Strategic Weapons: April 3, 2003

Archives

Russia test fired another Topol M ICBM on March 27. The 75 foot long, 47 ton missile is Russia's latest ICBM and was first fired in 1997 and entered service in 1999. The missile is also known as the SS-27. It's a replacement for the 1980s era Topol, which was roughly equivalent to the U.S. Minuteman II ICBM (a 1960s design.) Topol M is more like the U.S. Minuteman III. It took Russia two decades of effort to duplicate the solid fuel rocket technology used in the Minuteman. In addition, the Topol was designed to be mobile, fired from railway cars or large trucks. Russia has shown no interest whatsoever in exporting the Topol or Topol M. There are only about fifty Topol-Ms in service. Since 1981, 79 Topol and Topol M missiles have been test fired (all from a base near the Norwegian border), and flying across Arctic Russia into the Pacific. 


 


Article Archive

Strategic Weapons: Current 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 


X

ad
0
20

Help Keep Us Soaring

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling. We need your help in reversing that trend. We would like to add 20 new subscribers this month.

Each month we count on your subscriptions or contributions. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage. A contribution is not a donation that you can deduct at tax time, but a form of crowdfunding. We store none of your information when you contribute..
Subscribe   Contribute   Close