Strategic Rocket Forces
Encyclopedia
The Strategic Missile Troops or Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation or RVSN RF , transliteration
: Raketnye voyska strategicheskogo naznacheniya Rossiyskoy Federatsii, literally Missile Troops of Strategic Designation of the Russian Federation) are a military branch
of the Russian Military
that controls Russia's land-based ICBMs. The RVSN was first formed in the Soviet Armed Forces
, and when the USSR collapsed in 1990-1991
, it effectively changed its name from the Soviet to the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces.
The Strategic Rocket Forces were created on December 17, 1959 as the main Soviet
force used for attacking an enemy's offensive nuclear weapon
s, military facilities, and industrial infrastructure. They operated all Soviet ground-based intercontinental
, intermediate-range, and medium-range nuclear missile
s with ranges over 1,000 kilometers.
Similar organizations in other nations include United States Strategic Command
(STRATCOM), and the 2nd Artillery Corps
in China. Complementary strategic forces within Russia are the Long Range Aviation
and the Russian Navy's ballistic missile submarines.
in East Germany as the 92nd Special-purpose Brigade
of the RVGK [Supreme High Command Reserve] (92 BON RVGK). On 18 October 1947 the brigade conducted the first launch of the remanufactured former German A-4
ballistic missile, or R-1
, from the Kapustin Yar
Range. In the early 1950s the 77th and 90th Brigades were also formed to operate the R-1 (SS-1a Scunner). The 54th and 56th Brigades were formed to conduct test launches of the R-2
(SS-2 Sibling) at Kapustin Yar on 1 June 1952.
From 1959 the Soviets introduced a number of intercontinental ballistic missile
s (ICBMs) into service, including the SS-4 'Sandal', the SS-6 'Sapwood' (R-7)
, the SS-7 'Saddler' (R-16)
, the SS-8 'Sasin' (R-9A)
, the SS-8 'Sasin' (R-26), the SS-9 'Scarp' (R-36), and the SS-16 'Sinner' (RT-21)
, which was possibly never made fully operational. By 1990 all these early types of missiles had been retired from service.
Two rocket armie were formed in 1960. The 43rd Rocket Army
and the 50th Rocket Army were formed from the previous 43rd and 50th Air Armies of the Long Range Aviation
.
During a test of the R-16 ICBM on 24 October 1960, the test missile exploded on the pad, killing the first commander of the SRF, Chief Marshal
of Artillery Mitrofan Ivanovich Nedelin
. This disaster, the details of which were concealed for decades, became known as the Nedelin catastrophe
. He was succeeded by Marshal of the Soviet Union
Kirill Moskalenko
, who in turn was succeeded quickly by Marshal Sergey Biryuzov. Under Marshal Вiryuzov the SRF deployed missiles to Cuba in 1962 as part of Operation Anadyr
. 36 R-12 intermediate range ballistic missiles were sent to Cuba, initiating the Cuban Missile Crisis
. 43rd Guards Missile Division of 43rd Rocket Army manned the missiles while in Cuba.
Marshal Nikolai Krylov
then took over in March 1963 and served until February 1972. During this time French President Charles de Gaulle
visited the Strategic Rocket Forces in 1966. Together with NI Krylov, he visited a missile division in Novosibirsk, and then at the invitation of Leonid Brezhnev participated in a demonstration missile launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
in the Kazakh SSR
. Chief Marshal of Artillery Vladimir Fedorovich Tolubko commanded the SRF from 12.4.72 to 10.7.85. Tolubko emphasised raising the physical fitness standards within the SRF. He was succeeded by General of the Army Yury Pavlovich Maksimov, who commanded from 10.7.85 to 19.8.92.
According to a 1980 TIME Magazine article citing analysts from RAND Corporation, Soviet non-Slavs
were generally barred from joining the Strategic Rocket Forces because of suspicions of loyalty of ethnic minorities to the Kremlin.
In 1989 the Strategic Rocket Forces had over 1,400 ICBMs, 300 launch control centers, and twenty-eight missile bases. The SMT also operated SS-20 (RSD-10 Pioneer) intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) and SS-4 medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs). Two-thirds of the road-mobile Soviet SS-20 force was based in the western Soviet Union and was aimed at Western Europe. One-third of the force was located east of the Ural Mountains and was targeted primarily against China. Older SS-4 missiles were deployed at fixed sites in the western Soviet Union. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
, signed in December 1987, called for the elimination of all 553 Soviet SS-20 and SS-4 missiles within three years. As of mid-1989, over 50% of SS-20 and SS-4 missiles had been eliminated.
