Russia developing new nuclear missile

[srirangan]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1281901/posts

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MOSCOW (AP) - President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia is developing a new form of nuclear missile unlike those held by other countries, news agencies reported. Speaking at a meeting of the Armed Forces' leadership, Putin reportedly said that Russia is researching and successfully testing new nuclear missile systems.

"I am sure that ... they will be put in service within the next few years and, what is more, they will be developments of the kind that other nuclear powers do not and will not have," Putin was quoted as saying by the ITAR-Tass news agency.

Putin reportedly said: "International terrorism is one of the major threats for Russia. We understand as soon as we ignore such components of our defense as a nuclear and missile shield, other threats may occur."

No details were immediately available, but Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said earlier this month that Russia expected to test-fire a mobile version of its Topol-M ballistic missile this year and that production of the new weapon could be commissioned in 2005.

News reports have also said Russia is believed to be developing a next-generation heavy nuclear missile that could carry up to 10 nuclear warheads weighing a total of 4.4 tons, compared with the Topol-M's 1.32-ton combat payload.

Topol-Ms have been deployed in silos since 1998. The missiles have a range of about 6,000 miles and reportedly can maneuver in ways that are difficult to detect.

Earlier this year, a senior Defense Ministry official was quoted as telling news agencies that Russia had developed a weapon that could make the United States' proposed missile-defense system useless. Details were not given, but military analysts said the claimed new weapon could be a hypersonic cruise missile or maneuverable ballistic missile warheads.

------------------------------------------

Very interesting when Putin says its something "others don't have and won't have". Anybody having a clue on the nature of this beast?

 

[gf0012-aust]

yes,

The ITAR-TASS news agency speculated that Putin was referring to the mobile Topol-M missile which is analogous to an US Minuteman-3 and is meant to form the backbone of Russia's future nuclear arsenal.

The Topol-M is the first intercontinental missile developed by Russia following the Soviet Union's collapse but its deployment -- initially set for the end of 2002 -- has been repeatedly delayed because of severe cash constraints.

The ITAR-TASS report quoted the missile's Moscow producer as saying that mass production of the Topol-M will be included in the military's 2005 procurement budget.

This would mean they would be issued to the armed forces in 2006.

The shift in attention to nuclear deterrence came unexpectedly because Putin has for months said that terrorism posed the major threat to Russia's national security amid a wave of deadly suicide attacks from guerrillas in rebel Chechnya.

Putin said Wednesday that Russia still viewed terrorism as the greatest threat to its national security but should also not forget about the nuclear threat.

"We understand that the moment we turn our attention from such elements of our defenses as a nuclear missile shield, then we will be facing new threats," Putin said.

"That is why we will continue to persistently develop our armed forces on the whole, including its nuclear arsenal potential," Putin said.

_________________


I got this thru an OSINT report - so no link supplied, but it's been scraped from Russian News sources. It also fits in with other information about this when the Russians were dropping hints 6 months ago.