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By Michael Stott
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia successfully test-fired a new
intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday featuring multiple
warheads designed to overcome missile defense systems such as the
planned U.S. shield in Europe.
At the same time, President Vladimir Putin stepped up his attacks on
the missile shield, saying its deployment in Europe would turn the
continent into "a powder keg".
Russian military experts said the new missile was part of the "highly
effective response" promised earlier this year by President Vladimir
Putin to the shield, which is fiercely opposed by Moscow as a threat
to its security.
"It can overcome any potential entire missile defense systems
developed by foreign countries," Colonel-General Viktor Yesin told the
official Russian Today television channel.
A ministry spokesman said the RS-24 missile was fired from a mobile
launcher at 1020 GMT from the Plesetsk cosmodrome about 800 km (500
miles) north of Moscow.
Less than an hour later, Russia's Strategic Missile Forces command
said the missile had hit its targets at the Kura test site on the
sparsely inhabited far eastern peninsula of Kamchatka to the north of
Japan.
"The RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile will strengthen the
military potential of Russia's strategic rocket forces to overcome
anti-missile defense systems and thereby strengthen the potential
nuclear deterrent of Russia's strategic nuclear forces," the Strategic
Missile Forces command said in a statement.
Russia says the U.S. missile defense shield is a threat to its
security and will change the strategic balance in Europe but
Washington dismisses such fears, saying the shield is intended to
counter "rogue states".
PUTIN DENOUNCES PLANNED MISSILE SHIELD
Putin issued his latest broadside against the shield after meeting
visiting Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates at the Kremlin on
Tuesday.
"We consider it harmful and dangerous to turn Europe into a powder keg
and to stuff it with new weapons," Putin told Socrates, whose country
assumes the European Union's rotating presidency on July 1.
"It creates new and unnecessary risks for the whole system of
international and European relations".
First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, speaking separately, said
the deployment of medium and short range missiles by Russia's
neighbors to the east and south now posed a "real threat".
"The Soviet-American treaty (on intermediate nuclear forces) is not
effective because since (its signature) scores of countries have
appeared that have such missiles while Russia and the United States
are not allowed to have them," Ivanov told a military-industrial
commission in the southern city of Znamensk.
"In these conditions, it is necessary to provide our troops with
modern, high-precision weapons."
Ivanov, a former defense minister and leading hawk, is widely seen as
a front-runner to succeed President Vladimir Putin in an election next
March although he has not said whether he will run.
The new RS-24 missile can be armed with up to 10 different warheads
and is intended to replace Russia's earlier generation
intercontinental missiles such as the RS-18 and RS-20.
Its development is part of a drive to re-equip Russia's military with
updated weaponry and replace hardware dating from the Cold War.
Missiles carrying multiple independently targeted warheads are more
difficult to intercept and destroy completely once they have been
fired, making them much harder to defend against.
http://tinyurl.com/23gq2h
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia successfully test-fired a new
intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday featuring multiple
warheads designed to overcome missile defense systems such as the
planned U.S. shield in Europe.
At the same time, President Vladimir Putin stepped up his attacks on
the missile shield, saying its deployment in Europe would turn the
continent into "a powder keg".
Russian military experts said the new missile was part of the "highly
effective response" promised earlier this year by President Vladimir
Putin to the shield, which is fiercely opposed by Moscow as a threat
to its security.
"It can overcome any potential entire missile defense systems
developed by foreign countries," Colonel-General Viktor Yesin told the
official Russian Today television channel.
A ministry spokesman said the RS-24 missile was fired from a mobile
launcher at 1020 GMT from the Plesetsk cosmodrome about 800 km (500
miles) north of Moscow.
Less than an hour later, Russia's Strategic Missile Forces command
said the missile had hit its targets at the Kura test site on the
sparsely inhabited far eastern peninsula of Kamchatka to the north of
Japan.
"The RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile will strengthen the
military potential of Russia's strategic rocket forces to overcome
anti-missile defense systems and thereby strengthen the potential
nuclear deterrent of Russia's strategic nuclear forces," the Strategic
Missile Forces command said in a statement.
Russia says the U.S. missile defense shield is a threat to its
security and will change the strategic balance in Europe but
Washington dismisses such fears, saying the shield is intended to
counter "rogue states".
PUTIN DENOUNCES PLANNED MISSILE SHIELD
Putin issued his latest broadside against the shield after meeting
visiting Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates at the Kremlin on
Tuesday.
"We consider it harmful and dangerous to turn Europe into a powder keg
and to stuff it with new weapons," Putin told Socrates, whose country
assumes the European Union's rotating presidency on July 1.
"It creates new and unnecessary risks for the whole system of
international and European relations".
First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, speaking separately, said
the deployment of medium and short range missiles by Russia's
neighbors to the east and south now posed a "real threat".
"The Soviet-American treaty (on intermediate nuclear forces) is not
effective because since (its signature) scores of countries have
appeared that have such missiles while Russia and the United States
are not allowed to have them," Ivanov told a military-industrial
commission in the southern city of Znamensk.
"In these conditions, it is necessary to provide our troops with
modern, high-precision weapons."
Ivanov, a former defense minister and leading hawk, is widely seen as
a front-runner to succeed President Vladimir Putin in an election next
March although he has not said whether he will run.
The new RS-24 missile can be armed with up to 10 different warheads
and is intended to replace Russia's earlier generation
intercontinental missiles such as the RS-18 and RS-20.
Its development is part of a drive to re-equip Russia's military with
updated weaponry and replace hardware dating from the Cold War.
Missiles carrying multiple independently targeted warheads are more
difficult to intercept and destroy completely once they have been
fired, making them much harder to defend against.
http://tinyurl.com/23gq2h