By 1990 the Soviet Union had seven types of operational ICBMs; about 50% were heavy SS-18 and SS-19 ICBMs, which carried 80% of the country's land-based ICBM warheads. By this time it was also producing new mobile, and hence survivable ICBMs, the SS-24 and SS-25. In 1990, with the SS-4 apparently fully retired, the IISS reported that there were 350 SS-11 'Sego' (UR-100)
(Mod 2/3), 60 SS-13 'Savage' (RT-2)
still in service in one missile field, 75 SS-17 'Spanker' (UR-100MR) (Mod 3, with 4 MIRV), 308 SS-18s (mostly Mod 4 with 10 MIRV), 320 SS-19 (mostly Mod 3 with 6 MIRV), some 60 SS-24 'Scalpel' (RT-23)
(silo and rail-mobile), and some 225 SS-25 (mobile).
Composition of the Strategic Rocket Forces 1960-1991
Source: and Holm, Strategic Rocket Forces
Like most of the Russian military, the Strategic Rocket Forces have had limited access to resources for new equipment in the Yeltsin era. However, the Russian government has made a priority of ensuring that the Rocket Forces receive new missiles to phase out older, less-reliable systems, and to incorporate newer capabilities in the face of international threats to the viability of the nuclear deterrent effect provided by their missiles, in particular the development of missile defense systems in the United States
.
In 1995, the decree of the President of Russia № 1239 from December 10, 1995 "On establishing the Day of the Strategic Rocket Forces Day and Military Space Forces Day" was promulgated. On 16 July 1997, President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree incorporating the Russian Space Forces and the Space Missile Defence Forces (Russian: Ракетно-космической обороны) into the SMT. In doing so, 'nearly 60' military units and establishments were dissolved. However, four years later, on 1 June 2001, the Russian Space Forces were reformed as a separate branch of service from the SMT.
Minister of Defence Marshal of the Russian Federation Igor Sergeev, a former commander of the SMT from 19.8.92 - 22.5.97, played a major role in assuring funding for his former service. He was succeed by General of the Army Vladimir Nikolavevich Yakovlev, who commanded the SMT from June 1997 until 27 April 2001. Yakovlev was succeeded by Colonel General
Nikolay Solovtsov (:ru:Соловцов, Николай Евгеньевич), appointed the same day. In early 2009 Solovtsov said that 96% of all Russian ICBMs are ready to be launched within a minute's notice. Solovtsov was dismissed in turn in July–August 2009. Speculation over why Solovtsov was dismissed includes opposition to further cuts in deployed nuclear ballistic missile warheads below the April 2009 figure of 1,500, the fact that he had reached the retirement age of 60, despite that he had recently been extended another year's service, or the failure of the Navy's Bulava missile). After only a year, Lieutenant General
Andrey Shvaichenko, appointed on August 3, 2009 by President Dmitry Medvedev
, was replaced himself. The current commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces, Lt.-General Sergei Karakayev, was appointed to the post by a presidential decree of 22 June 2010.
, the RSVN main command post is at Kuntsevo
in the suburbs of Moscow
, with the alternate command post at Kosvinksky Mountain in the Urals.
Female cadets have now started to join the Peter the Great Strategic Rocket Forces Academy. SRF institutes also exist at Serpukhov
and Rostov-on-Don
. An ICBM test impact range is located in the Far East, the Kura Test Range
.
The Strategic Rocket Forces operate four distinct missile systems. The oldest system is the silo-based R-36M2 / SS-18 Satan which carrying ten warheads, last missile will be in service till 2020. The second system is the silo-based UR-100NUTTH / SS-19 Stiletto, last 70 missiles is in service with six warheads each and will be removed till 2017. The most numerous missile in service is the single warhead mobile RT-2PM Topol / SS-25 Sickle which have 171 missiles in service, all of them is planned to decommiss till 2019. A new missile entering service is the RT-2UTTH Topol-M / SS-27 Sickle B with single warhead, from which is 49 in silo-based and 19 in mobile modification, some new missiles will be add in future. First upgraded Topol-M called RS-24
Yars which carrying three warheads, was commissioned in 2010 and in July 2011 completing of first mobile regiment with 9 missiles was completed.
The composition of missiles and warheads of the Strategic Rocket Forces previously had to be revealed as part of the START I
treaty data exchange. The current (December 2010) order of battle of the forces is as follows:
In 2016 is estimated the 31st Rocket Army will be disbanded. The 42nd RD with RT-2PM will be disbanded, and 13th RD with R-36 will be transferred to the 27th GRA. (Podvig)
Romanization of Russian
Romanization of the Russian alphabet is the process of transliterating the Russian language from the Cyrillic alphabet into the Latin alphabet...
