A Bomb That Could Trigger Devastating Tsunami Waves
SECRET WARTIME experiments were conducted off the New Zealand coast to perfect a bomb that could trigger devastating Tsunami waves, according to government files declassified in Auckland. The New Zealand Herald, citing the files, said that senior United States defence officials believed the weapon had the potential to be as deadly as the atomic bomb. But the tsunami bomb, as it was known, was never fully tested and the war ended before the project was completed.
Its mastermind was Thomas Leech, an Australian professor who as the dean of engineering at Auckland University from 1940 to 1950. He was seconded to the New Zealand Army during the Second World War. He set off a series of underwater explosions that triggered mini tidal waves at Whangaparaoa, just north of Auckland, in 1944 and 1945.
Details of the research, known as Project Seal, are contained in 53- year-old documents released by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The papers, stamped “Top Secret”, show that America and Britain were keen for Seal to be developed in the postwar years. They even considered sending Professor Leech to Bikini Atoll to watch the US nuclear tests and see if they had any application to his work.
In the end, he did not make the visit, although Dr Karl Compton, a member of the US board of assessors of nuclear tests, was sent to New Zealand to meet him.
In July 1946, a letter from Washington to Wellington Defence Headquarters stated: “Dr Compton is impressed with Professor Leech’s deductions on the Seal Project and is prepared to recommend to the Joint Chiefs of Staff that all technical data from the test, relevant to the Seal Project, should be made available to the New Zealand government for further study.”
The announcement in 1947 that he had been awarded a CBE for weapons research led to speculation in some newspapers outside New Zealand about the nature of the work that he had been conducting. No details were released about it at the time because the project was still under way.
Neil Kirton, a former colleague of Professor Leech, told the New Zealand Herald that the experiments involved laying a pattern of explosives underwater to create a tidal wave.
Small-scale explosions were set off in the Pacific and off Whangaparaoa, which was controlled by the army at the time. Mr Kirton said he doubted whether people living in Auckland at the time would have noticed the trials.
What happened to Project Seal once the final report was forwarded to Wellington in the late 1940s is not clear.
Mr Kirton said: “If it could ever be resurrected, under some circumstances I think it could be devastating.”
Views Below Are Not HP Staff, And Have Been Sent To Our News Files Was the tsunami caused by a bomb? By Gordon Deponto, Greatfalls
Could Nuclear testing create a tsunami?
This is a difficult topic to research, because much of the information surrounding nuclear testing is classified. During the Cold War there was fear of tsunamis produced by the detonation of nuclear bombs on the continental shelf off the East Coast of the US. A nuclear bomb was never detonated on the shelf, however a huge explosion did generate a tsunami during World War I causing vast destruction Any large disturbance that displaces a large volume of water can be a potential cause of a tsunami.
If it happened before, it may be a bomb that caused this one. It seems very convenient that the epicenter of the earthquake was in war torn Aceh. Could a bomb or series of bombs on the faultline have caused this huge earthquake/tsunami?
Reporters keep saying it looks like a nuclear bomb was dropped. Was this nuclear weapons above and below the ocean. 3 large Nukes in different areas could do the same damage and cause the same tsunami. We Pray to God that this is not another push for oil and the New World Order by our governments.
FACTS
Aceh has fought for independence for many years – even befor Indonesia became a democracy (AKA US protectorate) a few years ago.
There is oil, a lot of it, and liquid gas in Indonesia.
The US is engaged in military “training” in the region. Flight and naval base with weapons to oufit a huge army
80,000 + people in Aceh died in the earthquake.
I’d predict that Aceh will suddenly become peaceful and cooperative with the US appointed Indonesian government.
THEORY
Is it likely that this whole terrible earthquake/tsunami happened because US/Indonesian army folks thought it would be a good idea to use a big bomb to quench the Aceh independence movement?
This would be a terrible murderous plot to intentionally kill so many people. Those in power might say these people are poor and are causing the New World order many troubles. If this is the kind of freedom the New World order brings, intentional death to make it work, then God help those that conspire to do this. On the day of judgment there will be no where to hide. ( If the life of thousands of poor Aceh people made in the image of God is the way the New World Order intends to make it easier to control the region and take the oil.), then this is not freedom but death to all who go along with such a diabolical plan. If they tried to get rid of the Aceh rebels with a bomb it worked well, but they never thought it would cause a big tsunami. The New World Order Pushers don’t care how many lives they take to make their one World Government work. These are my thoughts, lets hope this is not the real reason the Tsunami was so large.
