Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces will conduct over 200 exercises in the next six months, the Defense Ministry has said.
“During the summer training period, the SMF is planning to hold over 200 exercises, including tactical drills at the division-regiment level as well as command post exercises at the Army level,” spokesman Col. Igor Yegorov said Thursday.
Russia's SMF plans by 2016 to modernize its command-and-control systems in order to improve their ability to overcome missile defenses and increase the survivability of delivery vehicles.
At present, six types of silo-based and mobile ICBM systems are on combat duty with the SMF, including the heavy Voyevoda (SS-18 Satan), capable of carrying 10 warheads, the Topol-M(Stalin) and RS-24 Yars systems.
On Thursday, SMF successfully tested a prototype of a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which is expected to replace Topol-M and Yars in the future.
The missile was fired from a mobile launcher at the Kapustin Yar testing range in the Astrakhan region and hit its designated target at the Sary Shagan testing range in Kazakhstan.
Meanwhile, some 15 warships and auxiliary vessels will take part in Russian-Ukrainian anti-piracy exercises in the Black Sea on June 19-25, a Russian Black Sea Fleet spokesman has said.
The Fairway of Peace 2013 drills will focus on joint missions to counter piracy and terrorism threats in the region.
“The Russian Navy will be represented by the Bora missile hovercraft , the Muromets ASW corvette, the P-60 missile boat and the Turbinist mine sweeper,” Capt.1st Rank Vyacheslav Trukhachev told reporters on Thursday.
The drills will also involve several Russian Su-24 attack aircraft, a Be-12 ASW plane and a Ka-27PS search-and-rescue helicopter.
The Fairway of Peace drills were conducted for the first time in 1997. They were held every two years until 2003.
After a long break caused by the straining of relations between Moscow and Kiev during Viktor Yushchenko presidency in Ukraine, the sides resumed the drills in 2010 with a computer-assisted command post exercise.
Since 2011, the Fairway of Peace drills are held annually and involve warships as well as other naval assets of both Navies.
Source: RIA Novosti; Photo: Topol-M System
