Thoughts on the military and military activities of a diverse nature. Free-ranging and eclectic.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Topol.


This is coolbert:

A number of web sites have recently carried news of a most alarmist nature.

This alarmist news concerned the successful test of an advanced version of the Russian SS-27 "Topol" intercontinental ballistic missile [ICBM].

This test in particular seems to have had the specific mission of verifying the operation of a hypersonic reentry vehicle.

And evidently the test WAS successful.

Whether this mission was launched from launch sites at Kasputin Yar or Plesetsk is not clear. Touchdown WAS near Lake Balkash and was deemed a success.

[keep in mind that in the old Soviet Union, all missile test were successes. Trains did not run off the tracks, cars did not collide, ships did not sink, and planes did not fall out of the sky in the time of communism. Tests, whatever the nature, WERE ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL!!]

Of particular concern is the hypersonic reentry vehicle. Evidently this is the latest and most potent flying machine on the planet. Similar to the recently tested NASA X-43, but operational rather than experimental, as is the American hypersonic craft.



[NASA's X-43 in the above photo.]

This combination of "Topol" and the hypersonic reentry vehicle seem to create an ICBM weapon that is impervious to all KNOWN ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE [ABM] systems.

It is clear that the "Topol" itself was designed with the intention of defeating known ABM systems.

The "Topol" DOES have built-in features that DO allow it to defeat KNOWN ABM systems.

Among these features are:

* Designed to be launched from a much hardened missile silo OR a Transporter-Erector-Launcher [TEL]. Allows for a MOBILE missile that is next to impossible to find, much less destroy.

* Rapid boost during initial stages of flight. Much faster than previous or existing ICBM's.

* On-board jets that allow for mid-trajectory maneuvers.

* Protection against hi-power lasers. [What this protection consists of is not clear. Perhaps rotation in flight plus a surface that scatters the laser beam!!??]

* Hardening to prevent electro-magnetic interference from destroying the on-board nuclear warhead. By this I assume protection against the electro-magnetic pulse created by a nuclear detonation.

And NOW, the addition of a hypersonic reentry vehicle for the warhead. This is a big plus. The warhead will not only NOT travel on a predictable coasting ballistic path during reentry, it will speed up markedly and also have the ability to once again, make mid-course trajectory maneuvers to defeat existing ABM systems.



[the above photo is of the "Ajax" Russian hypersonic vehicle. It is stated that such vehicles, if designed properly, have the capability to generate their own plasma field, rendering them even MORE impervious to electro-magnetic detection [radar].]

According to Russian "experts", the "Topol" will be the way to go with their current Strategic Rocket Forces [SRF].

By the year 2015 the "Topol" is expected to replace existing Russian ICBM's.

The "Topol" is expected to provide a nuclear missile strike capability for the Russians that is impervious to ABM systems until the year 2060!!!

Whoa boy!!

There is a problem here with all this, however. A problem all those other web sites spreading alarmist news seem to overlook.

The key phrase here in this blog entry is KNOWN EXISTING ABM SYSTEMS.

Of all the worlds powers, at current, ONLY THE RUSSIANS HAVE AN EXISTING ABM SYSTEM. NO ONE ELSE IN THE WORLD, THE U.S. INCLUDED, HAS AN ABM SYSTEM!!

It was decided by treaty that in the mid-1970's, both the old Soviet Union and the U.S. would be allowed to have an ABM system, but only of limited scale for both parties.

The Soviets had and still have [Russians now] an ABM system guarding Moscow.

The U.S. had for a short time, several years at the most, an ABM system guarding the Minuteman missile silos of North Dakota, this system being dismantled as being too costly and ineffective.

FOR A PERIOD OF AT LEAST THIRTY YEARS, ONLY THE SOVIETS AND NOW THE RUSSIANS HAVE A WORKING, EXISTING ABM SYSTEM!!

You have question the wisdom of the advanced version "Topol" utilizing a hypersonic reentry vehicle. The Russians HAVE built a superior system with the intent of overcoming any ABM defense. A defense however, THAT DOES NOT EXIST!!??

WHAT IS THE POINT??!!

The U.S. military has committed itself to an ABM system. But NOT WITH THE INTENTION OF STOPPING A MASSIVE ICBM ATTACK ON THE U.S. A U.S. ABM system is being installed with the pronounced intention of intercepting a very limited number of missiles from "rogue nations". Nations that would NOT have the capability for a MASSIVE attack on the U.S.

And, the Russians and the Americans are on GOOD terms with one another. A return to the Cold War mentality and confrontation between the two nations is not even conceivable to me at this time or at any time in the future. As simple as that!!

It may be that the "Topol" with hypersonic reentry vehicle is the result of momentum on the part of the Russians. A project started during the time of the Soviet Union was not discontinued and has proceeded without hindrance. Demonstrates that the Russians can design, build, and deploy advanced technology, of a variety that NASA has only in the experimental stage!!

coolbert.

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