July 6, 2005 :: BBC Worldwide Monitoring :: News
RTR Russia TV (Moscow) recently profiled Russia’s SS-19 Stiletto intercontinental ballistic missile, otherwise known as the RS-18 UR-100. In particular, the report highlighted the SS-19’s ability to penetrate missile defense systems through the use of decoys and countermeasures. Nikolay Solovtsev, commander of Russia’s Strategic Missile Troops, had an important comment to make about its relation to missile defense: “It is not for nothing that this type of weapon was called Stiletto … This is a very threatening weapon … [It] can penetrate any anti-missile systems, including the ones yet to be designed.” Of course, the SS-19, as with any ballistic missile, can have no virtually no ability to evade a boost-phase missile defense interceptor.
The SS-19 entered service in 1975 as the last of the fourth generation Soviet land-based missiles. It is capable of carrying six independently targetable nuclear warheads, and has a range of over 10,000 km. The SS-19 was most recently test-launched on August 11, 2004. (Article)
» August 11, 2004: Russia test launches the SS-19
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