By Gordon Deponto, Greatfalls U.S.
A Bomb That Triggers A Tidal Wave
The idea of a bomb that triggers a tidal wave is not as outlandish as it may first appear. Towards the end of WWII a top-secret project was underway in the waters off the coast of New Zealand to perfect just such a weapon. Project Seal as it was known was a secret weapon developed under the auspices of British and American defence chiefs who considered it as important as the atomic bomb.
Prof Thomas Leech, dean of engineering at Auckland University, conducted the experiments in the sea off Auckland on the so-called Tsunami bomb; in recognition he was awarded the CBE in 1947. The existence of the weapon was only disclosed in 1999 when New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry released declassified documents. According to the papers British and American defence chiefs were keen to see the development of the weapon, which would be exploded near enemy territory with the intention of creating devastating tidal waves (9). It doesn’t take a genius to realise that if the bomb were to carry a nuclear charge it would inundate such low lying countries as Holland and southern England. Significantly the Russians are also said to have developed such a weapon. – the TruthSeeker, 10/22/04
On December 18, 2004, I ran a story entitled, BND Guy: December 27… Expect “Something Big”… This Is It, Folks, and if read, you can see that I got a lot of flack for running it. Whether it remained a real story that got delayed or not, it certainly was close. Would the Russians, being aware of an event such as that, realizing the power it would give to Bush to go “Empiring”, would they do one better and not only stall Bush’s “warring” but also show off their ability to rule the world as well?
Could the Russians have triggered the recent Asian Tsunami?
1. Do stories differ as to how many missiles were fired? Yes.
2. Are the missiles capable of reaching this distance from Russia? Yes.
3. Is Russia playing war games with the U.S.? Yes.
4. Was notification of the Tsunami delayed? Yes.
5. Is world depopulation a planned and coordinated effort? Yes.
6. What was that strange silence by all world leaders??
1. Do stories differ as to how many missiles were fired?
The Russian government was testing missiles last week. This testing was meant to show Russia’s advancement in nuclear proliferation and to tell the world they had trumped Bush’s Missile Shield program. But varying reports show that there is some degree of uncertitude over how many missiles were fired and from where?
This from the Russian Information Agency Novosti:
MOSCOW, December 20 (RIA Novosti) – This week the Strategic Missile Forces are going to launch two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), the SMF press service said…..The missile division deployed in the Orenburg region, which launched a missile for the last time in 1991, will launch a combat-training version of the RS-20V Voyevoda (NATO codename SS 18 Satan)….The combat training launch will not be the only one this week, as the Topol M, a fifth-generation ICBM, will be launched at Plesetsk Space Center from a state-of-the-art mobile launcher….[1]
This from an Associated Press on Friday, Dec. 24:
A government statement says the test involved a mobile version of the top-of-the line Topol-M. Military officials say the missile is capable of hitting targets more than six-thousand miles away. Russia’s official news agency says today’s launch is expected to be the last of four test-firings of the Topol-M’s mobile version before its deployment set for next year.[2]
Now check out this from Rediff.com on Dec. 25:
“Russia on Saturday successfully tested its Generation-next hypersonic inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of dodging any future missile shield.”[3]
When exactly was the last firing? And how many missiles were actually fired? According to their release, one may never know: “The missiles can carry up to 1’200 kilograms in warheads and have a range of about 10’000 kilometers. Reportedly able to conduct in-flight maneuvers and to avoid detection and interception, the Topol-M is sometimes presented by the Russian military as Moscow’s response to the US National Missile Defense shield (NMD) program.”
And where???
Dec. 20 – “The missile division deployed in the Orenburg region, which launched a missile for the last time in 1991, will launch a combat-training version of the RS-20V Voyevoda (NATO codename SS 18 Satan).” This week the Strategic Missile Forces are going to launch two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), the SMF press service said.
