MOSCOW. March 30 (Interfax-AVN) - Extending service lives of ICBMs ensures maintaining a sufficient strength of the Strategic Missile Forces at minimal cost, Lieutenant General Vitaly Linnik, Deputy Commander of the Strategic Missile Forces for Armament, told Interfax-Military News Agency on Wednesday.
"Given the minimal cost of the research and development, comparable to that of one or two new missiles, we can leave dozens of combat ready missile in service," Linnik said.
According to him, the Strategic Missile Forces have had the efficient mechanism for solving the problem for many years.
He said that arms developers and manufacturers made a great contribution to extending missile service lives. "Such enterprises are tasked with conducting practical researches, constituting the backbone of research and development programs," he pointed out.
According to Linnik, major works include launches of missiles, nearing expiration of their service lives; flaw detection and bench tests of missiles in service with the Strategic Missile Forces; bench tests of missile systems and assemblies directly and manufacturing plants; technical inspections of mobile and stationary equipment at deployment sites.
"The Strategic Missile Forces jointly with designers general adopt justified decisions on extending service lives of missile systems, based on the results of such researches. On the whole the service lives achieved exceed those initially specified two- to three-fold," Linnik stated.
At the same time, major characteristics of all missile systems meet specification requirements of the Defense Ministry to the full extent, he said.