MOSCOW, December 20 (Itar-Tass) – Russia will have to give a proportionate response to the U.S. missile defense, in particularly, with upgraded warheads of intercontinental ballistic missiles, Russian Strategic Rocket Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Sergei Karakayev said on the occasion of the Forces’ Day marked on December 17.
“We have to give a proportionate response to the developing U.S. missile defense infrastructure, as the United States refuses to acknowledge Russian concerns,” he said. Hence new missile systems will be equipped with highly efficient, maneuverable and guided warheads and improved characteristics of penetration through missile defense, he said.
“Practically all the silo-based and road-mobile missiles the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces are using have warheads capable of passing through missile defense,” he said. “The development of such warheads is stipulated by the state armament program. The capacities of these warheads were presented to the U.S. in test launches of the Yars road-mobile missile launcher and the Bulava naval-based intercontinental ballistic missile. We also have hypersonic warheads with alternating speed and trajectory,” he said.
“In addition, new warheads are beyond reach in all phases of their trajectory,” he said. “New intercontinental ballistic missiles are built for maximum resistance to the enemy in the acceleration phase, before the separation of warheads. The acceleration phase is reduced to minimal. In that vulnerable phase missiles rapidly change their speed and trajectory for making impossible the interception forecasts.”
“This task was not easy. Strong and light rocket shells were built and powered with high-energy propulsion units and control instruments resistant to overload. The latest test flights confirmed the achievement of the goal,” he said.
“When the acceleration phase is over, warheads begin an extra-atmospheric flight. New missiles have several warheads, all of them protected with false targets and jamming. The warheads are made with the use stealth technologies,” he said.
“The final phase is the atmospheric flight of warheads. Then warheads are protected with heavy false targets, which are practically indistinguishable from real warheads and copy their speed and trajectory,” he said.
Asked why Russia opposed the U.S. missile defense, the general said, “Russia does not oppose missile defense of a certain country or a group of states. We just realize the solid connection between offensive and defensive strategic systems and, naturally, call for a reasonable and rational balance of such weapons,” he said.
“Russia does not object to the U.S. missile defense; it objects to a missile defense system openly targeted against it and potentially reducing the capacity of the Russian nuclear deterrence forces,” he said. “As long as the world has a steady nuclear deterrence mechanism, one should not undermine it or start a strategic offensive arms race. If that happens, strategic stability will be gone, and that will hardly be advantageous for anyone,” he said.