Russia to deploy 2nd Yars ballistic missile regiment by yearend

Yars

© Photo Press Service of the Russian Defense Ministry

20:52 26/09/2011

MOSCOW, September 26 (RIA Novosti)

A second regiment equipped with Yars mobile ballistic missile systems will be put on combat duty in central Russia by the end of 2011, Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) commander Lt. Gen. Sergei Karakayev said on Monday.

The Yars missile system is armed with the RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile that has considerably better combat and operational capabilities than the Topol-M (SS-27 Stalin). Russia fully deployed the first Yars regiment consisting of three battalions in August 2011.

"The second regiment equipped with Yars mobile systems will be put on combat duty with the Teikovo missile division [in the Ivanovo region] by the end of 2011," Karakayev said.

The SMF said in August that the Topol-M and RS-24 missiles would be the mainstay of the ground-based component of Russia's nuclear triad and would account for no less than 80% of the SMF's arsenal by 2016.

The RS-24 is a new-generation intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads, while Topol-M is a single-warhead missile.

As of August 2011, the SMF operated at least 50 silo-based and 18 road-mobile Topol-M missile systems, and nine RS-24 systems.

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