: Raketnye voyska strategicheskogo naznacheniya Rossiyskoy Federatsii, literally Missile Troops of Strategic Designation of the Russian Federation) are a military branch
Military branch
Military branch is according to common standard the subdivision of the national armed forces of a sovereign nation or state...
of the Russian Military
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the military services of Russia, established after the break-up of the Soviet Union. On 7 May 1992 Boris Yeltsin signed a decree establishing the Russian Ministry of Defence and placing all Soviet Armed Forces troops on the territory of the RSFSR...
that controls Russia's land-based ICBMs. The RVSN was first formed in the Soviet Armed Forces
Soviet Armed Forces
The Soviet Armed Forces, also called the Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Armed Forces of the Soviet Union refers to the armed forces of the Russian SFSR , and Soviet Union from their beginnings in the...
, and when the USSR collapsed in 1990-1991
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, it effectively changed its name from the Soviet to the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces.
The Strategic Rocket Forces were created on December 17, 1959 as the main Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
force used for attacking an enemy's offensive nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s, military facilities, and industrial infrastructure. They operated all Soviet ground-based intercontinental
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
, intermediate-range, and medium-range nuclear missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s with ranges over 1,000 kilometers.
Similar organizations in other nations include United States Strategic Command
United States Strategic Command
United States Strategic Command is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands of the United States Department of Defense . The Command, including components, employs more than 2,700 people, representing all four services, including DoD civilians and contractors, who oversee the command's operationally...
(STRATCOM), and the 2nd Artillery Corps
Second Artillery Corps
The Second Artillery Corps is the strategic missile forces of the People's Republic of China. The SAC is the component of the People's Liberation Army that controls China's nuclear ballistic and conventional missiles. China's total nuclear arsenal size is estimated to be about 240 nuclear weapons...
in China. Complementary strategic forces within Russia are the Long Range Aviation
Long Range Aviation
Long Range Aviation was the branch of the Soviet Air Forces tasked with long-range bombardment of strategic targets with nuclear weapons. During the Cold War, it was the counterpart to the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force....
and the Russian Navy's ballistic missile submarines.
History
The first Soviet rocket study unit was established in July 1946, by redesignating a Soviet Ground Forces Guards Mortar regiment at BerkaBad Berka
Bad Berka is a German city, situated in the south of Weimar region in the state of Thuringia. With its almost 8.000 inhabitants Bad Berka is the second biggest city in Weimarer Land district . The river flowing through the city, which is embedded in new red sandstone, is called Ilm.Bad Berka is a...
in East Germany as the 92nd Special-purpose Brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of the RVGK [Supreme High Command Reserve] (92 BON RVGK). On 18 October 1947 the brigade conducted the first launch of the remanufactured former German A-4
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...
ballistic missile, or R-1
R-1 (missile)
The R-1 rocket was a copy of the German V-2 rocket manufactured by the Soviet Union. Even though it was a copy, it was manufactured using Soviet industrial plants and gave the Soviets valuable experience which later enabled the USSR to construct its own much more capable rockets.In 1945 the...
, from the Kapustin Yar
Kapustin Yar
Kapustin Yar is a Russian rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast, between Volgograd and Astrakhan. Known today as Znamensk , it was established 13 May 1946 and in the beginning used technology, material, and scientific support from defeated Germany...
Range. In the early 1950s the 77th and 90th Brigades were also formed to operate the R-1 (SS-1a Scunner). The 54th and 56th Brigades were formed to conduct test launches of the R-2
R-2 (missile)
The R-2 rocket was developed based on R-1 design. This was an improved version of the German V-2 rocket manufactured by the Soviet Union....
(SS-2 Sibling) at Kapustin Yar on 1 June 1952.
From 1959 the Soviets introduced a number of intercontinental ballistic missile
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
s (ICBMs) into service, including the SS-4 'Sandal', the SS-6 'Sapwood' (R-7)
R-7 Semyorka
The R-7 was a Soviet missile developed during the Cold War, and the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile. The R-7 made 28 launches between 1957 and 1961, but was never deployed operationally. A derivative, the R-7A, was deployed from 1960 to 1968...
, the SS-7 'Saddler' (R-16)
R-16
The R-16 was the first successful intercontinental ballistic missile deployed by the Soviet Union. In the West it was known by the NATO reporting name SS-7 Saddler, and within Russia, it carried the GRAU index 8K64.- Description :...
, the SS-8 'Sasin' (R-9A)
R-9 Desna
The R-9 was a two stage ICBM of the Soviet Union.Designed in 1959 and first tested in 1961, the R-9 was a great improvement over previous Soviet missile designs...
, the SS-8 'Sasin' (R-26), the SS-9 'Scarp' (R-36), and the SS-16 'Sinner' (RT-21)
RT-21 Temp 2S
The RT-21 Temp 2S was a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was assigned the NATO reporting name SS-16 Sinner and carried the industry designation 15Zh42....
, which was possibly never made fully operational. By 1990 all these early types of missiles had been retired from service.
