Russia's Rubezh Ballistic Missile To Be Test-fired In 2016

Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces will test-fire an RS-26 Rubezh state-of-the-art intercontinental ballistic missile in the second quarter of 2016, TASS reported Saturday.

"The firing is to be conducted in the second quarter of this year from the Kapustin Yar range at the Balkhash range in Kazakhstan," a source in the defense industry sector was quoted as saying.

The RS-26 solid-propellant ballistic missile codenamed Rubezh, has underwent confidence test-firing in mid-March 2015. Based on the RS-24 missile, the RS-26 is expected to be lighter than the RS-24 Yars missile and will carry a multiple warhead (the Yars missile is equipped only with one warhead).

The RS-26 will be launched only from mobile systems as it has no silo-based version. The missile is expected to come into service with the Irkutsk missile division of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces in 2016.