Russia has developed many weapons development programs methodically. Source: people.com.cn. New weapon development direction Russia launched the first version of the “Russian Weapons Development Program” in 2010 and version 2.0 in 2017. It is planned that version 3.0 will be released by the end of this year. According to Russian media, this program mainly provides follow-up information on the development of weapons and equipment of the Russian army, and is considered a “indicator” for the development of weapons and equipment in the country. . The 2010 version of the “Program” indicates that the Russian military will prioritize the development of nuclear and air defense as well as anti-missile forces, as well as the development of communication command systems and situational awareness. advanced. Under the guidance of this concept, the modernization level of the nuclear forces of the Russian army has been significantly improved, in which the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile regiment has been reorganized, centered The air defense and anti-missile group with the core of the S-400 gradually became the main air defense force. In addition, by 2015 the Russian Army had built a modern command and control system. Version 2.0 of the “Program” revised and supplemented the content of the previous version, proposing to “accelerate the upgrade and transformation of nuclear deterrence” and “ensure that weapons development and equipment of the Russian army in the leading position in the world, and modernization of conventional weapons accounts for more than 70%”. Speaking at a Defense Ministry meeting at the end of 2020, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu said that the Russian military-industrial complex has completed more than 97% of the research, development and production tasks in the “Chapter” program”, all the armed services of Russia have basically completed the goal of weapons procurement. The Russian Ministry of Defense is currently conducting research and preparing to launch the official 3.0 “Program” later this year. Russian media revealed that Moscow has focused on cutting-edge technologies and new concept weapons to ensure that it has a dominant position in the high-tech sector. According to reports, Russia is actively preparing a new version of the “Program” and has listed advanced weapons as the focus of development, with the intention of laying a solid foundation for weapons development, respond to increasingly complex security challenges. Weapons of the future In the new version of the “Program”, Russia will continue to promote the development of nuclear and conventional weapons, while focusing on research into artificial intelligence, robotics, hypersonic weapons and weapons. attack based on new physics principles. As of 2020, the modernization rate of the Russian army’s conventional weapons has reached 70.3%, and the modernization of the nuclear forces has reached 86%. According to the plan, the Russian services will continue to promote the modernization of weapons and equipment at a rate of 2% to 3% annually. Currently, in Russia’s hypersonic arsenal, in addition to the Avangard and Kinzhal missiles that have been put into operation, the Poseidon unmanned rolling device and the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile have also entered the test phase. Russia’s “torpedo” Poseidon scared the whole world. Source: people.com.cn. In addition, Russia recently revealed plans to design light vehicles carrying hypersonic munitions, such as glide bombs, and has continuously developed asymmetrical strategic balancing measures. In the next 10 years, heavy drones represented by “Altius” and “Hunter” will become the mainstay of Russia’s aerospace forces. Many new electronic warfare systems will also become the core of Russia. According to Russian military experts, the new “Program” will introduce “plans for the development of weapons and equipment in the complex climate of the Arctic”. Many difficulties await Some analysts believe that the new Russian version of the “Program” is promising, but will face certain difficulties in the implementation process. On the one hand, the modern technology of the Russian army still has shortcomings, which will be difficult to make up for in the long run, on the other hand, the defense budget of the Russian army is decreasing year by year, which is not suitable for the “stability and ongoing financial support” is suggested in the “Program”. In addition, under the technological blockade of the West, Russia is still struggling to research avionics components, liquid crystal displays, stealth materials and large-scale drones. . In fact, many new weapons and equipment, including the T-14 tank and the Su-57 fighter jet, were short on funding, causing the production time to be continuously extended. In addition, due to the influence of the budget and other strategic plans of the Russian military, there have been many adjustments, such as the program to build a new aircraft carrier.

As reported by TASS, the Russian Defense Industry Complex has begun development of the new generation Kedr intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system. The project is currently in the process of outlining the plan and the actual development process is expected to be implemented by the end of 2023. This project has an important role in the field of Russian intercontinental missiles.

Russia’s intercontinental ballistic missiles have the world’s leading power. Source: people.com.cn.

Russia possesses a variety of ground-launched strategic missiles

The Russian military currently deploys about 310 strategic land-based missiles, capable of carrying 1,189 nuclear warheads. This is much less than the 400 U.S. missiles, but the number of nuclear warheads carried is 1.5 times that of U.S. missiles.

Overall, the Russian Army possesses a variety of surface-to-surface strategic missiles, which are currently in the upgraded stage, in the future the number of samples will be reduced further toward comprehensive modernization.

