Russia is commissioning new missiles with air-to-air nuclear warheads as part of its nuclear force expansion. This is reported by The War Zone with reference to the report of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
It is noted that the information is published in an unclassified analytical report on threats to 2025, submitted to the subcommittee on intelligence and special operations of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress on Armed Forces.
“Russia is expanding its nuclear forces by adding new capabilities, including nuclear air-to-air missiles and new nuclear systems. Russia likely has a nuclear stockpile of about 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and up to 2,000 non-strategic warheads,” the document said.
According to the report, Moscow is “unlikely to use nuclear weapons in the conflict (in Ukraine) unless the Russian leadership believes that… it faces an existential threat.”
According to the author of the publication, the missile in question is the R-37M missile developed by the Vympel design bureau for the MiG-31 heavy interceptor and later adopted for the Su-30SM and Su-35S multirole fighters, as well as the Su-57 stealth fighter. Before the special operation in Ukraine, samples of these weapons in service were very rare, he emphasizes.
“While Russia is unlikely to reveal much information about its new air-to-air missile with a nuclear warhead, it is important that it is specifically mentioned in the RUMO report. While the R-37M is widely considered to be a very powerful long-range weapon, the apparent existence of a nuclear-armed version is another complicating factor for any adversary and provides capabilities probably unmatched by any modern air-to-air missile,” the publication concludes.
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