Russia conducts mobile Yars nuclear launcher drills amid tensions
According to the Defence Romania portal, the Russian Federation has announced that it is currently conducting exercises involving mobile Yars nuclear rocket launchers. The Russians plan to conduct more similar exercises in the future.
Defence Romania recalls that just last month, Russia and Belarus conducted joint exercises with tactical nuclear weapons. At that time, it was a response to the perceived "threat from Western powers" by the Russians. Although Putin explained then that there is no need to use nuclear weapons to win in Ukraine, he does not rule out changes in the nuclear strategy of the Russian Federation.
Russian nuclear triad
The Russian nuclear strategy is unique based on the so-called nuclear triad. This means that Putin's arsenal allows the launch of nuclear missiles from land, sea, and air. Only a few powers in the world maintain a complete nuclear triad – the USA, China, India, and the Russian Federation.
What exactly will the Russian military exercises with nuclear weapons involve? According to the Russian defence ministry, the exercises involve Yars missiles flying over 100 kilometres and "conducting camouflage and rapid deployment exercises in at least two regions." Let us also recall that the RS-24 Yars missiles being launched now experienced a failure during exercises last year. At that time, the rocket deviated from its target during flight after leaving the cosmodrome.
Russians practice firing Yars missiles
The RS-24 above ballistic missiles have a relatively short history. This weapon was first launched in May 2007 and put into service three years later, in 2010. According to the Russian Federation's plan, it will be used until 2050.
Yars is a Russian solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying up to six independent atomic warheads (MIRV) with a power of up to 300 kilotons each. The RS-24 Yars's range is described as 11,000 kilometres, which means it can target almost anywhere in the world. The launch vehicles for the Yars launchers are MZKT-79221 vehicles, which can accelerate to a speed of 45 kilometres per hour and travel up to 500 kilometres on a single trip.
In the context of the RS-24 Yars missiles, their length reaches about 18 and 23 metres with the warhead. At the same time, the diameter of this intercontinental ammunition, with a launch weight of 46 tonnes, is just under 2 metres. A combination of inertial guidance and GLONASS ensures the accuracy of the fire. The accuracy of the RS-24 Yars missile in terms of CEP is 250 metres.
