What is an intercontinental ballistic missile and how many does Russia have?
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Russia has launched a new intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine, a move that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described as a significant escalation of Moscow's invasion.
At first, Ukraine indicated that an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) had been fired at the city of Dnipro. This would mark the first confirmed instance in the conflict of a weapon specifically designed to evade defense systems, capable of traveling thousands of miles and potentially armed with nuclear warheads.
According to US officials, the new missile was in the testing phase and wasn't classified as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). They also suggested that Russia probably only had a limited number of them.
The Pentagon announced that the missile was launched with a standard warhead, although they noted that Russia could adjust it if they chose to.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh mentioned that it could be modified to definitely accommodate various kinds of conventional or nuclear warheads.
In this section, we'll cover what intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are and take a look at the number of these missiles that Russia possesses.
Intercontinental ballistic missiles are key strategic assets intended to transport nuclear warheads over long distances. They play a crucial role in Russia's nuclear defense system.
ICBMs can reach distances exceeding 3,400 miles.
Although the reach of an ICBM may appear too extensive for targeting Ukraine, these missiles are built to deliver several nuclear warheads, highlighting Russia's nuclear power.
While defense systems such as the US Patriot have shown success in intercepting sophisticated short-range and intermediate-range missiles, they are not built to deal with intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) threats.
Russia's ICBM Count: How Many Are There?
A report from the Arms Control Centre released in 2022 suggests that Russia possesses about 306 strategic intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which have the capacity to transport around 1,185 nuclear warheads collectively.
These encompass the SS-27 Mod 1 (Topol-M) and the SS-27 Mod 2 (Yars), each of which can transport several nuclear warheads.
Furthermore, there are claims that Russia is working on the Sarmat (SS-X-30) missile, which is said to be bigger and more advanced than earlier models.
In addition to the Sarmat, reports suggest that Russia is working on a hypersonic glide vehicle called Avangard.
Throughout the Cold War, the Russians created numerous intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with names like Satan, Stiletto, and Sickle.
Since Putin took office in 2000, the Kremlin has focused on improving the Soviet-era parts of its military triad. This includes deploying hundreds of new land-based missiles, introducing new nuclear submarines, and updating bombers that can carry nuclear weapons.
It has been reported that Russia has modernized its land-based strategic missile units by introducing mobile Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Additionally, the country has started to deploy the heavy, silo-launch Sarmat ICBMs, known in the West as “Satan II.” This move aims to gradually phase out around 40 older R-36M missiles that were originally built during the Soviet era.
Sarmat has completed just one recognized successful test, and it is said to have experienced a significant explosion during a failed test last month.
What Is The RS-26 Rubezh Missile?
According to reports from Ukraine's Ukrainska Pravda, citing unnamed sources, the missile that hit Dnipro was first identified by Ukraine as an RS-26 Rubezh.
According to the US military, the design of the Russian missile was influenced by that of the RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The Arms Control Association reports that the RS-26 can travel up to 5,800 kilometers and attain speeds of approximately 4,000 miles per hour, surpassing the speed of sound.
The rapid pace makes it really challenging for current missile defense systems to intercept.
The RS-26 Rubezh is built to accommodate a warhead that weighs as much as 1,200 kilograms, which is comparable to the combined weight of three Iskander missiles.
