"The extension of the service life of the systems
equipped with RS-20V [SS-18 Satan] missiles will allow
us to keep these most powerful missiles in the world until
2026," Lt. Gen. Sergei Karakayev said.
Introduced almost 33 years ago, the missile is routinely
tested and has proved to be a very reliable weapon.
"At this point, there are no serious technical restrictions
to continue extending the missile's service life,"
the general said.
The missile is armed with a warhead containing 10 multiple
independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) with
a yield of 550 to 750 kilotons each. It has a maximum
range of 11,000 km (6,800 miles) with a launch mass of
over 210 tons and a payload of 8.8 tons.
According to publicly available sources, Russia currently
has 88 SS-18 missile silo launchers, most of them deployed
at the Dombarovsky missile base in the Orenburg Region.
