The test comes against the backdrop of growing tensions between Russia and the US, where one of the main divisions is around a US anti-missile defense system, which they intend to build in Europe
On Tuesday, May 29, Russia conducted tests of modern missile systems. The first test was a new intercontinental ballistic missile, RS-24, and the second test was a tactical cruise missile, R-500 adapted to the launcher of the infamous Iskander TK system.
In the first test, according to official statements, a state-of-the-art intercontinental ballistic missile, called RS-24 (according to the START treaty index), was launched. It was announced in the Russian media that this is a missile with a mobile launcher, which includes a fissile warhead (about 10 MIRV's) and is capable of penetrating missile defense systems. The missile was launched from the Plisset base (which is also used as a cosmodrome, a space launch base), towards the "Kura" missile range located on the Kamchatka Peninsula. According to an official statement from the Strategic Missile Corps (a separate corps from the Air Force), the test was successful, and all goals were achieved.
According to the assessments of independent experts such as Pavel Podbig, and also from later publications in the Russian media, this is a version of the RS-12M2 missile, known as Topol-Am, or SS-27 according to NATO. The biggest change is in the fissile rocket, as opposed to the Topol (SS-25), or Topol-Am (although some experts estimate that the latter is capable of carrying 3 or even six warheads, although this version is not produced). There may also be other small changes, which will adapt the missile to the terms of the START agreement to reduce the nuclear arsenal of the superpowers.
The missile was designed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, headed by Yuri Solomonov. The institute is responsible for the development of ballistic missiles, and among its latest projects are the aforementioned Topol-Am missiles, and "Bulava" (SS-N-30 or RSM-56).
Increasing the number of reshaks is apparently the "asymmetrical" answer to the American ABM program. For some time, senior government and military officials of Russia have been declaring that the withdrawal of the US from the agreements for the non-development of anti-ballistic missile defense systems will not go without a response. Yuri Solomonov, and other experts, have stated in the past that the technology of the warhead of modern ballistic missiles such as Topol-M will allow to penetrate any existing defense system, even one that will be developed in the coming years.
According to the official announcement, the new missile is intended to replace the UR-100N and R-36M missiles (according to NATO SS-19 Stiletto and SS-18 Satan respectively), which make up the bulk of Russia's arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Together with the RS-12M2, the RS-24 should be Russia's main strategic land-based missile in the coming decades. As stated by the Russian Acting Prime Minister and former Minister of Defense, Sergey Ivanov, the result of the successful tests is that Russia received a strategic and tactical missile system capable of penetrating any defense systems, and now Russian citizens can confidently look to the future.
In the second test, a modern cruise missile known as the R-500 was launched from the "Kapustin Yar" missile range. This is a missile suitable for integration with the famous "Iskander" (SS-26 Stone) system, which until now was used for short-range ballistic missiles. There are 2 versions of Iskander - Iskander E, intended for sale to other countries (due to a Russian-Syrian deal that did not materialize), with a range of 280 km and a warhead of 480 kg (the figures were adjusted to international conventions) and Iskander M , for the use of the Russian army, with an estimated range of 400 km and a more complex system.
Also in the past there were statements that measures were installed in a new missile complex that allow it to perform deception and fly in a quasi-ballistic trajectory, and now, according to the reports, the use of a cruise missile instead of a normal missile will allow for even better maneuverability and will probably increase the range of impact. Despite the R-500 index, which comes after the R-400 "Oka" (known in the West as the SS-23 Spider), it is possible that this is a cruise missile installed on top of the Iskander mobile launcher, and is itself part of a different system. According to the news agencies, the flight lasted 24 minutes, and included altitude and direction maneuvers. Average speed was from 230 to 260 meters per second. All the technical details will probably be resolved only in leaks/
