the Sineva ballistic missile to its maximumrange.
"For the first time in Navy history, the launch was not to the Kuratest range in Kamchatka [Russian Far East], but to the area of anequatorial part of the Pacific," Captain 1st rank Igor Dygalo said,adding that the launch was made to check the preparedness of navalstrategic nuclear forces.
The Sineva launch was made as part of the Dvina tactical exercises ofthe Russian Northern Fleet, which are also part of larger-scaleStability-2008 exercises conducted with Belarus that started inSeptember and will run until October 21.
Medvedev arrived Saturday along with Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukovand Navy Commander Adm. Vladimir Kuznetsov to observe the exercises.
The Barents Sea portion of the drills involves more than 5,000 military personnel, eight surface ships and five submarines.
The exercises test Russia's strategic and regional deterrent and thestructures of the Northern Fleet, particularly in relation to the navalstrategic nuclear forces.
The RSM-54 Sineva (NATO designation SS-N-23 Skiff) is athird-generation liquid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missilethat entered service with the Russian Navy in July 2007. It can carryfour or 10 nuclear warheads, depending on the modification.
Russia's Strategic Missile Forces said last year that Russia wouldconduct at least 11 test launches of intercontinental ballisticmissiles in 2008 and would double the number of launches after 2009 "toprevent the weakening of Russia's nuclear deterrent."
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081011/117682751.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 02:20 AM ] |
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11/ 10/ 2008
Russia's Dmitry Medvedev observes Barents Sea drills - 2
SEVEROMORSK, October 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President DmitryMedvedev joined the Northern Fleet on Saturday to observe militaryexercises in the Barents Sea including a full-range test of the Sinevaballistic missile.
Medvedev announced that the missile had traveled a record 11,547 km(7,170 miles), declaring it a serious part of the arsenal for some timeto come.
"It seems to me that practically all tasks that were set, weresuccessfully carried out," the president said, noting that data on thetest would have to be analyzed.
An aide to the Russian navy commander said it was the first time asubmarine had launched the Sineva ballistic missile to its maximumrange.
"For the first time in Navy history, the launch was not to the Kuratest range in Kamchatka [Russian Far East], but to the area of anequatorial part of the Pacific," Captain 1st rank Igor Dygalo said,adding that the launch was made to check the preparedness of navalstrategic nuclear forces.
The Sineva launch was made as part of the Dvina tactical exercises ofthe Russian Northern Fleet, which are also part of larger-scaleStability-2008 exercises conducted with Belarus that started inSeptember and will run until October 21.
Medvedev arrived Saturday along with Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukovand Navy Commander Adm. Vladimir Kuznetsov to observe the exercises.
The Barents Sea portion of the drills involves more than 5,000 military personnel, eight surface ships and five submarines.
The exercises test Russia's strategic and regional deterrent and thestructures of the Northern Fleet, particularly in relation to the navalstrategic nuclear forces.
Medvedev said he had instructed the Defense Ministry to develop aprogram with the aim of starting to build aircraft carriers within twoyears.
"We need to build new aircraft carriers, this is a very importantdirection for the Navy's development," the president said. "All greatcountries with powerful navies develop in this way."
The RSM-54 Sineva (NATO designation SS-N-23 Skiff) is athird-generation liquid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missilethat entered service with the Russian Navy in July 2007. It can carryfour or 10 nuclear warheads, depending on the modification.
Russia's Strategic Missile Forces said last year that Russia wouldconduct at least 11 test launches of intercontinental ballisticmissiles in 2008 and would double the number of launches after 2009 "toprevent the weakening of Russia's nuclear deterrent."
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081011/117684418.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 02:21 AM ] |
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02/ 10/ 2008
Russian Navy to get 8 new-generation submarines by 2015
MOSCOW, October 2 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Navy will receive atleast eight new-generation submarines as part of a state armamentsprogram through 2015, its deputy commander said on Thursday.
"We have already built a new-generation nuclear powered submarine," Adm. Alexander Tatarinov said, without giving any details.
Asked how many warships would be built in total, he said that would depend on the Navy's needs."So far a series of eight warships are being planned - possibly more," he said.
