MOSCOW. July 21 (Interfax-AVN) - This year's fifth silo-based launcher of the RS-20 Voyevoda strategic missile system (Western designation Satan) will be blown up in the village of Kartaly in the Chelyabinsk region on Thursday, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"The silo-based launcher of the missile division removed from combat duty in May will be blown up," the spokesman said.
According to him, the launcher is to be destroyed under the Strategic Missile Forces reduction plans in compliance with the START Treaty.
Under the treaty, silos destroyed are to be accessible to U.S. national verification means for observation for 90 days. After that the launcher site will be reclamated and handed over to the local administration.
According to the spokesman, the last remaining silo-based launcher is expected to be destroyed by the turn of July.
The Strategic Missile Forces press-service told Interfax-AVN earlier that the strategic missile division, deployed in the Chelyabinsk region, would have been disbanded by December 1, 2005.
According to open sources, the Strategic Missile Forces have recently operated about 150 RS-20 heavy missiles. The number of missiles will amount to about 100 after the division, based in Kartaly has been disbanded.
The R-36M-2 ICBM (RS-20 under the START Treaty, Satan under NATO classification, and SS-18 under the U.S. classification) is a liquid-state fuel heavy missile. It can be fitted with several types of warheads. It is designed to destroy soft and large-area targets, with which end in view it may be fitted with MIRV warheads. It has a maximum range of 11,000 km.