Test fire of a new modified version of the RS -24 (SS-27- Mod 2) in 2010. Unclassified – open source.
The United States is privately accusing Russia of violating a landmark arms control accord signed by President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail S. Gorbachev in 1987.
Supposedly Russia has tested a new ground-launched cruise missile. Such tests are apparently prohibited by the treaty banning medium-range missiles .
Rose Gottemoeller, the State Department’s senior arms control official, has repeatedly raised the missile tests with Russian officials, who have responded that they investigated the matter and consider the matter to be closed.
Oddly The U.S. has not formally charged Russia with actually violating the agreement publicly?
Repeated attempts to contact the State Department has failed to garner specific comment on this issue, as officials basically refuse to comment, or ignore phone calls and messages. Rumors are some members of Congress have been briefed on the tests on a classified basis – but no one will discuss it publicly – making such allegations impossible to verify.
Confidential sources within the intelligence community, speaking only on the condition of absolute privacy indicate that the missile in question is “a modified version of a RS-24 Yars (SS-27 Mod 2) with intercontinental range.”
If true it could be a technical violation of the treaty which bans all nuclear ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with range between 500 and 5,500 km (about 300-3,400 miles).
The RS-24 Yars also known as RT-24 Yars (NATO reporting name: SS-29)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 in use for nearly 50 years.
RS-24 is a missile that is heavier than the current Topol-M (which can carry up to 10 independently target-able warheads). The modified version is lighter, carries more bang for the buck and has an extended range capable of hitting almost any major city in the continental United States, including Washington D.C.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
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.
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 (source:http://en.ria.ru/russia/20081126/118554536.html).
On March 17, 2009 General Solovtsov announced that the first regiment of RS-24 ICBMs will be put into service in December 2009 when START-1 is set to expire (source: http://en.ria.ru/russia/20090317/120606613.html).
He later repeated that statement on May 7 (source:http://en.ria.ru/russia/20090507/121477681.html).
According to the Russian rocket forces the first six RS-24 missiles will be mobile (source: http://armstass.su/?page=article&aid=75217&cid=25).
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.[24]
Testing for the new-generation ICBM was completed in mid-July 2010, and the first missiles were deployed shortly after on July 19. 2010 (source:http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=378539&cid=7).
In December 2010 the 54th Guards Rocket Division in Teykovo received its second delivery of RS-24 missile systems. In total 6 missiles were deployed by the end of 2010, with more on the way.
Speaking through an interpreter in Moscow via Facebook a high level Russian Defense Ministry officials also refused comment on this matter. “We don’t comment on such matters”, the official said, who refused permission to use his name and rank in our report.