ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RUSSIA'S NUCLEAR ARMAMENTS

ETSnews. June 2000. Vadim Istomin

It is in June, 2000 that the presentation of a unique issue – the most full encyclopedia of Russia' s strategic nuclear forces – took place in Moscow. The issue of the book was supported by Defense Ministry of Russia and personally by the Russian Defense Ministry Igor Sergeyev. The minister has particularly stressed in the foreword that all the parts of encyclopedia will show the basic trends of Russia's policy development in the sphere of science and technology in the beginning of XXI century, as well as the country's potential in the field of armaments, military equipment and technologies export.

The book has been published in two languages – in Russian and in English. The encyclopedia had barely seen the light as Washington Times published an article where it noticed that "... information published in the book has produced questions by the representatives of the US defense structures and by defense experts that suppose that Moscow prepares for the sale of its missile armaments know-how".

American experts are concerned that the book will facilitate the sale of advanced Russian technologies or armaments to the so-called "problem" states of Asia that can pose a threat to the US security.

They have also stated that many data are published for the first time and will be of great value to the special services.

The encyclopedia is indeed the most full digest of Russian nuclear weapons, their vectors, control and maintenance that has no analogues. The book was issued by assistance of scientists-developers of the weapons, military experts, armaments exporters.

The book contains unique photos, diagrams, schemes.

You can also find here information about the famous "Topol-M" air defense complex with various types of missiles, for example with SS-27 combat missile that can also be used for orbital injection of commercial space vehicles. Detailed information about air and naval nuclear forces of Russia is also published in the book: Tu-160 strategic supersonic missile carrier, "Tifyn" and "Delta-4" missile submarines...

It should be stressed ones more that this book is only the first part of a multi-volume armaments encyclopedia that is being prepared for publishing by "weapons and Technologies" publishing house. The main goal that was set by the publishers and the editors of the encyclopedia is to show the achievements and the potential of the Russian defense production complex on the threshold of XXI century.

In his commentary in the first part of the encyclopedia colonel-general Anatolyi Sitnov the chairman of the editorial council of the publishing house, and the chief of armament department of the Military Forces of the Russian Federation has noticed the following: "... an important task is to bar decisive supremacy of the industrialized countries over Russia in the field of armaments development based on new physical principles, the use of advanced technologies (especially in the field of information technologies), as well as to preserve scientific and industrial potential of the country's defense complex".

The issue of such a book will another time prove that the neveau of the Russian technologies is rather high.

However, it is important to find way of their peaceful use the sake of civilization development and achievement of scientific and technical progress.