Recently Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) deployed a second regiment equipped with the latest Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missiles. This brings the total number of such missiles in active service to 20. Currently RVSN's main strike force is equipped with the following nuclear ICBMs: 180 RS-20s, 160 RS-18s, 46 RS-22s (10 silo-based and 36 railroad-based), 370 Topols (360 mobile systems and 10 silo-based).
A launch of the Rokot space booster is planned to be carried out later this month. The booster is a converted RS-18 ICBM using a Briz main booster stage. Rokot is capable of taking up to 1850 kg of cargo into the low-Earth orbit. According to RVSN commander Vladimir Yakovlev, there are currently 360 old ICBMs available for conversion. This number includes about 100 RS-20s (converted to Dnepr booster), up to 200 RS-18s (converted to Rokot and Strela boosters), and in the future a number of Topol ICBMs will become available for conversion as they are being replaced in service by more advanced Topol-M missiles.
On December 14 Russia conducted ninth successful launch of the Topol-M ICBM from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. The missile destroyed a test target at the Kura missile range in Kamchatka.
(source: Independent Military Review, Dec. 17, 1999, translation by Venik)