The current 2007-2015 state armament program calls for the developmentof "across-the-board" new-generation weapon systems by 2011.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said last Thursday that themodernization of the Armed Forces needed to move faster, with prioritybeing given to new, advanced weaponry and improvement of conditions forservice personnel.
"We are planning to launch large-scale production of warships,primarily nuclear submarines with cruise missiles, and multi-purposeattack submarines," Medvedev said.
Russia, with a current defense budget of $40 billion, is reportedlyplanning to increase its defense spending by 50% in the next threeyears.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081002/117393965.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 02:21 AM ] |
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18/ 09/ 2008
Russia scraps another six Topol systems under START-1 treaty
MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has dismantled anothersix outdated Topol mobile ballistic missile systems under a majorinternational treaty on strategic arms reduction, the Strategic MissileForces said in a statement on Thursday.
"We scrapped six outdated Topol mobile systems. This is the third such procedure conducted this year," the statement said.
The first two batches totaling 12 Topol systems this year were scrappedin March and May. All of the systems were based in the Udmurt Republicin the eastern Urals.
The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-I) was signed by the UnitedStates and the Soviet Union on July 31, 1991, five months before theUnion collapsed, and remains in force between the U.S., Russia, andthree other ex-Soviet states.
Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine have since disposed of all theirnuclear weapons or transferred them to Russia, and the U.S. and Russiahave reduced the number of delivery vehicles to 1,600, with no morethan 6,000 warheads. The treaty is set to expire December 5, 2009.
Topol (SS-25 Sickle) is a single-warhead intercontinental ballisticmissile (ICBM) approximately the same size and shape as the U.S.Minuteman ICBM.
The first Topol missiles became operational in 1985, and at the timethe START I Treaty was signed, the Soviet Union had some 290 TopolICBMs deployed.
Although the service life of the SS-25 was extended to 21 years after aseries of successful test launches last year, the missile will beprogressively retired over the next decade and be replaced by a mobileversion of the Topol-M (SS-27 Sickle B) missile.
The Strategic Missile Forces press service earlier said 36 mobile TopolICBMs were dismantled in 2007 under close monitoring by U.S.inspectors.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080918/116915055.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 02:27 AM ] |
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28/ 08/ 2008
Russia's Topol ICBM hits target with new warhead in test launch
MOSCOW, August 28 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian Topol strategic missiletest-launched on Thursday from the Plesetsk space center hassuccessfully hit a designated target on the Kamchatka peninsula, aStrategic Missile Forces spokesman said.
A joint team from SMF and Space Forces fired an RS-12M (SS-25 Sickle)ICBM at 14.36 Moscow time (10.36 GMT) from the Plesetsk space center ina launch that tested not only the performance characteristics of themissile but also the capabilities of a new warhead to penetrate strongmissile defenses.
"An experimental warhead hit a target at a testing range on theKamchatka peninsula with high precision, demonstrating its capabilityto deliver pinpoint strikes on well-defended targets," Col. AlexanderVovk said.
The missile, whose service life was extended to 21 years last year,covered a distance of about 6,000 kilometers (over 3,700 miles) beforeit hit the target.
"The performance data gathered during the test launch will be used toincrease the effectiveness of future Russian mobile ballistic missileunits," Vovk said, adding that the Topol ICBM remains the core of theRussian mobile strategic missile forces.
Russia has been enhancing the performance characteristics of itsballistic missiles in response to U.S. plans to place a missile-defenseshield in central Europe near Russian borders.
Vovk said that judging from experience the most economical and quicklyachievable countermeasures against the deployment of missile-defensesystems are the so-called asymmetrical measures.
"These measures include enhanced "stealth" capability, a variability offlight trajectory and the use of warheads capable of penetrating anymissile shield," he said.
The RS-12M Topol has a maximum range of 10,000 km (6,125 miles) and can carry a single
550-kiloton nuclear warhead.
The missile was last tested on December 8, 2007.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080828/116349686.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 02:23 AM ] |
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12/ 09/ 2008
Russian submarines to test launch ballistic missiles in Pacific
PETROPAVLOVSK KAMCHATSKY, September 12 (RIA Novosti) - Strategicsubmarines from the Russian Pacific Fleet will conduct test launches ofballistic missiles at the Kura test site in Kamchatka on September15-20, a fleet source said on Friday.