Dec. 20 – “The missile was fired from a mobile launcher at the Plesetsk launch pad in the northern region of Arkhangelsk…”
Dec. 22 – “It was fired from a missile base Dombarovka in the Orenburg region, some 1’300 kilometers southeast of Moscow.” [6]
Dec. 24 – “Friday’s launch is expected to be the last of four test-firings of the Topol-M’s mobile version before its deployment set for next year [7]
Dec. 25 – “In the presence of Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov and Economic Development Minister Gherman Gref, a RS12M2 Topol-M mobile ICBM was test launched at 1239 hours (1509 IST) from the cosmodrome Plisetsk in north Russia. This was the fourth successful test of the new missile before its induction in 2005.” See Also [10]
Hey, that’s more than 2 or 4???
State tests of the silo-based Topol-M inter-continental ballistic missile’s (ICBM’s) mobile ground-based version, as well as those of the Bulava (Mace) new-generation submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), are being conducted rather successfully, Ivanov told those present. [8]
After President Bush signed a 2002 nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia, the U.S. intelligence community concluded that it would be unable to verify reliably whether the Kremlin was abiding by the pact.
The intelligence agencies issued the warning because the treaty didn’t require that each side be allowed to inspect the other’s long-range nuclear missiles and bombers and warhead storage facilities. The Bush administration had opposed mutual inspection during negotiations with the Russians.[11]
2. Are the missiles capable of reaching this distance from Russia?
04/20/04…the launch from Plesetsk tested the Topol-M at its maximum range of approximately 11,000km (approximately 6,830 miles). As a result, the dummy warhead struck a target in neutral waters of the Pacific Ocean to the south of the Aleutian Islands….[4]
Distance from Archangel region of Russia where missiles were fired (64° 33′ N, 40° 32′ E) to the point of contact stated by the USGS Earthquake site (3.251°N, 95.799°E): 8098.440 kilometers or 5032.138 miles
3. Is Russia playing war games with the U.S.?
There have been numerous reports of Russia flexing its military muscle. These latest missile launches are yet another example of Bush and Putin revving up the Cold War again. From Russia’s recent agreements to join China in military maneuvers to Bush gathering alliances to join his Missile Shield program. Check out just one example of the little games you don’t hear about
Their appearance was as dramatic as it was unexpected. They came without warning and left in their wake a trail of confusion and shock. The Russian SU-27 and its reconnaissance escort flew in tandem, flying low and fast, exactly as if they had been on a strike mission. Their target was the prized centrepiece of the US Seventh Fleet in the Sea of Japan, the USS Kitty Hawk. Somehow, through a combination of skill and daring they evaded the radars and look-outs of an entire naval Battle-group to swoop past the aircraft carrier at its centre. If this had been for real the Kitty Hawk would have been sunk or the planes shot down; but the planes were not shot down because the Battle-fleet was taken completely by surprise, moreover this happened not just once but three times in late October and November last year. Then, as if to add insult to injury, the Russians emailed photos to the Pentagon taken by their planes as they buzzed the Kitty Hawk. Interfax quoted Russian naval spokesman Anatoly Kornukov as saying the buzzing of the USS Kitty Hawk had been a “planned operation… Our jets’ appearance was a big surprise for Americans,” Kornukov said. “The photos clearly show the panic on the carrier’s deck.” ” TruthSeeker
“Quietly and deliberately the Russian and Chinese military machines are being rebuilt and readied, or in the words of Russia’s naval commander Adm. Vladimir Kuroyedov: “It is time for our ships to move away from the pier.”
4. Was notification of the Tsunami delayed?
“THIS MESSAGE IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THERE IS NO TSUNAMI WARNING OR WATCH IN EFFECT. AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS.
ORIGIN TIME — 0059Z 26 DEC 2004.
COORDINATES — 3.4 NORTH 95.7 EAST
LOCATION — OFF THE COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
MAGNITUDE — 8.0
EVALUATION:
THIS EARTHQUAKE IS LOCATED OUTSIDE THE PACIFIC. NO DESTRUCTIVE TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS BASED ON HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA.