Two rocket armie were formed in 1960. The 43rd Rocket Army
43rd Rocket Army
The 43rd Red Banner Rocket Army was an army of the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces.It was formed at Vinnitsa within the Kiev Military District's boundaries on 1 September 1960 from the previous 43rd Air Army of the Long Range Aviation....
and the 50th Rocket Army were formed from the previous 43rd and 50th Air Armies of the Long Range Aviation
Long Range Aviation
Long Range Aviation was the branch of the Soviet Air Forces tasked with long-range bombardment of strategic targets with nuclear weapons. During the Cold War, it was the counterpart to the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force....
.
During a test of the R-16 ICBM on 24 October 1960, the test missile exploded on the pad, killing the first commander of the SRF, Chief Marshal
Chief Marshal
The ranks of Marshal of a branch and Chief Marshal of a branch were senior military ranks of the Soviet Armed Forces. Immediately above the rank "Marshal of a branch" is the rank "Chief Marshal of a branch". Both ranks are immediately above the rank "Colonel General" and equal to Soviet General...
of Artillery Mitrofan Ivanovich Nedelin
Mitrofan Ivanovich Nedelin
Mitrofan Ivanovich Nedelin was a Soviet military commander who served as Chief Marshal of Artillery, a position he held from May 8, 1959 until his untimely death...
. This disaster, the details of which were concealed for decades, became known as the Nedelin catastrophe
Nedelin catastrophe
The Nedelin catastrophe or Nedelin disaster was a launch pad accident that occurred on 24 October 1960, at Baikonur Cosmodrome during the development of the Soviet R-16 ICBM...
. He was succeeded by Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union
Marshal of the Soviet Union was the de facto highest military rank of the Soviet Union. ....
Kirill Moskalenko
Kirill Moskalenko
Kirill Semyonovich Moskalenko was a Marshal of the Soviet Union. A member of the Soviet Army who fought in both the Russian Civil War and World War II, he later served as Commander in Chief of Strategic Missile Forces and Inspector General for the Ministry of Defense.-Biography:Moskalenko was born...
, who in turn was succeeded quickly by Marshal Sergey Biryuzov. Under Marshal Вiryuzov the SRF deployed missiles to Cuba in 1962 as part of Operation Anadyr
Operation Anadyr
Operation Anadyr was the code name used by the Soviet Union for their Cold War secret operation of deploying ballistic missiles, medium-range bombers, and a division of mechanized infantry in Cuba to create the army group that would be able to prevent an invasion of the island by U.S. forces...
. 36 R-12 intermediate range ballistic missiles were sent to Cuba, initiating the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
. 43rd Guards Missile Division of 43rd Rocket Army manned the missiles while in Cuba.
Marshal Nikolai Krylov
Nikolay Ivanovich Krylov
Nikolai Ivanovich Krylov was a Marshal of the Soviet Union . He was commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces from 1963 to 1972....
then took over in March 1963 and served until February 1972. During this time French President Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
visited the Strategic Rocket Forces in 1966. Together with NI Krylov, he visited a missile division in Novosibirsk, and then at the invitation of Leonid Brezhnev participated in a demonstration missile launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
in the Kazakh SSR
Kazakh SSR
The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Kazakh SSR for short, was one of republics that made up the Soviet Union.At in area, it was the second largest constituent republic in the USSR, after the Russian SFSR. Its capital was Alma-Ata . Today it is the independent state of...
. Chief Marshal of Artillery Vladimir Fedorovich Tolubko commanded the SRF from 12.4.72 to 10.7.85. Tolubko emphasised raising the physical fitness standards within the SRF. He was succeeded by General of the Army Yury Pavlovich Maksimov, who commanded from 10.7.85 to 19.8.92.
According to a 1980 TIME Magazine article citing analysts from RAND Corporation, Soviet non-Slavs
Demographics of the Soviet Union
According to data from the 1989 Soviet census, the population of the Soviet Union was 70% East Slavs, 12% Turkic peoples, and all other ethnic groups below 10%. Alongside the atheist majority of 60% there were sizable minorities of Russian Orthodox followers and Muslims According to data from the...
were generally barred from joining the Strategic Rocket Forces because of suspicions of loyalty of ethnic minorities to the Kremlin.
In 1989 the Strategic Rocket Forces had over 1,400 ICBMs, 300 launch control centers, and twenty-eight missile bases. The SMT also operated SS-20 (RSD-10 Pioneer) intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) and SS-4 medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs). Two-thirds of the road-mobile Soviet SS-20 force was based in the western Soviet Union and was aimed at Western Europe. One-third of the force was located east of the Ural Mountains and was targeted primarily against China. Older SS-4 missiles were deployed at fixed sites in the western Soviet Union. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is a 1987 agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union. Signed in Washington, D.C. by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on December 8, 1987, it was ratified by the United States Senate on May 27, 1988 and...
