Colonel Nesterov said that in 2020 Russia’s armed forces will receive a new generation of ICBM-launching trains.
The Barguzin railroad ICBM system will carry six RS-24 Yars ICBMs, as compared to three RS-22 Scalpels carried by its predecessor, the Molodets railroad ICBM system.
“We need to think ahead… Realizing full well that we are going to need specialists to operate this new missile complex we decided to launch special courses to train such specialists,” Viktor Nesterov said.
The Molodets railroad ICBM system, armed with three RS-22 ICBMs was retired in 2005 in keeping with the START-2 treaty. Out of the 12 Soviet-era missile trains, 10 were destroyed and the remaining two were sent to a museum.
The missile trains are stealthy and highly mobile, capable of covering up to a thousand kilometers in a single day. Disguised as a freight train, a missile train cannot be spotted either by satellite or electronic surveillance.
All necessary infrastructure, such as tunnels, reinforced tracks and launch sites, is still in place and ready to go.
