An "'international protocol" extending the Agreement on ballistic missile and space launch vehicles launch notifications between Russia and China.
"This Protocol shall be temporarily applied from December 15, 2020 and shall enter into force on the day of receipt through diplomatic channels of the last written notification of the implementation by the Parties of the domestic procedures necessary for its entry into force."
BTW so far I haven't managed to find the relevant ratification documents on the Duma website.
Also, I can imagine @JoeBiden giving a formal Extension Note to Ambassador Antonov @RusEmbUSA immediately after inauguration ceremony.
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Finally tried to find a rough answer to the question about number of Russian long range non-nuclear (;))cruise (and quasiballistic;))) missiles, a topic I was very much interested myself.
Brief estimation give around 2000-3000 depending on the state of legacy systems, assumptions on number of spare missiles and production capacities. About half of that might be available for first salvo. ~55% are air, with slightly less than 30% ground, what remains - sea.
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At the same time, 'sea leg of the non-nuclear triad' has a trend of a gradual increase in the coming years, because kalibrization is a thing, and this thing is speeding up. And it will also be augmented with tsirkonization. Both with new hulls and modernized combatants.
13th MD in Orenburg deployed another Avangard missile system w/ hypersonic glide winged vehicle. Support equipment, incl. transporter, looks rather oldschool.
Some end-of-year data from the Russian Air-Space Forces:
- 4 S-400 rgts delivered
- 5 space launches from Plesetsk
- 7 spacecraft deployed to orbit (comms, navigation, "military purpose")
- EKS passed all tests, proved its effectiveness, will be enhanced in 2021
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- Early Warning detected 60+ ballistic missile and space rocket launches
- Space Control monitors 1200+ space objects
- 500k+ spacecraft control sessions
- Air Defense detected and tracked 1.5 mln+ aircraft, ~3600 foreign military aircraft, 1300+ recon airplanes
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- AD fighters carried out 170+ sorties
- AD exercises included shooting at MLRS rockets and UAVs
- Training included AD cover for troops in transit
- 2021: S-500 mobile air and missile defense system development to be completed.
Because of new missiles entering service, SRF Military Academy has several new categories, with focus on silo-based systems:
- "Operation of control systems and testing and launching equipment for strategic missiles"
- "Application and operation of automated control systems"
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Looks rather Sarmat and Avangard specific.
And more - "Management of tests of weapons, military equipment at the test ranges of systems". This one sounds strange even in Russian, probably has something to do with test launches from deployment areas rather than test ranges.
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