MOSCOW. Oct 14 (Interfax) - The Russian military will perform 16 launches of cruise and ballistic missiles as part of an exercise due on October 15-17, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"The exercise will include 16 launches of cruise and ballistic missiles. There will be ten airfields across the country participating in air force operations," acting head of the Ministry's Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation Maj. Gen. Yevgeny Ilyin told foreign attaches at a briefing.
Air-launched cruise and guided missiles will be fired at four air force ranges of the Western, Southern, and Central Military Districts and the Northern Fleet, Ilyin said.
"They will be supplemented with launches of a Yars ICBM and a Sineva ballistic missile targeting the Kura range," he said.
"Sea-launched cruise missiles will be fired at naval ranges of the Barents, Baltic, Black, Caspian and Okhotsk seas," he said.
According to the Defense Ministry, the strategic command-and-staff exercise will take place on October 15-17. It will involve about 12,000 troops, 213 launch platforms of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, 105 aircraft of various types, including five strategic bombers, 15 surface ships and five nuclear-powered submarines, and 310 items of combat and special hardware.