| Russia tests intercontinental missile |
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| World Affairs Talk | |
| Wednesday, 06 June 2007 | |
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The launch comes amid a row between Moscow and Washington over US’s plans to set up a system in Europe to detect and shoot down hostile missiles. Russia believes the US’s missile defense shield is a threat to its security while Washington dismisses such fears, saying the shield is intended to counter only the rogue states. The RS-24 test missile blasted off from the Plesetsk space center about 800 km north of Moscow and hit the target in Kamchatka, about 6,000 km away in the Far East. Missiles carrying multiple independently targeted warheads are more difficult to intercept and destroy completely once they have been fired, making defenses against them much harder. 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. The RS-24 is seen as eventually replacing the aging RS-18s and RS-20s that are the backbone of Russia's missile forces. Those missiles are known in the West as the SS-19 Stiletto and the SS-18 Satan. On the same week, Russia tested a new short-range cruise missile from the mobile complex Iskander-M at the Kapustin Yar base in the southern Astrakhan Region. Such launchers will be put into service in 2009 and Russia will export them equipped with missiles with a range fewer than 300 km. The United States plans to deploy missile interceptors in Poland and radar units in the Czech Republic as part of its project, Russia even since, voiced strong opposition over the plan. This missile test shows Russia’s aggression to be a dominant nation in the region. Share & Bookmark             |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 08 June 2007 ) |
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