, signed in December 1987, called for the elimination of all 553 Soviet SS-20 and SS-4 missiles within three years. As of mid-1989, over 50% of SS-20 and SS-4 missiles had been eliminated.
By 1990 the Soviet Union had seven types of operational ICBMs; about 50% were heavy SS-18 and SS-19 ICBMs, which carried 80% of the country's land-based ICBM warheads. By this time it was also producing new mobile, and hence survivable ICBMs, the SS-24 and SS-25. In 1990, with the SS-4 apparently fully retired, the IISS reported that there were 350 SS-11 'Sego' (UR-100)
UR-100
The UR-100 was an intercontinental ballistic missile developed and deployed by the Soviet Union from 1966 to 1996. УР in its designation stands for "универсальная ракета"...
(Mod 2/3), 60 SS-13 'Savage' (RT-2)
RT-2
The RT-2 was an intercontinental ballistic missile deployed by the Soviet Union from 1969 through 1996. It was assigned the NATO reporting name SS-13 Savage and carried the industry designation 8K98. It was probably designed by the V.N...
still in service in one missile field, 75 SS-17 'Spanker' (UR-100MR) (Mod 3, with 4 MIRV), 308 SS-18s (mostly Mod 4 with 10 MIRV), 320 SS-19 (mostly Mod 3 with 6 MIRV), some 60 SS-24 'Scalpel' (RT-23)
RT-23 Molodets
The RT-23 was a Soviet ICBM developed and produced by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau before 1991. It is cold launched, and comes in silo and railway car based variants...
(silo and rail-mobile), and some 225 SS-25 (mobile).
Composition of the Strategic Rocket Forces 1960-1991
| Formation | Headquarters Location | Year formed as Corps | Year formed as Army | Year disbanded | Divisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27th Guard Rocket Army | HQ Vladimir Vladimir Vladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:... , Moscow Military District Moscow Military District The Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military District, the Northern Fleet and the Baltic Fleet to form the new Western Military District.-History:In the beginning of... |
01.09.59 | 1970 | Still active | 7th Guards Rocket Division 7th Guards Rocket Division The 7th Guards Missile Rezhitskaya Red Banner Division - is a of the 27th Guards Missile Army, Strategic Rocket Forces located in ZATO Ozyorny, Tver Oblast Bologovsky District Tver Oblast, Russia.- History :... , 28th Guards Rocket Division, (32 http://www.ww2.dk/new/rvsn/32md.htm), 54th Guards Rocket Division, 60th Rocket Division |
| 31st Rocket Army | Orenburg, Urals Military District | 05.09.65 | 1970 | Still active | 8th, 13th, 14th, (41), 42nd, 50, 52, (55), 59 |
| 33rd Guards Rocket Army | Omsk Omsk -History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes... , Siberian Military District Siberian Military District The Siberian Military District was a Military district of the Russian Ground Forces. In 2010 it was divided between the two newly formed Central and Eastern Military Districts.- History :... |
1962 | 1970 | Still active | 23, (34), 35th, 36th Guards, 38, 39th Guards, 57, 62 |
| 43rd Rocket Army 43rd Rocket Army The 43rd Red Banner Rocket Army was an army of the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces.It was formed at Vinnitsa within the Kiev Military District's boundaries on 1 September 1960 from the previous 43rd Air Army of the Long Range Aviation.... |
Vinnitsa, Kiev Military District Kiev Military District The Kiev Military District was a Russian unit of military-administrative division of the Imperial Russian Army and subsequently of the Ukrainian Army, RKKA, and Soviet Armed Forces... |
- | 1960 | 8 May 1996 | 19 (Khmelnitsky Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine Khmelnytskyi is a city in Ukraine in the region of Podillia. It is located on the Southern Buh River and about from the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. The town's original name was Płoskirów, later Proskurov, but in 1954 was renamed Khmelnytskyi. It is the center of the Khmelnytskyi Oblast in western... ), 37th Guards (Lutsk Lutsk Lutsk is a city located by the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of the surrounding Lutskyi Raion within the oblast... ), 43 (Kremenchug), 44 (Kolomyia Kolomyia Kolomyia or Kolomyya, formerly known as Kolomea , is a city located on the Prut River in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , in western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative centre of the Kolomyia Raion , the city is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast... , Ivano-Frankovsk Oblast, disbanded 31 March 1990. Previously 73rd Engineer Brigade RVGK at Kamyshin Kamyshin Kamyshin is a city in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volgograd Reservoir of the Volga River, in the estuary of the Kamyshinka River. Population: 101,000 ; 24,000 .... .), 46 (Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv Oblast Pervomaisk, Mykolaiv Oblast Pervomaisk is a city in Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine and the center of the Pervomaiskyi Raion. It is located on the Southern Bug river which bisects the city... ) |
| 50th Rocket Army | Smolensk Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk... , Belorussian Military District Belorussian Military District The Byelorussian Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces. Originally in the times of Russian Civil War it formed as the Western Front, and in April 1924 it was renamed to the Western Military District. In October 1926 it was redesignated the Belorussian Military... |
