The Russian missile forces chief said that the military had decided to keep its heaviest intercontinental ballistic missiles in service for another decade.

Colonel-General Nikolai Solovtsov said that a decision to extend the service lifetime of the RS-20V missiles, also known as SS-18 Satan in the West, would allow the Strategic Missile Forces “to keep the world’s most powerful missiles for another 10 years,”.

Solovtsov said that the RS-20V missiles’ original 15-year service lifetime would be extended to 25 years.

The RS-20V, which carries 10 individually targeted nuclear warheads, has been the heaviest missile in the military’s inventory since its deployment began in the late 1980s.

Solovtsov said that the lifetime of other Soviet-built missiles was also being extended.

Russia’s strategic forces have conducted regular test launches of Soviet-built ballistic missiles to check their performance and extend their time on duty. The post-Soviet funding shortage has left the military without funds to quickly replace them with new missiles, although recent years have seen a boost in defense spending.

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