Russia has conducted a test launch of a mobile, solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Plesetsk Cosmodrome. Training warheads travelled more than 6,700 km before reaching Kura test range in Russia’s far-eastern Kamchatka region.
The launch was conducted as part of an exercise by Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces to assess the missile system’s tactical, technical and flight characteristics. According to Russia’s Defence Ministry, all the assigned objectives of the exercise were successfully completed.
How the Test Was Conducted
Before the missile was fired, the Strategic Missile Forces redeployed a mobile missile-launch battery to a remote area. The exercise was designed to practise the complete operational sequence of a mobile missile system, including:
- Deployment to a remote location.
- Preparation of the missile for launch.
- Firing of the missile.
- Verification of its planned flight path.
The missile followed the expected trajectory towards the Kura test range. Russia’s Defence Ministry did not publicly identify the missile model involved in the test.
What is RS-24 Yars?
The RS-24 Yars is a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile developed to strengthen the country’s land-based strategic nuclear forces.
Its major characteristics include:
| Feature | Details |
| Type | Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) |
| Propellant | Solid fuel |
| Stages | Three-stage |
| Deployment | Mobile and silo-based configurations |
| Warhead capability | Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs) |
| Estimated range | More than 10,000 km according to open-source assessments |
| Entered service | 2010 |
| Earlier system replaced | RS-12M Topol |
Russia does not publicly disclose all details of the missile’s operational configurations, so some specifications remain based on open-source assessments.
Why the ‘Yars’ Mobility Matters
One of the system’s most important features is its road-mobile launcher. Unlike missiles permanently stationed at fixed launch sites, mobile Yars launchers can be:
- Moved away from permanent bases.
- Dispersed across different locations.
- Positioned at prepared field sites.
- Operated from locations that are harder for an adversary to monitor.
This makes it more difficult for an opponent to locate and destroy the missiles before they can be launched, improving their survivability. The Yars can also carry MIRVs, meaning that a single missile can release multiple warheads capable of being directed towards different targets.