- | 1960 | 30 June 1990 | 1988: 7th Guards, 24th Guards (Gvardeysk Gvardeysk Gvardeysk is a town and the administrative center of Gvardeysky District of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Pregolya River east of Kaliningrad. Population: -History:... , Kaliningrad Oblast), 31st Guards (former 83rd Guards Bryansko-Berlinskaya Aviation (Missile) Division, renumbered 1 July 1960), 32nd (Postavy, Vitebsk Oblast), 40th, 49th Guards (Lida Lida Lida is a city in western Belarus in Hrodna Voblast, situated 160 km west of Minsk. It is the fourteenth largest city in Belarus.- Etymology :... , Grodno Oblast, 1963 to 1990), 58th (Karmelava, Lithuania) |
| 53rd Rocket Army | Chita, Transbaikal Military District Transbaikal Military District The Transbaikal Military District was a military district of first the Military of the Soviet Union and then the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed on May 17, 1935 and included the Buryat Republic, Chita Oblast, and Yakutia. Chita was the headquarters of the district... |
1962 | 8 June 1970 | 16 Sept. 2002 | 1988: 4th Missile Division (Drovyanaya, Chita Oblast Chita Oblast Chita Oblast was a federal subject of Russia in southeast Siberia, Russia. Its administrative center was the city of Chita. It had extensive international borders with China and Mongolia and internal borders with Irkutsk and Amur Oblasts, as well as with the Buryat and the Sakha Republics. Its... ), 23rd Guards Missile Division (Kansk Kansk Kansk is a town on the left bank of the Kan River in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. Population: It is home to the Kansk air base and is crossed by the Trans-Siberian railroad.... , assigned 1983-2002), 27th Rocket Division (Svobodnyy, Amur Oblast Amur Oblast Amur Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , situated about east of Moscow on the banks of the Amur and Zeya Rivers. It shares its border with the Sakha Republic in the north, Khabarovsk Krai and the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the east, People's Republic of China in the south, and Zabaykalsky... ), 29th, 36th Guards, 47th Rocket Division (Olovyannaya, Chita Oblast Chita Oblast Chita Oblast was a federal subject of Russia in southeast Siberia, Russia. Its administrative center was the city of Chita. It had extensive international borders with China and Mongolia and internal borders with Irkutsk and Amur Oblasts, as well as with the Buryat and the Sakha Republics. Its... ) |
Source: and Holm, Strategic Rocket Forces
Like most of the Russian military, the Strategic Rocket Forces have had limited access to resources for new equipment in the Yeltsin era. However, the Russian government has made a priority of ensuring that the Rocket Forces receive new missiles to phase out older, less-reliable systems, and to incorporate newer capabilities in the face of international threats to the viability of the nuclear deterrent effect provided by their missiles, in particular the development of missile defense systems in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 1995, the decree of the President of Russia № 1239 from December 10, 1995 "On establishing the Day of the Strategic Rocket Forces Day and Military Space Forces Day" was promulgated. On 16 July 1997, President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree incorporating the Russian Space Forces and the Space Missile Defence Forces (Russian: Ракетно-космической обороны) into the SMT. In doing so, 'nearly 60' military units and establishments were dissolved. However, four years later, on 1 June 2001, the Russian Space Forces were reformed as a separate branch of service from the SMT.
Minister of Defence Marshal of the Russian Federation Igor Sergeev, a former commander of the SMT from 19.8.92 - 22.5.97, played a major role in assuring funding for his former service. He was succeed by General of the Army Vladimir Nikolavevich Yakovlev, who commanded the SMT from June 1997 until 27 April 2001. Yakovlev was succeeded by Colonel General
Colonel General
Colonel General is a senior rank of General. North Korea and Russia are two countries which have used the rank extensively throughout their histories...
Nikolay Solovtsov (:ru:Соловцов, Николай Евгеньевич), appointed the same day. In early 2009 Solovtsov said that 96% of all Russian ICBMs are ready to be launched within a minute's notice. Solovtsov was dismissed in turn in July–August 2009. Speculation over why Solovtsov was dismissed includes opposition to further cuts in deployed nuclear ballistic missile warheads below the April 2009 figure of 1,500, the fact that he had reached the retirement age of 60, despite that he had recently been extended another year's service, or the failure of the Navy's Bulava missile). After only a year, Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Andrey Shvaichenko, appointed on August 3, 2009 by President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
, was replaced himself. The current commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces, Lt.-General Sergei Karakayev, was appointed to the post by a presidential decree of 22 June 2010.