Don Blakeman, a USGS geophysicist, was about to have Christmas dinner when his pager went off — a computer-generated warning that a major quake had just occurred. A colleague, Julie Martinez, also was paged and began analyzing data on her home computer while Blakeman drove to the office.
As data from more and more stations began to arrive, Blakeman revised the estimate of the temblor’s magnitude to 8.5 — a threefold increase in size. He triggered a computer program that notified the White House, State Department and major relief agencies of a massive quake.
I personally copied the data from the USGS Earthquake site on Sunday. Changes made to the listing since then are in BOLD.
Magnitude 9.0
Date-Time Sunday, December 26, 2004 at 00:58:50 (UTC) = Coordinated Universal Time [00:58:53]
Sunday, December 26, 2004 at 6:58:50 AM = local time at epicenter [07:58:53] 1 Hour Difference!!
Location 3.251°N, 95.799°E [3.316°N, 95.854°E]
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program [30 km (18.6 miles)]
Region OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
Distances
255 km (160 miles) SSE of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
320 km (200 miles) W of Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia
1275 km (790 miles) SSW of BANGKOK, Thailand
1605 km (990 miles) NW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 8.9 km (5.5 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters Nst=169, Nph=169, Dmin=>999 km, Rmss=1.4 sec, Gp= 29° [Nst=276, Nph=276, Dmin=654.9 km, Rmss=1.04 sec, Gp= 29°],
M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=9
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID usslav
Felt Reports At least 3,000 people killed in Sri Lanka, 2,300 in India, 2,000 in Indonesia, 289 in Thailand, 42 in Malaysia, 8 in Somalia and 2 in Bangladesh by tsunamis. Tsunamis also occurred on the coasts of Maldives and Cocos Island. At least 200 people killed, buildings destroyed or damaged in the Banda Aceh area, Sumatra. Felt widely in Sumatra. Also felt in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand. This is now the fourth largest earthquake in the world since 1900 and is the largest since the 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska earthquake.
They have changed the TIME, DEPTH, LOCATION & PARAMETERS of the Earthquake.
5. Is world depopulation a planned and coordinated effort?
“We are saying with Global 2000 and in real policy that you must lower population rates. Population reduction and control is now our primary policy objective- then you can have some development.”Accordingly, the Bureau of Oceans, International Environmental, and Scientific Affairs has consistently blocked industrialization policies in the Third World, denying developing nations access to nuclear energy technology–the policies that would enable countries to sustain a growing population. According to State Department sources, and Ferguson himself, Alexander Haig is a “firm believer” in population control.” “WORLD DEPOPULATION IS TOP NSA AGENDA: The Haig-Kissinger Depopulation Policy – March 10, 1981”
6. What was that strange silence by all world leaders??
Why were our “Leaders” slow to react?? One can justifiably argue that the leaders didn’t react because they simply do not care. (“Blair still refused to come home early, but since he was jolted into action, the pace of the official response has accelerated markedly.”) & Annan didn’t move. These three were all on vacation, right. World leaders are never on vacation. It’s their job NOT to be on vacation during world disasters.
Or perhaps there was more to it. Maybe, they were aware of something more than a “natural disaster. They didn’t even break their silence when “Tsunami toll rises to 68,000; aid teams arrive” came scrolling across their TVs?? People, I think it’s safe to say that our “World Leaders” were in war-mode, wondering where the next hit was coming. If the Russians did “preempt” Bush’s fake war, it could be that Bush was regrouping…going to plan B…
Putin, he was one of the first to call.[5] Putin called on Sunday. Not too many Russians lost their life in this disaster. Not many at all…
And what about that measely $15 million. Well, how else to take all the attention from the fact that you have been in your bunker awaiting war and saying nothing than to have your buddies at the New York Times release “Stingy-Gate” and drive the Rove-mobile over to the bank and throw up $350 Million, impressing farmer Brown…
Well, that is all about this. If you can offer any info that might strengthen this theory or officially debunk it, send it in. I’m leaving with this lovely
NOTES
MOSCOW, December 20 (RIA Novosti) – This week the Strategic Missile Forces are going to launch two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), the SMF press service said.
According to the press service, Russian Missile Forces Commander Nikolai Solovtsov will preside over both launches.
