| RS-24 Yars[1] | |
|---|---|
| Type | Intercontinental ballistic missile |
| Place of origin | Russia |
| Service history | |
| In service | July 2010 |
| Used by | Russia |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology |
| Manufacturer | Votkinsk Machine Building Plant |
| Specifications | |
| Length | approx. 23 m |
| Diameter | approx. 2 m |
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| Warhead | MIRVed, not less than 4x 550 kt warheads[2] |
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| Propellant | solid |
| Speed | Mach 13+ |
| Guidance system |
Inertial |
The RS-24 Yars (Russian: РС-24 "Ярс") is a Russian MIRV-equipped, thermonuclear intercontinental ballistic missile first tested on May 29, 2007 after a secret military R&D project, to replace the older R-36 and UR-100N that have been already used almost for 50 years.[3][4] RS-24 is a missile that is heavier than the current Topol-M (which can carry up to 10 independently targetable warheads).[5] The 2007 tests were publicized as a response to the missile shield that the United States were planning to deploy in Europe.[6][7] RS-24 is deployed operationally since 2010.
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Purported by the Russian government as being designed to defeat present and potential anti-missile systems,[8][9] the ICBM was first tested by a launch from a mobile launcher at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwestern Russia at 11:20 GMT, May 29th, 2007[note 1] and its test warheads landed on target about 5,750 km (3,600 mi) away at the Kura Test Range in Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.[10][11][12]
The second launch from Plesetsk to Kura Test Range was conducted on December 25, 2007 at 13:10 GMT. It successfully reached its destination. The third successful launch from the Plesetsk space center in northwest Russia was conducted on November 26, 2008 at 13:20 GMT. The missile's multiple re-entry vehicles successfully landed on targets on the Kura testing range.[13][14]
Neither the development nor deployment of RS-24 is likely to be threatened by the enforcement of the New START treaty.[15]
In June 2008 the chief designer of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, Yuri Solomonov, announced that the RS-24 is an enhanced, MIRVed development of the Topol-M missile that would finish all testing in 2008 and most likely be deployed in 2009.[16] According to General Nikolai Solovtsov, the commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces (SRF), the first RS-24 missiles will be deployed in Teykovo in 2009.[17]
On March 17, 2009 General Solovtsov announced that the first regiment of RS-24 ICBMs will be put in to service in December 2009 when START-1 is set to expire.[18] He later repeated that statement on May 7.[19] According to the Russian rocket forces the first six RS-24 missiles will be mobile.[20]
Further on October 10, 2009, on ITAR-TASS, General Andrei Shvaichenko, the new SRF commander, confirmed the December 2009 deployment of the RS-24 which will support the existing Topol-M (RS-12М2) missile complex.[21]
Testing for the new-generation ICBM was completed in mid-July 2010, and the first missiles were deployed shortly after on July 19.[22]
In December 2010 the missile division in Teykovo received its second delivery of RS-24 missile systems. In total 6 missiles are deployed by the end of 2010.[23] 3 more mobile missile systems were deployed in July 2011 and then the first regiment was operational. [24] In December 2011 first division of second regiment with 3 missiles was put on combat duty and second division will be deployed by 2011 year end. [25]
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