Composition in 2010s
According to Globalsecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org
GlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
, the RSVN main command post is at Kuntsevo
Kuntsevo District
Kuntsevo is a district of Western Administrative Okrug of Moscow, Russia. Population: -History:In the 18th century, a palace and a park were built; they were often visited by the Empress Catherine II. Kuntsevo is the site of the Church of Theotokos Orans. In the 19th century, Kuntsevo became a...
in the suburbs of Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, with the alternate command post at Kosvinksky Mountain in the Urals.
Female cadets have now started to join the Peter the Great Strategic Rocket Forces Academy. SRF institutes also exist at Serpukhov
Serpukhov
Serpukhov is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, which is situated at the confluence of the Oka and the Nara Rivers. It is located south from Moscow on the Moscow—Simferopol highway. The Moscow—Tula railway passes through the town. Population: -History:...
and Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
. An ICBM test impact range is located in the Far East, the Kura Test Range
Kura Test Range
Kura Test Range is an intercontinental ballistic missile impact area used by Russia, located in northern Kamchatka Krai. It is northeast of the settlement of Klyuchi. The center coordinates are...
.
The Strategic Rocket Forces operate four distinct missile systems. The oldest system is the silo-based R-36M2 / SS-18 Satan which carrying ten warheads, last missile will be in service till 2020. The second system is the silo-based UR-100NUTTH / SS-19 Stiletto, last 70 missiles is in service with six warheads each and will be removed till 2017. The most numerous missile in service is the single warhead mobile RT-2PM Topol / SS-25 Sickle which have 171 missiles in service, all of them is planned to decommiss till 2019. A new missile entering service is the RT-2UTTH Topol-M / SS-27 Sickle B with single warhead, from which is 49 in silo-based and 19 in mobile modification, some new missiles will be add in future. First upgraded Topol-M called RS-24
RS-24
The RS-24 Yars 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 already used almost for 50 years. RS-24 is a missile that is heavier than the current...
Yars which carrying three warheads, was commissioned in 2010 and in July 2011 completing of first mobile regiment with 9 missiles was completed.
The composition of missiles and warheads of the Strategic Rocket Forces previously had to be revealed as part of the START I
START I
START was a bilateral treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. The treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and entered into force on 5 December 1994...
treaty data exchange. The current (December 2010) order of battle of the forces is as follows:
- 27th Guards Missile Army27th Guards Missile Army27th Guards Vitebsk Red Banner Rocket Army is one of the 3 rocket armies within Russian Strategic Rocket Forces headquartered at Vladimir, Vladimir Oblast in Western Russia....
(HQ: Vladimir)- 98th Separate Mixed Aviation Squadron
- 7th Guards Rocket Division7th Guards Rocket DivisionThe 7th Guards Missile Rezhitskaya Red Banner Division - is a of the 27th Guards Missile Army, Strategic Rocket Forces located in ZATO Ozyorny, Tver Oblast Bologovsky District Tver Oblast, Russia.- History :...
at Vypolzovo with 18 mobile RT-2PM Topol - 14th Rocket Division at Yoshkar-OlaYoshkar-OlaYoshkar-Ola is the capital city of the Mari El Republic, Russia. Population: Yoshkar-Ola means red city in Mari. The current name is the third to have been given to the city. The city was known as Tsaryovokokshaysk before 1919 and as Krasnokokshaysk between 1919 and 1927...
with 27 mobile RT-2PM Topol - 28th Guards Rocket Division at KozelskKozelskKozelsk is a town in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Zhizdra River , southwest of Kaluga. Population: -History:The town of Kozelsk was first mentioned in a chronicle under the year of 1146 as a part of Principality of Chernigov...
with 29 silo-based UR-100NUTTH - 54th Guards Rocket Division at TeykovoTeykovoTeykovo is a town in Ivanovo Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River southwest of Ivanovo. Population: 42,800 .Teykovo was founded in the 17th century and was granted town status in 1918. It is home to a Strategic Missile Division of the Strategic Rocket Forces where projects like the...
with 18 mobile RT-2UTTH Topol-M and 9 (July 2011) mobile RS-24RS-24The RS-24 Yars 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 already used almost for 50 years. RS-24 is a missile that is heavier than the current... - 60th Rocket Division at TatischevoTatischevo (airbase)Tatischevo is a military airbase in Tatishchevsky District of Saratov Oblast, Russia. Operated by Strategic Rocket Forces of Russia .Located 2 km north-west of Tatischevo settlement.Airbase serves special helicopter squadron of RVSN ....
with 41 silo-based UR-100NUTTH and 52 silo-based RT-2UTTH Topol-M
- 31st Missile Army31st Missile Army31st Rocket Army is one of the three rocket armies within Russian Strategic Rocket Forces headquartered in Orenburg.The 31st Rocket Army was formed on June 8, 1970 on the base of the 18th Separate Rocket Corps....