The missile division deployed in the Orenburg region, which launched a missile for the last time in 1991, will launch a combat-training version of the RS-20V Voyevoda (NATO codename SS 18 Satan).
“This Voyevoda launch will be the first in a series of planned events. It will also be another step in fulfilling the President’s task of making as much use as possible of the technological potential of missile systems by extending their service life beyond the producer warranty life,” the Strategic Missile Force spokesman said.
The combat training launch will not be the only one this week, as the Topol M, a fifth-generation ICBM, will be launched at Plesetsk Space Center from a state-of-the-art mobile launcher.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref are expected to attend the launch at the space center.
The Topol M mobile missile system is world-unique and much superior in its combat performance to its predecessor Topol. Silo-based and mobile Topol Ms will make up the core of Russia’s missile force for many years to come.
According to open press, the Russian Strategic Missile Force operates silo-based Topol M systems. In the future, mobile launchers will become operational along with silo-based ones. The first stationary Topol M RS-12s (NATO codename SS-X27) entered the Russian inventory in 1997.
According to official data, each of the four currently active missile regiments armed with the Topol Ms operates six to ten intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The Topol M has the following characteristics: length (incl. warhead) – 22.7 meters, diameter – 1.95 meters, takeoff weight – 47.2 tons, payload – 1.2 tons, operational range – over 10,000 kilometers. It has three engines, which enable the vehicle to supercede the cruising speed of all previously made peers.
The RS-20 Voyevoda (the Satan) has a takeoff weight of about 211 tons, a length of around 34 meters, and an operational range of over 10,000 kilometers with the independent inertial navigation system. The 8.8-ton warhead includes ten independently targetable re-entry vehicles whose total power is equal to 1,200 Hiroshima nuclear bombs. A single missile can totally eliminate 500 square kilometers of enemy defenses.
MOSCOW Officials in Moscow say the Russian military has successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile.
A government statement says the test involved a mobile version of the top-of-the line Topol-M. Military officials say the missile is capable of hitting targets more than six-thousand miles away.
Russia’s official news agency says today’s launch is expected to be the last of four test-firings of the Topol-M’s mobile version before its deployment set for next year.
Media reports have said the missile lifts off faster than its predecessors and maneuvers in a way that makes it more difficult to spot and intercept.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Russia on Saturday successfully tested its Generation-next hypersonic inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of dodging any future missile shield.
In the presence of Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov and Economic Development Minister Gherman Gref, a RS12M2 Topol-M mobile ICBM was test launched at 1239 hours (1509 IST) from the cosmodrome Plisetsk in north Russia.
Twenty-five minutes later it scored a bulls-eye 6,000 kilometres away at the Kura range in Kamchatka in the far east, the defence ministry said.
This was the fourth successful test of the new missile before its induction in 2005.
Topol-M ICBMs will become the ‘backbone’ of the Russian nuclear missile forces by 2015 and are expected to be in service till 2040. Equipped with three powerful engines, they are capable of penetrating through multi-layered enemy missile defences.
In November, addressing his top generals, President Vladimir Putin had shocked the world by announcing plans to shortly deploy ‘unique missiles capable of penetrating any future missile defence systems under development’ in the US.
In the late 1980s, responding to US president Ronald Regan’s ‘Star Wars’ plans, the then Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev had cautioned that the USSR will take ‘asymmetrical’ measures, which would turn the US missile shield costing hundreds of billion dollars into a ‘useless toy’.
Russia on Saturday successfully tested its Generation-next hypersonic inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of dodging any future missile shield.
In the presence of Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov and Economic Development Minister Gherman Gref, a RS12M2 Topol-M mobile ICBM was test launched at 1239 hours (1509 IST) from the cosmodrome Plisetsk in north Russia.
Twenty-five minutes later it scored a bulls-eye 6,000 kilometres away at the Kura range in Kamchatka in the far east, the defence ministry said.
This was the fourth successful test of the new missile before its induction in 2005.
Topol-M ICBMs will become the ‘backbone’ of the Russian nuclear missile forces by 2015 and are expected to be in service till 2040. Equipped with three powerful engines, they are capable of penetrating through multi-layered enemy missile defences.