"The launches will be conducted from the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea," he said.
The source did not specify the class of the submarines or the type ofmissiles to be launched. He said however the Pacific Fleet had informedauthorities in the Kamchatka Territory that the fleet would conduct onSeptember 15-20 test launches of ballistic missiles whose trajectorywould pass over the region.
According to open sources, Russia's Pacific Fleet has 4-5 active Delta-class strategic missile submarines.
One of the submarines, the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Delta III classSSBN, conducted a successful test firing of a ballistic missile fromthe Pacific Ocean at a target in the Arctic in August 2007.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080912/116740922.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 01:29 AM ] |
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25/ 09/ 2008
Russia successfully launches Bulava
MOSCOW. (Nikita Petrov for RIA Novosti) - On September 18, the heavyAkula-class Project 941 nuclear submarine cruiser Dmitry Donskoi(NATO's reporting name Typhoon), side number TK-208, launched anintercontinental ballistic missile, RSM-56 Bulava-M (NATO codeSS-NX-30).
The launch took place from a submerged position in the White Sea and,as a naval spokesman said, "the warhead arrived at the test site Kurain Kamchatka as scheduled." "Although telemetric data is still beingprocessed, it can be said that the launch and flight proceeded withouta hitch," and the missile successfully hit its intended target, headded.
The jury is still out on whether this is true or not. Tests of theBulava, a missile designed to be installed on the new Borei-classProject 955 nuclear-powered undersea cruiser Yury Dolgoruky and hersister ships Alexander Nevsky and Vladimir Monomakh currently underconstruction at Sevmash in Severodvinsk, the Arkhangelsk Region, areconducted amid tight secrecy. Information, whether good or bad, comesin drips and drabs, sometimes long after launches are made and fromunnamed and classified sources.
Russia's navy pins great hopes on the Bulava, which has been plagued byproblems for 15 years now. The missile is also the focus of intrigue,with some designers wishing it good luck and others good riddance.
The job of developing the new intercontinental missile system for anuclear submarine of the Borei class, laid out at Sevmash in 1996, wasgiven to the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering, known for itsground-launched solid-propellant missile systems RT-2PM Topol (NATOname SS-25 Sickle) and silo- and land-based RT-2PMU Topol-M (SS-27).These systems are expected to form the core of Russia's strategicdeterrence now and in the future. The Bulava, in turn, is to be thecenterpiece of Russia's naval strategic deterrence. The fact remains,however, that the missile systems now adopted by the navy and thenuclear submarines carrying them will retire in the next 10 to 15years, and will have to be replaced with more effective and increasedhigh-precision weapons. All Russia's hopes now lie with Borei-classsubmarines, Project 955 and its missile Bulava.
The main problem was that the Institute had never made missiles for thenavy. They were designed and produced at the Makeyev Design Bureau inMiass, which was initially tasked with developing a new strategicmissile system called Bark for Yury Dolgoruky and all Project 955vessels. The missile, however, proved ineffective. A series of threetests ended in failure.
Military experts are at odds over the causes. Some blame defects inmanufacturing technology, others the design's imperfections. Stillothers intimate that behind it all was the man who commanded the armedforces at the time. Being a missileman himself, he warmed to the MoscowInstitute rather than to the naval design bureau. So when mishapsfollowed (they are inevitable in tests of such sophisticated weapons asstrategic missiles), he decided in favor of his pet Institute, since itpromised to make the Bulava as unified with the new Topol-M aspossible, thus saving the sizeable amount of money required for thedevelopment of a sea-launched missile.
Such claims are hard to prove. Each has a hard-nosed lobby, who, likefans of Spartak or CSKA football, will tell you that their team is thebest despite its low championship score.
The facts, however, remain. In 1998, Russia's Security Council and thecountry's president decided that the Moscow Institute of HeatEngineering and its general designer Yury Solomonov should develop themissile system for a series of Borei-class submarines, with assistancefrom Makeyev bureau experts, a fact never mentioned by Institutecritics.
But the development specification remained the same. The missile was tobe launched from under the water, cover a distance of 8,000 kilometersand carry a total of 10 independently targetable warheads capable ofoutwitting any missile defense system. It also had to be lightweightfor its class, approximately 30 to 40 tons. The answer to the quest wasprovided by the Bulava-30, or the Bulava-M, as it is now called.
True, it flunked half of its eight tests. On the one hand, that is easyto explain. No missile, either in Russia or outside it, is ever afirst-time success. Tests are tests, they are conducted to check novelideas and then learn from mistakes. Computer-aided design, widely usednow in all technical development, is unable to predict the behavior ofa product in a natural environment, especially one such as sea water.Sea water is 800 times more dense than air and has always been achallenge to a missile launched from a running submarine. The raretelevision footage of Bulava tests shows that the missile, to overcomethe pressure of passing waves, emerges from under the water at an angleand only later assumes a ballistic path leading to a target.
On the other hand, with skilled workers at a premium, second-tiervendors sometimes supply flawed parts and components to the parentmanufacturer - the Votkinsk Engineering Plant - which assemblesBulavas. Even the tightest incoming inspection lets through somedefective components. And that is also a reality of our time.
Still, from test to test the Bulava is gaining in intelligence andincreasingly flies where it is told to fly. Its latest launch, onSeptember 18, proves it. It may well be that the experts will spot somedefects. We will learn about them later, despite a cocoon of secrecythat surrounds the new weapon's development. While there are"resentful" people and while telemetric data is read off the monitoringdevices not only by our technicians, but also by their overseaspartners and rivals, so to say, some secrets will leak out.
Yet let us hope that the Bulava-M and the first Borei-class submarineYury Dolgoruky, after a 12-year spell at Sevmash, will ultimately becommissioned, as promised, early in 2009. And will be followed by otherlegendary figures in Russian history - Alexander Nevsky and VladimirMonomakh. The total estimated number of these submarines is six toeight. The first, Dolgoruky, has 12 missile silos; the others, 16 each.
If these plans see the light of day, the Russian naval nuclear forceswill become a reliable deterrent against any potential aggressor in thesecond decade of the 21st century.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20080925/117106370.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 01:36 AM ] |
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26/ 09/ 2008
Medvedev observes missile test-launch in Urals
MOSCOW, September 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President DmitryMedvedev observed the test launch of a tactical missile in a commandand staff exercise in the southern Urals on Friday, a senior militarycommander said.
A Tochka-U (SS-21 Scarab) short-range tactical ballistic missile waslaunched at 3:10 p.m. Moscow time (11:10 GMT) at the Donguz provingground in the Orenburg Region as part of a 74-day exercise, GroundForces Commander Gen. Vladimir Boldyrev said.
He said a total of 40,000 servicemen were taking part in the exercisein the Volga-Urals Military District, named Tsentr-2008, and that itwas the largest exercise of its kind in 20 years.
The drills involve motorized rifle, tank, artillery, antiaircraft,missile, and support units with over 700 armored vehicles (tanks,infantry fighting vehicles, and self-propelled artillery systems) andmore than 40 combat aircraft and helicopters.
The Tochka-U is a 1989 modification of the Tochka missile system thatwent into service with the Soviet military in 1976. It has an effectiverange of 120 km.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080926/117145587.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 01:41 AM ] |
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29/ 09/ 2008
Defense chief says Russia does not export nuclear submarines
NEW DELHI, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has no plans toexport nuclear submarines, the country's defense minister said onMonday during his visit to India.
Asked to comment on media reports on alleged plans to export nuclearsubmarines, in particular to India, Anatoly Serdyukov said: "The pressdiscusses lots of things. We do not export nuclear submarines."
The Times of India earlier quoted an anonymous Indian defense source assaying that under a secret deal signed between Russia and India inJanuary 2004, a 12,000-ton Akula-II class nuclear-powered attacksubmarine has been built at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur shipyard in Russia.
According to the newspaper, the submarine will be leased to India for10 years and will be commissioned with the Indian navy as INS Chakra asearly as in 2009.
Akula II class vessels are considered the quietest and deadliest among Russian nuclear-powered attack submarines.
According to various reports, India is currently building threedomestically designed nuclear submarines under a top-secret AdvancedTechnology Vessel (ATV) program, but needs to give its navy first-handexperience in nuclear submarine operations, deployment and maintenanceprior to the deployment of domestic submarines.
"Our sailors... have been undergoing training in Russia to operate theINS Chakra for the last two-three years. Once we get it, it will be theideal platform to train future crews for the ATVs," the Indian sourcesaid.
The nuclear submarine leased by Russia will not be equipped withlong-range cruise missiles due to international restrictions on missiletechnology proliferation, but India may later opt to fit it withdomestically designed long-range nuclear-capable missiles.
At present, India operates 16 conventional diesel submarines and iswaiting for six French-Spanish Scorpene class diesel attack submarines,to be delivered between 2012 and 2017, but plans to deploy at leastthree nuclear submarines armed with long-range strategic missiles by2015.
The first of the three domestic nuclear submarines is expected to begin sea trials by mid-2009.
India previously leased a Charlie-I class nuclear submarine from the Soviet Union from 1988 to 1991.
Russia recently handed over to India the INS Sindhuvijaydiesel-electric submarine after an extensive overhaul at a shipyard innorthern Russia.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080929/117259758.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 01:41 AM ] |
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30/ 09/ 2008
Russian nuclear submarine makes 30-day trip under Arctic ice
MOSCOW, September 30 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian Delta-III classballistic missile submarine has successfully sailed from a naval basein northern Russia to the Pacific Ocean under the Arctic ice floe, aNavy spokesman said on Tuesday.
"The Ryazan strategic nuclear submarine arrived at a naval base on theKamchatka Peninsula after a more than 30-day underwater trip," Capt.1st rank Igor Dygalo said.
Ryazan is a Project 667BDR Delta III class strategic nuclear submarine,which entered service with Russia's Northern Fleet in 1982. It has acrew of 130 and can travel underwater without coming to the surface forup to 90 days.
The submarine is armed with 16 R-29RM (SS-N-23 Skiff) ballistic missiles with a range of 8,000 km (about 5,000 miles).
Commenting on the submarine's successful mission, Russian NavyCommander, Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said it had reaffirmed the Russiansubmarine fleet's ability to conduct strategic missions in the Arctic.
"The Navy continues to play an important role in safeguarding Russia'smaritime economic and research activity throughout the world, includingin the Arctic," the admiral said.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080930/117295970.html
[ Last edited by BeachBoys at 18-10-2008 01:45 AM ] |
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12/ 10/ 2008
Russia's Medvedev observes test launch of Topol ICBM
PLESETSK (Arkhangelsk Region, northern Russia), October 12 (RIANovosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev observed on Sunday thetest launch of a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile from thePlesetsk space center in northern Russia.
The missile was launched by Russia's Strategic Missile Force at 11:24 a.m. Moscow time (7:24 GMT).
Topol (SS-25 Sickle) is a single-warhead intercontinental ballisticmissile (ICBM) approximately the same size and shape as the U.S.Minuteman ICBM. The first Topol missiles became operational in 1985.
Although the service life of the SS-25 was extended to 21 years after aseries of successful test launches last year, the missile will beprogressively retired over the next decade and be replaced by a mobileversion of the Topol-M (SS-27 Sickle B) missile.
On Saturday, Medvedev also observed military exercises of the NorthernFleet in the Barents Sea, including a full-range test of the Sinevaballistic missile that traveled a record 11,547 km (7,170 miles).
The exercises test Russia's strategic and regional deterrent and thestructures of the Northern Fleet, particularly in relation to the navalstrategic nuclear forces.
An aide to the Russian navy commander said it was the first time asubmarine had launched the Sineva ballistic missile to its maximumrange.
"For the first time in Navy history, the launch was not to the Kuratest range in Kamchatka [Russian Far East], but to the area of anequatorial part of the Pacific," Captain 1st rank Igor Dygalo said,adding that the launch was made to check the preparedness of navalstrategic nuclear forces.
The Sineva launch was made as part of the Dvina tactical exercises ofthe Russian Northern Fleet, which are also part of larger-scaleStability-2008 exercises conducted with Belarus that started inSeptember and will run until October 21.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081012/117687736.html |
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Post time 18-10-2008 12:43 AM
