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| Russia |
| Russia tests intercontinental ballistic missile |
| 2004-08-12 |
| Russia successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in a test firing yesterday, the Strategic Missile Forces said in a statement. The RS-18 missile blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and hit a set target in the Kamchatka peninsula in the Russian Far East, about 6700 kilometres east of Moscow. The missile, also known as the SS-19, was launched to determine whether its service life could be extended. It has been in service for 27 years. The launch was the fifth this year by the Strategic Missile Forces and a total of 10 launches have been scheduled for 2004, the Interfax news agency reported. Earlier this year, Russian military forces suffered two embarrassing failures of ballistic missile launches from submarines during highly publicised naval manoeuvres. Later in February, Russia said it had successfully tested a space vehicle that could lead to weapons capable of penetrating missile defences. Details remain sketchy, but military analysts believe the device is a manoeuvrable ballistic missile warhead. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #5 Somone check me on this, But I think the SS-19 was one of the last icbm systems produced by the soviet union. It was a liquid fueld bird like our titan 2. Corrosion from the liquid fuel plus soviet quality workmanship can equal a real source of worry. Rusting in there holes, indeed. |
| Posted by: N Guard 2004-08-12 12:28 |
| #4 And the last time the French test-launched one of their vaunted nuclear missle force was... Rusting in their holes, guys. Mark my words. |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-08-12 11:54 |
| #3 Our Missle defense program is not aimed at an attack by the Russian Rerpublic. It would pretty much be useless the number of incoming would be to great. One of the reasons Regan offered to share the technology back during "star wars" I think. A "missle shield" is aimed at Iran and "rouge nations." The Russian and the US can still turn the earth into a dead planet with a nuclear exchange and neither side is intrested. Regan hated the very idea of nuclear war totally and sought to make it obsolete. |
| Posted by: FlameBait93268 2004-08-12 07:13 |
| #2 I don't think the Russians are our greatest threat. If our missile defence program is needed it will be for an Iranian or North Korean missile. |
| Posted by: Canaveral Dan 2004-08-12 06:04 |
| #1 A missile represents GDP down the toilet if the missile defense to be evaded uses lasers or a track gun instead of missiles. I think our current system can be upgraded as necessary. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-08-12 00:28 |