In November, addressing his top generals, President Vladimir Putin had shocked the world by announcing plans to shortly deploy ‘unique missiles capable of penetrating any future missile defence systems under development’ in the US.
In the late 1980s, responding to US president Ronald Regan’s ‘Star Wars’ plans, the then Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev had cautioned that the USSR will take ‘asymmetrical’ measures, which would turn the US missile shield costing hundreds of billion dollars into a ‘useless toy’.
MOSCOW, Dec. 26 (Xinhuanet) — Russian President Vladimir Putin onSunday sent condolences to leaders of the Asian nations which were hit by tidal waves caused by a devastating earthquake off Indonesia’s northwest coast.
Putin conveyed his deep condolences to leaders of India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka over the enormous loss of life and material damages in the catastrophe, the Kremlin said in a statement.
More than 4,000 Asian people have been reportedly killed by horrible tsunamis triggered by the devastating earthquake measured8.9 on the Richter scale, which jolted sea areas northwest of Indonesia’s Sumatra Sunday morning.
The Interfax news agency here reported that the Russian Embassyin Thailand had confirmed that an unspecified number of Russian citizens were among the victims at the scenic resort of Phuket Island.
ISN SECURITY WATCH (22/12/04) – For the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) has successfully test-fired on Russian territory a heavy intercontinental ballistic missile RS-20V Voevoda, classified by NATO as the SS-18 Satan. The RS-20, the heaviest in the inventory of the Russia’s strategic nuclear forces, was fired today from a silo in the Urals Mountains and hit its target at the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East, more than 6’000 kilometers away. RVSN’s spokesman told RIA Novosti news agency today that the test was the first in a series that RVSN has planned under orders from President Vladimir Putin to boost the effectiveness of the deployment of the Russian nuclear potential. After a thorough examination of the test-fire results, RVSN may decide to prolong the Satan missile deployment span for another year. The missiles were produced in the late 1980′s. The missile that was fired today had been deployed for combat for 16 years, according to Interfax news agency. It was fired from a missile base Dombarovka in the Orenburg region, some 1’300 kilometers southeast of Moscow. Since 1991, heavy missiles were not fired from bases, as it was believed to be too dangerous. Instead, they were fired from Baikonur spacecraft and missile facilities in Northern Kazakhstan. Satan missile’s range is 10’000 kilometers and it can carry 10 warheads and is believed to be able to destroy objects within an area of 500 square kilometers. On Friday, Russia will test-fire a mobile version of the Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk missile base in the northern Arkhangelsk region. An unnamed Defense Ministry official told Interfax that it would be the last test for the mobile Topol-M missile, after which it would be deployed to serve as the chief weapon for Russia’s strategic missile forces. The Topol-M system has been deployed in silos since 1998. The missiles can carry up to 1’200 kilograms in warheads and have a range of about 10’000 kilometers. Reportedly able to conduct in-flight maneuvers and to avoid detection and interception, the Topol-M is sometimes presented by the Russian military as Moscow’s response to the US National Missile Defense shield (NMD) program. President Putin has repeatedly called on Russia’s defense forces to boost the country’s strategic nuclear potential. Two months ago, he announced that Russia was developing a new nuclear missile system that no other nuclear-armed nation would possess in the near future. (By Nabi Abdullaev in Moscow)
The Russian military successfully test-fired a mobile version of its top-of-the-line Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday, officials said. The missile was fired from a mobile launcher at the Plesetsk launch pad in the northern region of Arkhangelsk and hit a designated target on a testing range on the far eastern Kamchatka peninsula, Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces said in a statement. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, Economics Minister German Gref and other top officials attended the launch. Friday’s launch is expected to be the last of four test-firings of the Topol-M’s mobile version before its deployment set for next year, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. The Topol-M missiles, capable of hitting targets more than 6,000 miles away, have been in silos since 1998 and about 40 are on duty now, according to military officials. Russian media reports have said the missile lifts off faster than its predecessors and maneuvers in a way that makes it more difficult to spot and intercept. It is also reportedly capable of blasting off even after a nuclear explosion close to its silo. “The missile can penetrate all invented and even yet to be invented missile systems, including those equipped with space-based elements, with high probability,” said Yuri Solomonov, who heads the Moscow Institute of Thermal Systems which designed and manufactured the missile. The deployed Topol-Ms have been fitted with single nuclear warheads, but officials have mentioned plans to equip each missile with three individually targeted warheads. President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is developing new strategic nuclear weapons excelling anything which other nations have. Military analysts have said the new weapon would likely be based on the Topol-M.
