On June 3, Russia announced it had successfully tested its hypersonic missile, Zircon. Analysts report that the Zircon missile can fly at 7,400 km/hr, or six-times the speed of sound. Russian news agencies emphasized the missile’s ability to to counter Western missile defense systems, arguing that the Zircon “makes Western defenses obsolete.” Russian sources indicate...
On May 30, Russian naval vessels fired four Kalibr (SS-N-30A) cruise missiles from the Mediterranean against ISIS targets near the Syrian city of Palmyra. The strikes reportedly targeted ISIS shelters and equipment depots east of the city. The Russian defense ministry stated that “All targets were destroyed.” The Kalibr is a land attack cruise missile with an...
Russia has reportedly sent a contingent of Iskander-M (SS-26 Stone) ballistic missiles to Tajikistan for drills. It is the first time Russia has moved Iskanders to that location. Russia has around 7,000 troops permanently stationed in Tajikstan. The Iskander-M is a short-range ballistic missile with a range of around 500 kilometers. Russia has this missile...
According to a Russian defense industry source, the SS-X-30 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, frequently referred to as the “Satan II,” has been delayed. These sources told TASS news agency that “the [silo launch] testing of the Sarmat from the Plesetsk launch facility in March won’t happen… it has been shifted back to the second quarter...
On February 21, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işık announced that Turkey will likely reach a final agreement with Russia to purchase the S-400 Triumf (NATO codename SA-21 Growler) long-range air missile defense system. According to Işık, “Turkey certainly needs a missile defense system and started a program with the aim of developing [it’s] domestically produced...
On February 16th, Senators Tom Cotton, (R-Arkansas), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), and Marco Rubio (R-Florida) introduced the Intermediate- Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) Preservation Act. This piece of legislation, along with a companion piece introduced by Congressmen Ted Poe (R-Texas) and Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) into the House of Representatives, calls for the United States to develop an...
On February 14, a senior military official reported that Russia has deployed a battalion of intermediate-range ground-launched cruise missiles, violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The missile has been referred to as the SSC-X-8 since it was first reported as a potential INF violation in 2014. The missile is likely a ground-launched variant of...
On February 1, NATO announced that it would indefinitely suspend a meeting with Ukrainian officials regarding NATO’s missile defense system. As Ukraine is not a member of the alliance, NATO’s Aegis Ashore site would not be used to defend the country. However, this meeting would have addressed concerns about debris falling on Ukrainian territory if Iran...
On January 17, 2017, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had conducted a successful test of its SS-27 ‘Topol-M’ ICBM. The Topol-M was fired from the Plesetsk launch site on Monday and reportedly hit its intended target on the Kamachatka peninsula “with high precision,” according to the Defense Ministry. The test was reportedly conducted to...
Reports from January 6, 2017 indicate that the Israeli satellite EROS B recently captured photos of at least two Russian-made road-mobile SS-26 “Iskander” missile launchers located at the Syrian army’s airbase in Latakia. Although stationed at a Syrian military base, it is believed that the launchers are manned and operated by Russian forces, which are...
