Russia flexed its nuclear muscle this morning, test-firing a "YARS" Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).
The "YARS" is a potent weapon. The weapon is MIRV-equipped, meaning it can carry Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicles (thermonuclear warheads) to separate targets.
The name "YARS" literally means "Nuclear Deterrence Rocket" and it is a frighteningly destructive weapon:
| In service | 2010–present |
|---|---|
| Used by | Russian Strategic Missile Troops |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology |
| Manufacturer | Votkinsk Machine Building Plant |
| Produced | 2009 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 49,600 kg |
| Length | 22,500 mm |
| Diameter | 2,000 mm |
| Warhead | 3 x 200 kiloton MIRV warheads |
| Engine | Three-stage Solid-fuel rocket |
|
Operational
range |
11,000 km (6,800 mi) - 12,000 km (7,500 mi) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 25 (30,600 km/h; 19,000 mph; 8,510 m/s) |
|
Guidance
system |
Inertial with Glonass |
| Accuracy | 100 m |
|
Launch
platform |
Silo, road-mobile TEL MZKT-79221 |
As listed above, this missile has at least three warheads, independently targetable, that can be launched from 7,500 miles away, and hit within 100 meters (~300 feet) of where it is trying to hit.
Russia successfully launched the missile from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region toward the Kura test range on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
This was part of a scheduled exercise of Russia's strategic nuclear forces, which President Vladimir Putin personally oversaw via videoconference from the Kremlin.
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