MOSCOW, December 10, (RIA Novosti) – Russia, which unfailingly abides by all previously signed and ratified international agreements, aspires for the well-balanced development of strategic nuclear forces and to maintain their personnel at required levels. This was disclosed to foreign military diplomats today in Moscow by Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov.
According to Ivanov, the Yury Dolgoruky fourth-generation SSBN (Strategic Submarine Ballistic Nuclear) will be commissioned next year, with the Russian Air Force receiving two Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers.
State tests of the silo-based Topol-M inter-continental ballistic missile’s (ICBM’s) mobile ground-based version, as well as those of the Bulava (Mace) new-generation submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), are being conducted rather successfully, Ivanov told those present.
In Ivanov’s words, general-purpose forces will receive a lot of new and revamped weaponry and combat hardware; permanent-readiness units and elements will be getting them, in the first place.
As of January 1, 2005, Russia’s Armed Forces will have 1,207,000 officers and soldiers, as well as 876,000 civilian personnel, after incorporating the railroad force.
At the same time, we are guided by geopolitical requirements and the defense-sufficiency principle, while planning our military potential’s possible use, Ivanov informed his audience.
As far as our Armed Forces’ mass-destruction weapons are concerned, I can assure you that the Defense Ministry attaches priority to guarding such weapons against terrorists, etc., Ivanov stressed.
According to Ivanov, the first special Russian peace-keeping brigade will be established by February 2005 on the basis of one of the Volga-Urals military district’s mechanized-infantry units. This brigade will take part in a joint Russia-NATO program for enhancing combat compatibility of national military formations. This program stipulates quite a few joint combat-training, language-training and other related projects, Ivanov explained.
The peace-keeping brigade will have just over 2,000 men, comprising three mechanized-infantry battalions, a reconnaissance battalion, as well as logistics-support units, Ivanov noted in conclusion.
MOSCOW, DECEMBER 24, (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, as well as Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref, are to observe the launch of the fifth-generation Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at the Plesetsk space center in the Arkhangelsk region (northern European Russia) December 24. Ukraine’s Sich-1M satellite is to lift off atop a Cyclone-3 launch vehicle from Plesetsk today, as well.
Talking to RIA Novosti, people at the Russian Defense Ministry noted that the Strategic Missile Forces and the Space Forces will jointly test-fire this Topol-M ICBM from a self-propelled launcher.
The mobile Topol-M ICBM complex is unique in itself. Unlike its predecessor, i.e. the Topol ICBM, the new complex boasts a much more impressive combat potential, as well as greater serviceability. Plans are in place to deploy silo-based and mobile Topol-M ICBMs.
These objectives were accomplished by adapting missile warheads to missile defense system conditions, as well as by enhancing ICBM mobility and secrecy levels. Consequently, such ICBMs cannot be detected by technical reconnaissance systems easily enough.
The Topol-M ICBM (warhead included) measures 22.7 meters long and 1.95 meters in diameter. Its lift-off mass and combat load totals 47.2 tons and 1.2 tons, respectively. This ICBM has a range of more than 10,000 km. the Topol-M’s three engines enable it to fly much faster than previous missile types. Moreover, the new ICBM’s several dozen auxiliary engines and guidance systems propel it along an unpredictable trajectory; enemy tracking stations will therefore have trouble detecting it.
Apart from the Topol-M, it is intended to launch Ukraine’s Sich-1M satellite atop a Cyclone-3 rocket and the KS5 MF-2 tiny satellite from Plesetsk at 2.20 p.m. Moscow time.
The Sich-1M is a remote-sensing satellite for conducting optical, infrared and microwave observations of the terrestrial surface for economic purposes. This spacecraft would also be expected to conduct scientific experiments in the field of ionosphere and magnetosphere studies.
For its own part, the KS5 MF-2 tiny satellite will photograph the terrestrial surface.
