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Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces to test-fire new RS-26 missile in 2nd quarter of 2016

The firing is to be conducted in the second quarter of this year from the Kapustin Yar range at the Balkhash range in Kazakhstan

MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces will test-fire an RS-26 Rubezh state-of-the-art intercontinental ballistic missile in the second quarter of 2016, a source in the defense industry sector told TASS Saturday.

"The firing is to be conducted in the second quarter of this year from the Kapustin Yar range at the Balkhash range in Kazakhstan," the source said.

The RS-26 solid-propellant ballistic missile codenamed Rubezh is based on the RS-24 missile. The RS-26 is expected to be lighter than the RS-24 Yars missile and will carry a multiple warhead (the Yars missile is equipped only with one warhead).

The RS-26 will be launched only from mobile systems as it has no silo-based version. The missile is expected to come into service with the Irkutsk missile division of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces in 2016.

The confidence test-firing of the RS-26 was carried out in mid-March 2015.