Russia test launches Topol ICBM

The Russian Space Forces test launched a Topol RS-12M intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday, the Defense Ministry said. It was launched at 10:45 a.m. Moscow time [06:45 GMT] from the Plesetsk Space Center and hit a designated target on the Kamchatka Peninsula. “The launch was designed to test the stability of the basic specifications of this class of missiles as their service life has been extended to 24 years,” the ministry said. The tested missile was built in 1987 and was on alert duty until July 2007, where which it was placed in storage. SMF chief Lt. Gen. Sergei Karakayev said recently the service life of Topol mobile ballistic missile systems could be extended until 2019. The RS-12M Topol (SS-25 Sickle), a single-warhead intercontinental ballistic missile, entered service in 1985. It has a maximum range of 10,000 km (6,125 miles) and can carry a nuclear warhead with a yield of up to 550 kilotons.