Russia Building New Atomic Submarines With Improved Nuclear Missiles

[Purveyor]

MOSCOW — Russia is reportedly building a new class of nuclear submarine that will be armed with improved nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.

ITAR-Tass quoted the Russian Defence Ministry on Friday as saying the first of six new atomic submarines, the Severodvinsk, will join the navy in 2011.

At least five other submarines of the same type will be built by 2017.

ITAR-Tass says they will carry new hypersonic cruise missiles with increased range that are designed to strike "aircraft carriers of the potential enemy if they pose a direct threat to Russia's security."

It says they are also capable of hitting land targets.

Russia has increasingly relied on nuclear weapons to compensate for the decline of its conventional forces.

In December, the chief of the Russian military's general staff, Gen. Nikolai Makarov, said Russia will keep its arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons, which he said were necessary to counter a massive NATO advantage in conventional weapons.

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The Canadian Press: http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5h_RVG5JaxaB8y3j-Gukz2GzCZXNg

[bananas]

1. They need it to defend themselves against the nuclear subs they're selling to India

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Oh, good. A reliable bogeyman the MIC can count on. EEK!!

[GreenTea]

3. Well the only answer, we (US) have to step up our nuclear program & build bigger more powerful

nuclear weapons....that will show Russia & the world we mean business. Also, we should put in that anti-missile shield near the Russian border to intercept & stop al Qaeda from bombing Poland.

[backscatter712]

4. THAT'S RIGHT!!!

Peace through superior nuclear firepower! It's the only way to be sure we can protect our precious bodily fluids!

[Turbineguy]

5. And don't forget those mine shafts either.

"WE MUST NOT ALLOW A MINE SHAFT GAP!"

[Johnyawl]

6. How times have changed...

...the chief of the Russian military's general staff, Gen. Nikolai Makarov, said Russia will keep its arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons, which he said were necessary to counter a massive NATO advantage in conventional weapons

For 40 years the US Army kept tactical nuclear weapons on the ground in central Germany, under the command of regimental commanders to counter the massive Soviet advantage in conventional weapons.

[Supersedeas]

7. and I thought that Condi's tenure as Soviet specialist in chief would improve relations