Development and Deployment
The development of the missile began in the late 1980s as an evolutionary upgrade of the RS-12M Topol (SS-25 'Sickle'), and the missile was redesigned in 1992. The first flight test took place on December 20, 1994. Experimental combat duty with 2 missiles in December 1997, the first regiment with 10 missiles in 30 December 1998, second in 1999. Silo launcher Topol-M entered in service by presidential decree in 13 July 2000, the third, fourth and fifth regiments entered in servise in 2000, 2003 and 2005. The last regiment will arrive in 2012.
On December 12, 2006 the first three mobile Topol-M missile systems entered duty with a missile unit stationed near the town of Teykovo.
By the end of 2010 the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces operated 70 Topol-M missile systems including 52 silo-based and 18 mobile systems. A further 8 missiles is to join the Forces by 2011-2012. In 2020 the RVSN are likely to be equipped with 177 Topol-M (mobile and silo-based), as well as 30 UR-100NUTTKh (SS-19) and 108 RS-24 "Yars" (SS-29), in nine divisions.
Current Strategic Rocket Forces Order of Battle lists the following sites with Topol-M missiles:
- 27th Guards Missile Army (HQ: Vladimir)
- 60th Missile Division at Tatishchevo with 52 silo-based Topol-M
- 54th Guards Missile Division at Teykovo with 18 mobile Topol-M
The Topol-M missiles have a lifetime between 15 to 20 years.
Read more about this topic: RT-2UTTKh Topol-M
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