On November 1, 2023, russia conducted unsuccessful tests of the RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which is the main element of the ground component of russia’s strategic nuclear forces, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine reports.
The launch of the Yars missile from the Plesetsk cosmodrome (Arkhangelsk region) to the target at the Kura range (Kamchatka) was carried out by the combat crew of the 33rd Rocket Army of the Strategic Missile Forces of the Armed Forces of russia. According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, the Yars missile went off course, as it did during the previous command-staff exercises on October 25, 2023.
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The test launch of the RSM-56 Bulava ballistic missile from the Borei-class submarine on October 25, 2023, also ended unsuccessfully, which once again confirmed its unreliability.
Moscow also has serious problems with the Sarmat heavy ICBM, which is one of the key projects in the aggressor’s announced process of modernizing russia’s strategic nuclear forces. The Sarmat missile has been under development in russia since 2009. According to Moscow’s original plans, it was to be put into service five years ago, in 2018, but the date was constantly postponed. The Sarmat missile was put into service only in September 2023, after the first and only full-scale test, conducted in April of this year.
Compared to the Ukrainian-made RS-20 Voevoda missile, the Sarmat missile, which was created to replace it, is devoid of any advantages in design, warhead or methods of overcoming missile defense. In fact, the Sarmat missile is an underdeveloped, imperfect, raw missile.
Russia is also facing insurmountable difficulties in its plans to improve the air component of its strategic nuclear forces. Within the framework of the partial modernization of Soviet Tu-160 and Tu-95S bombers, the russians have the ability to process 1-2 aircraft annually. The delivery of new Tu-160M2 strategic bombers, which was scheduled for 2023, has been postponed until a later date, as the russians have not yet been able to resume production of the new version of the NK-32 engines.
All of the aforementioned problems of the strategic nuclear forces of the aggressor state russia are a direct consequence of the sanctions policy of the civilized world against Moscow for its war against Ukraine, as well as the inability of the scientific, technical and industrial bases of terrorist russia to produce the necessary components to replace imported ones.
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