Thread by @KomissarWhipla

SRF Commander Karakayev wrote a piece for "Military Thought" journal about, well, "Strategic Rocket Forces of the Modern Russia": vm.ric.mil.ru/Stati/item/229…

Some takeaways in a THREAD:

- 3 armies, 12 divisions (4 silo+8 mobile, incl. Yurya)
- ~5000 people on duty at peacetime, 1/3 on battle posts
- about 400 ICBMs total (again!)
- ~95% of missiles ready to launch daily
- RU reacted to US withdrawal from ABMT and enhancing MD capabilites...

2/

...by continuously modernizing battle payloads and developing new, more refined, missile systems
- "almost all" ICBMs in service have MD penetration aids
- Avangard missile system development complete, gliding winged vehicle is a fundamentally new payload type

3/

- Avangard glider capable of intorcontinental endoatmospheric flight with Mach 20+ max speed
- Sarmat heavy ICBM development nearing completion, will substitute "Voyevoda" (SS-18/RS-20V)
- Mass and dimensions similar to SS-18, but has new types of battle payload and penaids
4/

- units with SS-18, SS-19, SS-25, SS-27 Mod 1 to be re-armed with Yars, Avangard and Sarmat
- 76% of modern equipment by the end of 2019, 100%(!) by 2024, silo/mobile mix remains
- Modernization under #NewSTART limits, but with an option to increase numbers under force-majeur
5/

- battle management crucial, modernization of existing infrastructure and command posts being carried out within State Armaments Program (GPV), as well as construction of new command posts
- use of modern information and telecomminication technologies

6/

- next-gen automated battle-management system elements are compact, low energy consumption, enhanced data protection, reliability and resistance to external disturbances
- battle orders can reach launchers through this system without middle stages, incl under radiation and EW

7/