YARS-M really NOT an ICBM?

[Quiller]

I see that a couple of US Congressman (Howard McKeon - CA and Mike Rogers - MI) have posed questions, based on unnamed intelligence sources apparently available to Congress, that the YARS-M is more likely an IRBM with a range under 5,000 km in violation of the INF Treaty and is targeted more towards China than the US mainland or even Europe. Anybody have a take on this? Is it completely bogus or could there be some truth to it?

 

[Rimasta]

I see that a couple of US Congressman (Howard McKeon - CA and Mike Rogers - MI) have posed questions, based on unnamed intelligence sources apparently available to Congress, that the YARS-M is more likely an IRBM with a range under 5,000 km in violation of the INF Treaty and is targeted more towards China than the US mainland or even Europe. Anybody have a take on this? Is it completely bogus or could there be some truth to it?

Well the RS-24 was designed to overcome current and future anti-missile systems and was a direct response to the U.S. missile shield. It's hard to imagine that Russia would go through the trouble it did during the development stage because of the Chinese. Doesn't make sense to develop such a system when an ICBM could fulfill a great deterrent role that an IRBM. Also the Strategic Rocket Forces or SRF deployed these missiles closer to Europe than to China in the Teykovo area. I'd say its bogus. Their silo and mobile based so since they are deployed in silos I'd say they have reach well in excess of 5,000 km. that's more comparable to India's new Agni V.

 

[alexkvaskov]

Well Putin and Sechin (his chief of staff) have recently announced that they plan to withdraw from the INF treaty. I'm really curious if they arm any future MRBM/IRBM with nuclear or conventional warheads. IMHO it would be a mistake if they went the nuclear route, not only is their budget still very limited, but it would make more sense to level out the disparity between Russia and NATO in conventional arms as a long range strike system that would be very difficult to intercept. Then again this could just be about provoking the US to expand BMD in Eastern Europe to give the Russian brass something to squawk about.

But I really doubt the Yars is an IRBM, all the public statements about it have been to confirm it as a development on the Topol ICBM.

 

[Feanor]

The US Congress has displayed their ignorance of technical issues on multiple occasions. This is yet another one. Yars-M is the very same Yars, but with updated guidance system. The Yars itself is an upgraded Topol-M. There is less difference between a Topol-M and a Yars, then there is between Topol and Topol-M. There is a new missile system, the Rubezh/Avangard project. It also appears to be an ICBM, but a brand new one, and of unclear nature.

EDIT: A correction. Avangard is a new ICBM. Rubezh may be the offending missile in violation of the treaty. That having been said, Yars-M (RS-26) certainly is not.