(HQ: Rostoshi)- 102nd Separate Mixed Aviation Squadron
- 13th Red Banner Rocket Division at Dombarovskiy with 30 silo-based R-36M2 (see )
- 42nd Rocket Division at Nizhniy Tagil with 27 mobile RT-2PM Topol
- 33rd Guards Rocket Army (HQ: Omsk)
- 105th Separate Mixed Aviation Squadron
- 35th Rocket Division35th Rocket DivisionThe 35th Order of the Red Banner Kutuzov second degree, and Alexander Nevsky Rocket Division of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces is located in the closed settlement of Sibirsky, near Barnaul, Altai Krai.-History:...
at BarnaulBarnaul-Russian Empire:Barnaul was one of the earlier cities established in Siberia. Originally chosen for its proximity to the mineral-rich Altai Mountains and its location on a major river, the site was founded by the wealthy Demidov family in the 1730s. In addition to the copper which had originally...
with 36 mobile RT-2PM Topol - 39th Guards Rocket Division at NovosibirskNovosibirskNovosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
with 36 mobile RT-2PM Topol - 51st Guards Rocket Division at IrkutskIrkutskIrkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
with 27 mobile RT-2PM Topol - 62nd Rocket Division62nd Rocket DivisionThe 62nd Red Banner Rocket Division is a formation of the 33rd Guards Rocket Army, Russian Strategic Rocket Forces, which is located in the area of the Closed city Uzhur, in Krasnoyarsk Krai....
at UzhurUzhurUzhur is a town and the administrative center of Uzhursky District of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located approximately from Krasnoyarsk between Kuznetsk Alatau and Solgon Ridge where the Chernavka River flows into the Uzhurka. Population:...
with 28 silo-based R-36M2
In 2016 is estimated the 31st Rocket Army will be disbanded. The 42nd RD with RT-2PM will be disbanded, and 13th RD with R-36 will be transferred to the 27th GRA. (Podvig)
Numbers of missiles and warheads
The Strategic Rocket Forces have 369 ICBMs able to deliver 1,247 nuclear warheads. According to Russian researcher Pavel Podvig, the total arsenal of Russia's SMF comprises 369 ICBMs, including 171 SS-25 Topol (Sickle) missiles and 67 SS-27 Topol-M missiles. As of December 2010 the 369 ICBM arsenal is made up of:- 58 silo-based R-36M2 (SS-18)
- 70 silo-based UR-100N (SS-19)
- 171 mobile RT-2PM "Topol" (SS-25)
- 52 silo-based RT-2UTTH "Topol M" (SS-27)RT-2UTTH Topol MThe RT-2UTTKh «Topol-M» is one of the most recent intercontinental ballistic missiles to be deployed by Russia , and the first to be developed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union....
- 18 mobile RT-2UTTH "Topol M" (SS-27)RT-2UTTH Topol MThe RT-2UTTKh «Topol-M» is one of the most recent intercontinental ballistic missiles to be deployed by Russia , and the first to be developed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union....
- 6 (9 in july 2011) mobile RS-24RS-24The RS-24 Yars 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 already used almost for 50 years. RS-24 is a missile that is heavier than the current...
(Future replacement for R-36 & UR-100N missiles)
Further reading
- Дороговоз И. Г. Ракетные войска СССР. — Минск: Харвест, 2007. — 336 с. — ISBN 978-985-13-9751-4
- John G. Hines et al. Soviet Intentions 1965-1985. Braddock Dunn & McDonaldBraddock Dunn & McDonaldBraddock, Dunn & McDonald, later known as BDM, then BDM International, was a technical services firm founded in 1959 in New York City. Its founders were Dr. Joseph V. Braddock, Dr. Bernard J. Dunn, and Dr. Daniel F. McDonald, who each received a PhD from Fordham University in the Bronx, New York....
(BDM), 1995. - Strategic Rocket Forces museum
- "Владимирская Ракетная Стратегическая" (Vladimirskaya Strategic Missile) by I.V. Vershkov and V.G. Gagarin; Vladimir 2006; 480 pages;
- "Оренбургская Стратегическая" (Orenburg Strategic) by Y.N. Feoktistov; Perm 2001; 328 pages; (also a 1997 edition).
- "Читинская Ракетная Армия" (Chitinskaya Missile Army) by ??; Chita, 2002; 268 pages
- "История 50-й Ракетной Армии I-IV" (History 50th Missile Army, part 1-4) by G.I. Smirnov and A.I. Yasakov; Smolensk 2008; 370+342+387+561 pages
- "Стратеги" (Strategic) by V.T. Nosov; Moscow, 2008; 276 pages;