http://www.reuters.com/printerFriendlyPopu...storyID=4398292

Russia Says New Missile Will Beat Any U.S. Defenses
Thu February 19, 2004 06:42 PM ET
By Tom Miles

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has developed ballistic missile technology that can outwit any defensive system, a top Russian general said on Thursday, in a clear challenge to the United States' planned $50 billion anti-missile shield.

The declaration came a day after President Vladimir Putin, eyeing nationalist votes for elections next month, promised to equip his armed forces with a new generation of long-range weapons matching those of the United States.

First Deputy Chief of Staff Colonel-General Yury Baluyevsky said that during large-scale military exercises on Wednesday, Russia had test-launched a missile system that could maneuver in mid-flight, allowing it to dodge defenses.

"The test carried out yesterday confirmed that we can build weapons which will render any anti-missile system defenseless against an attack by Russia's strategic forces," he told a news conference.

"It's part of our unilateral response to the creation or future creation of a missile defense system by any state or bloc of states," he said.

Moscow and Washington agreed not to develop large-scale missile defenses in the Cold War, but President Bush pulled out of the treaty in 2002, saying the United States had to ward off threats from terrorists and "rogue states."

Washington appeared unperturbed by the Russian missile test.

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time to buy defense stocks again tomorrow...

you betcha....

The ops that the Russian Navy have been conducting for the last little while are very reminiscent of the ops we used to monitor when it was the "Soviet" Navy... Big ops, lots of ships and several missle launches...

Whats good for Grumman, Raytheon and Northrup is good for America...

:okthumb:

This is Putin on the campaign trail. nothing more.

a couple days ago was a better example of their capability when during the biggest military exercise they have had since Soviet times and a sub failed to fire an ICBM due to mechanical failures.



Last edited by JR at Feb 19 2004, 10:09 PM

I also heard during that exercise a missle went ofcourse and exploded in mid air so much for that superior technology :headwall:

I think JR, jay814u, and I all heard the same NPR report.

I also heard during that exercise a missle went ofcourse and exploded in mid air so much for that superior technology :headwall:[/b][/quote]
i have a friend who was an officer in one of the towns where the bulk of the Pacific Fleet is located. no one would believe the stories from Soviet times. Once there was war games where there were two cruisers and one of them launched a missile at a target and the missle somehow locked on to the other ship where most of the highest ranking officers in the Soviet Fleet were standing and watching and blew the ship up killing all but a couple of people. the stories like that were endless. crazy stuff.

the Cold War was largely a myth and the threat could never have possibly been what it was purported to be.

Those kind of stories are pretty much true but that didn't/doesn't make the threat any less real...

We in the west have our fair share of failures and mistakes during ops. That is what ops are about. Training and testing and training and testing.

Back during the cold war, we monitored the Soviet ops very closely and they monitored ours very closely. There were a fair share of minor collisions between ours and theirs subs, etc. In fact, an XO at a base I was stationed on had a very high military decoration merely for being able to recognize the sound of a missile hatch opening. Thing is that their sub was directly above a Soviet Yankee class sub, a couple of yards above it. We were monitoring what they were doing (and at that close of a distance you can listen to conversation, etc) when he heard the missile hatch on the yankee open. He managed to get our sub away from there just in time for the Yankee to launch without putting their missile right through the middle of our sub.

It doesn't matter whether their missile tests went good or bad. That they are testing new generation missiles is what is important. During the Soviet era, they already had missiles that could exceed the 4800 mile mark with accuracy which made them a threat to both our east and west coasts from virtually everywhere in the Atlantic or Pacific. I assume that they still have that capability.

I don't think we are in danger of getting into a missile exchange anytime soon, but I agree completely with Serge that this is probably going to be a good time to invest in U.S. defense industry stocks, etc. Because, just like during the cold war we will always try to keep at least an even par with anything they do. Just for example, look at what has happened since China enetered the Space race for real this year. We have announced more space initiatives since they did their launches then we have for many years. It is all a game of stay even at least and if you can, get ahead and stay ahead.

Just imho of course.

as one very bright Russian once told me "you cannot build a computer with a hammer"

Ah...But you can fix a computer with a hammer..... :okthumb: