Kalibr cruise missile launch. IMAGE: Russian Defense Ministry/TASS
During the past six years, Russia increased the number of land-, sea-and air-based carriers has risen by more than 12 times and precision cruise missiles by over 30 times, the Russian Defense Ministry’s newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda reported on November 6.
The newspapaer reported that Russia had achieved a breakthrough in supplying long-range precision weapons to the Russian Armed Forces.
“Now the Armed Forces have set up command and control bodies and special units tasked with planning the use of long-range precision weapons and preparing flight assignments for cruise missiles of all types of their basing,” Krasnaya Zvezda reported. “As a result, full-fledged groupings of precision weapon carriers capable of employing missiles against targets at a range of up to 4,000 km have been established.”
According to the report, warships armed with Kalibr cruise missiles make up the basis of these groupings in strategically important areas of the Baltic, Barents, Black and Mediterranean Seas. Furthermore, the defense industry continues deliveries of submarines and surface ships armed with Kalibr cruise missiles as well as Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile systems.
The paper adressed the next-generation precision weapon systems:
“They [weapon systems] include the Kinzhal airborne precision complex with a hypersonic missile designated to hit ground and sea targets, the Sarmat intercontinental missile system capable of attacking targets both through the North and South Poles and the Avangard complex armed with a boost glide vehicle.”
Krasnaya Zvezda reported that the Russian Armed Forces established a self-sufficient group of forces in the Republic of Crimea. This group includes a naval base, an army corps, an aviation division and an air defense division. The Black Sea Fleet, which is deployed there, includes state-of-the-art submarines and frigates armed with Kalibr cruise missiles. Coastal defense forces are equipped with Bal and Bastion coastal missile systems that guarantee the protection of the republic and secure the interests of Russia in the Black Sea region.
During the Defense Ministry’s board meeting on November 5, Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov revaled that Russia had launched 55 military spacecraft in five years, tightening control over launch sites for US ballistic missiles.
“During the five-year period, an orbital group was built up, 55 military spacecraft were launched and the new Angara space missile complex was created to take payload to all types of earth orbits from the territory of the Russian Federation,” Gerasimov said. “Further development of the system will make it possible to execute global continuous control over ballistic missiles launch sites.”
“Further development of the system will make it possible to execute global continuous control over ballistic missiles launch sites.”
He added that the created spacecraft group allows to provide communication, as well as reconnaissance, navigation and other information at the required level to the country’s military-political leadership and military authorities.
