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Russia moots possibility of resuming missile launches from silos
ITAR-TASS

Moscow, 25 December: The Russian military are studying a possibility of resuming next year the training launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) from silos.

A military source told ITAR-TASS on Wednesday [25 December] that ICBM had been launched from testing grounds in the recent decade, but the Defence Ministry is considering the return to launches from silos of missile bases.

In the Soviet era, ICBM were regularly fired from stationing sites of missile divisions that had silo launchers.

The practice allowed checking reliability of missiles and extending their service lives.

Silo launchers can be used repeatedly and kept on combat duty after loading new missiles into them.

The Russian Strategic Missile Troops at present have 18 missile divisions, some of which are complete with bases equipped with silo launchers.

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