The Sich-1M spacecraft consists of an airtight body which is connected with four fly-open panels featuring sensors and equipment packages. The body’s opposite bottom is fitted with a gravity stabilizer, as well as a solar-battery servo-drive and current collector. Satellite equipment is installed on girders inside the airtight body, comprising a specialized complex and an auxiliary complex, too.
The Sich-1M will be orbited by a Cyclone-3 rocket, what with the mission-control center near Moscow guiding the spacecraft during the initial stage. The Yevpatoria-based national spacecraft control-and-testing center in the Crimea (an autonomous republic of Ukraine) will then take over.
WASHINGTON – After President Bush signed a 2002 nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia, the U.S. intelligence community concluded that it would be unable to verify reliably whether the Kremlin was abiding by the pact.
The intelligence agencies issued the warning because the treaty didn’t require that each side be allowed to inspect the other’s long-range nuclear missiles and bombers and warhead storage facilities. The Bush administration had opposed mutual inspection during negotiations with the Russians.
Some U.S. lawmakers and many arms-control experts raised similar concerns about the lack of verification mechanisms in the 2002 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, or SORT, after it was concluded.
The intelligence community laid out its misgivings to Bush, his senior advisers and members of Congress a month after he and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the treaty.
The assessment, which reflected the consensus of 15 civilian and military intelligence agencies, concluded that Russia’s precarious finances would force it to slash to about 1,500 the number of nuclear warheads deployed in bombers, submarine-launched missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
But the assessment said there could be circumstances in which Russia could deploy without detection by the United States a few hundred more warheads than the 2,200 allowed by SORT.
Bush’s decision to sign an arms reduction agreement with no verification procedures was an attempt to move the Cold War U.S.-Soviet rivalry toward a Russo-American partnership. After he and Putin met in June 2001, Bush said: “I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. … I was able to get a sense of his soul.” Bush later added that he’d liked Putin because he’d referred to “a higher power.”
Since then, however, Putin’s attempts to interfere in Ukraine’s election, his continuing efforts to maintain influence over other former Soviet republics, and his attacks on critics in the press and the business community have strained relations.
At a news conference on Monday, Bush said that during his second term, he would discuss with the Russians ways to give each side access to the other’s nuclear storage facilities.
“I think one of the things we need to do is give the Russians equal access to our sites, our nuclear storage sites, to see what works and what doesn’t work, to build confidence between our two governments,” he said. Bush and Putin plan to meet in February.
A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bush was referring to joint efforts to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the hands of terrorists and that the administration wasn’t changing its position on the lack of verification measures in the treaty.
SORT, signed by Bush and Putin on May 24, 2002, required the United States and Russia to reduce by Dec. 31, 2012, the number of nuclear warheads installed on long-range bombers, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched missiles to no more than 2,200.
At the time, each side had an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 warheads on long-range missiles and bombers.
Unlike earlier strategic arms reduction treaties, the pact didn’t require the two countries to destroy warheads and launchers taken out of service, allowing them to keep as many as they wanted in their reserve stockpiles, poised for rapid redeployment.
Moreover, the treaty lacked the robust verification measures, such as regular on-site inspections, that had been the cornerstones of ensuring both sides’ compliance with earlier treaties.
Those pacts included the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, which was signed by Bush’s father and required the sides to slash their deployed warheads to no more than 6,000 by 2001.
But START’s expiration in 2009 – three years before SORT must be fully implemented – will end all onsite inspections and other verification measures that Russia and the United States now undertake.
In its assessment, the intelligence community said that if START verification procedures were extended through 2012, it would be able to verify Russian compliance with SORT with a high degree of certainty. Without such an extension, the United States could no longer know with certainty what the Russians had.
The Bush administration had other reasons for excluding verification from the treaty. The White House and Pentagon wanted to preserve U.S. flexibility to increase the number of deployed nuclear warheads beyond the SORT limit in the event of renewed tensions with Russia or the emergence of a new nuclear-armed rival.
At the time, experts also saw the administration’s push for the treaty as a way of soothing the impact on Russia of Bush’s decision in late 2002 to withdraw the United States from a treaty banning both sides from deploying nationwide anti-missile defenses.
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