A rocket division in Siberia is training to deploy nuclear-tipped Yars missiles, the Defense Ministry has reported © The Russian Ministry of Defense
Russia is testing the combat readiness of its strategic missile forces with a training exercise involving around 3,000 troops and road-mobile Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), the Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday.
The maneuvers are being conducted by the Novosibirsk Rocket Division, a unit headquartered in the Western Siberian city of the same name. The force belongs to one of Russia’s three army-level units of its ground-based strategic deterrence branch.
The ministry released footage of Yars launchers and support vehicles rolling out of their hangars, and a statement said that around 300 pieces of military hardware will be involved in the exercise.
In addition to demonstrating their skill at deploying nuclear weapons, troops will train at hiding their movements from enemy reconnaissance, the ministry added. The latter part of the mission will be conducted in cooperation with other sections of the Russian military, including the Air and Space Forces.
The statement stressed that the use of drones will be a crucial part of the drills.
The RS-24 Yars ICBM is the latest version of the Topol-M missile family currently in service in the Russian military. The solid-propellant projectile can be deployed in silos or on road-mobile launchers, and is believed to carry up to four nuclear warheads.
