Intercontinental missiles feature in Russian military drills

Russia’s military will test-fire intercontinental missiles to ensure its nuclear-equipped forces are combat-ready as part of massive exercises that began on Tuesday, the country’s Defense Ministry said.

The Thunder 2019 strategic drills bring together 12,000 troops employing 105 aircraft, 15 ships, five submarines and other special equipment, along with hundreds of military support units, said Major General Yevgeny Ilyin, the acting head of the ministry’s Main Department for International Military Cooperation.

Of the missiles to be test-fired, they involve the use of 213 launchers operated by the Strategic Missile Forces, he added.

The military exercises, known in Russia as Grom, are being staged over three days.

Cruise and ballistic missiles will be launched from firing ranges in Russia’s northwest: Pemboi in the Komi region, Chizha in the Arkhangelsk region, and Kura in the far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.

Sixteen types of missiles will be test-fired, including the Yars and Sineva intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, in launches carried out by the Strategic Missile Forces, Ilyin said.

Yars is a strategic missile system centered on a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile that can carry three to four thermonuclear warheads of 300 kilotons, according to the Defense Ministry’s Zvezda broadcasting service.

Sineva is a three-stage liquid-propellant ballistic missile used with strategic submarines. It can be equipped with four high-speed, small unguided warheads with a capacity of 500 kilotons each. Its maximum range can exceed 11,000 kilometers.

Elsewhere, 10 airports will also be used for aircraft operations.

Ilyin stressed that the drills are defensive and will take place within Russian practice ranges; foreign personnel will not be involved.

“The strategic command and staff drills for Thunder 2019 are aimed at providing practice for employing strategic forces to counter any act of aggression,” said Ilyin, adding that no countries are named for any of the scenarios for the exercises.

In the news conference, which was also attended by about 100 foreign military attaches, the Russian Defense Ministry said Russia would of its own accord provide data arising from the drills.