By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia will build a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by 2018, a senior military official has revealed.
“Construction of the missile is ongoing,” Strategic Missile Forces commander Col. Gen. Sergei Karakayev said, adding that it is to be completed by 2018.
The new missile is to replace the R-36M2 Voyevoda (NATO reporting name SS-18 Satan) missile. So far all of Russia’s recent ICBM projects, both sea-launched (Bulava) and ground-based (Topol-M, Yars), have been solid fuel.
Karakayev said the new ICBM will have a launch mass of around 100 tonnes with a better payload-launch weight ratio than in a solid fuel missile.
The Russian Defence Ministry has already stated that unless the USs abandons its plans to create a missile defence system in Europe, Russia will take counter measures, including the building of a new heavy liquid-propellant missile.