Russian missile chief claims shield-penetrating ICBM ready by 2018
http://rt.com/politics/russian-missile-forces-new-250/
Russia will begin production six years from now of a new heavy ICBM that can better penetrate the US missile defense system in Europe, the head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces said. “The building of the missile continues, it will be complete in 2018,” Colonel-General Sergey Karakayev said in an interview with RIA-Novosti.
The new and as-yet-unnamed silo-based ICBM will replace the R-36M2 ‘Voyevoda’ missile (known to NATO as the SS-18 ‘Satan’). Karakayev first announced the project in May 2011, when he revealed that the planned ICBM design will be capable of bypassing missile defense systems within the next 15-20 years.
“Speaking about combat effectiveness, it is necessary to note the new missiles’ ability to be invulnerable before launch thanks to their mobility, as well as their ability to tackle the task of defeating any possible missile defense system within the next 15-20 years, should such a need arise,” Karakayev said. The message, as well as the latest mention of missile defense, comes as a Russian response to US plans to deploy components of its global missile defense system near Russia’s borders. Such a move would upset the current global balance of nuclear power.