Strategic Weapons: March 2, 2001

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Russia commissioned its 3rd regiment of Topol-M single-warhead missiles on 25 Dec 2000. The program is running far behind. A regiment of ten missiles was commissioned in 1998 and another in 1999. Two such regiments were to have been commissioned in 2000, but the one regiment that actually entered service had only six missiles (the other four will be added later). The economical production rate for Topol-M is thought to be 30 per year, but even the newly increased defense budget will not manage more than 10. The new regiment took over the silos for the SS-24; the Russians still have 36 of these older multi-warhead missiles on mobile rail car launchers.--Stephen V Cole