The active land strategic forces of the Russian Army consist mainly of the following three divisions:

Liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile: The representative of this line is the Satan intercontinental ballistic missile. It was a heavy intercontinental ballistic missile that entered service in the late 1980s, with a total of 46, deployed at Dombarovsky and Uzhur missile bases.

The missile has a range of 11,000 km, a flight weight of about 211 tons, an attack accuracy of about 400 m, can carry 10 guided nuclear warheads, which is Russia’s most powerful strategic missile.

However, due to its long service life, it has now begun to retire. The successor missile is the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, which has a range of 18,000 km, a flight weight of about 208 tons.

In addition to carrying a guided nuclear warhead, it can also carry the Avangard supersonic missile as the first payload, which further improves the attack performance of the missile. In the future, the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will completely replace the Satan intercontinental ballistic missile.

Intercontinental missiles use solid engines. Currently the main equipment of the Russian military is the Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile, which has been deployed since 2012, with a total of 78. On that basis, Russia continued to launch Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles, mainly improving the warhead design, increasing the number of guided nuclear warheads and penetrating equipment.

Both have a range of about 10,000 to 12,000 km, a flight weight of 47 to 49 tons. They can be deployed in both fixed and mobile launch wells. Currently, 155 Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles have been commissioned and have been deployed in combination with topol-M intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Supersonic missile. Russia attaches great importance to the development of supersonic weapons. In March 2018, President Putin unveiled the Avangard supersonic missile. The missile was successfully tested on December 26 of that year and has been deployed since 2019. The missile, which has an atmospheric Mach 20 flight speed and a range of more than 10,000 km, is currently deployed at the Dombarovsky missile base, in the future it will be equipped with at least two missile regiments.

Modern Russian intercontinental ballistic missile. Source: people.com.cn.

Outstanding development characteristics

Russia’s surface-to-surface strategic missiles have strong reserves and large-scale equipment, playing an important deterrent role in early warning counterattacks and over-the-top strikes. The general development characteristics of the missile are as follows:

In terms of missile performance, the focus is on improving penetrating capabilities and survivability. With accelerating the deployment of U.S. missile defense systems globally, Russia attaches great importance to improving the penetrating capabilities of strategic surface-to-surface missiles.

The Avangard supersonic missile deployed at the end of 2019 has a maximum flight speed of Mach 20. The Russian military claims that it can penetrate any missile defense system in the world. In the future, intercontinental missiles such as sarmat will be equipped with such supersonic warheads to improve intercontinental performance.

In terms of technological development, follow the development roadmap of both solid and liquid bodies. Russia’s liquid missile technology has developed complete, its technical performance and reliability stand at the top of the world. The Satan intercontinental ballistic missile has been using the technology for more than 30 years and is an “ace” weapon to deter the West. In the future, the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will serve as a replacement model.

In addition, Russia insists it will develop the name Solid intercontinental fire with strong mandability and ease of operation, and has achieved technological breakthroughs. The solid intercontinental ballistic missile, represented by Yars, can carry four guided warheads and penetrating equipment, the number of missiles deployed has reached more than 150, which has closed the gap with the US to a certain extent.

In terms of implementation, Russia follows the path of development combining fixed and mobile. Beginning in the 1990s, Russia has focused on the development and deployment of mobile strategic missiles, and has repeatedly launched intercontinental ballistic missiles such as Topol-M and Yars.

According to the latest figures, Russia has 180 mobile strategic missiles, accounting for 45% of the total missiles, which is the highest rate in recent years; fixed-launch strategic missiles have about 130, accounting for 55%. In the future, this ratio will be maintained in order to maintain the mutual complementary capabilities of the two implementation methods.

A look at kedr’s next-generation strategic missile

According to Russian media, the new generation of Kedr strategic missiles is in the process of drafting the plan. Analysts say Kedr uses solid fuel and is believed to be able to become a “ballistic missile at full speed”, capable of replacing the Yars missile system by 2030.

This project is part of the process of modernizing the strategic weapons of the Russian Strategic Missile Force. Similar to the previous generation, the new systems will be deployed in two models of mobile launchers and ground bunkers.

Russia is currently equipped with five types of surface-to-surface strategic missiles, which has put enormous pressure on logistics maintenance and combat command. Therefore, Russia wishes to accelerate kedr development so that there are many models ready to replace. Notably, the Kedr missile will most likely use the Pioneer supersonic missile, as its warhead to enhance its deterrence capabilities.

In addition, Russia intends to apply artificial intelligence technology to nuclear command, control and communication systems through the Kedr strategic missile project to accelerate decision-making procedures, improve the overall reliability and safety of the system, in order to achieve greater efficiency when intercepted by missile defense systems.