Strike force: Russia's Tornado-S rocket system can strike multiple targets

Amid tensions with Ukraine at the border, the Russian military had said last month that the latest Tornado-S multiple launch rocket systems will arrive in Kurgan region this year.

Reports say the Tornado-S multiple launch rocket system is an upgrade of the Smerch multiple rocket launcher with increased range and fire accuracy capabilities.

It can hit both stationary and mobile targets. The missile will be deployed in the central military district which is the largest in Russia. It is based in Volga, Urals and the Siberian region.

Reports had said earlier that Russia's Splav Research would be developing the "air-droppable" version of the latest 122mm Tornado-G multiple launch rocket systems for the country's airborne force.

The "air-droppable" version of the Tornado-G missile can be mounted on a new chassis. The Tornado-G launcher has been derived from the Grad system. It can reportedly launch its system quickly and can rapidly change its firing position.

Russia is expected to retain the  Tornado multiple launch rocket systems for a long time. The Tornado-S rocket system has a range of upto 120 km. The smart rocket is set to enter into serial production, according to Splav.

On the EU doorstep, Russia has flexed its muscles in Belarus, during joint drills that involved sophisticated weapons systems such as S-400 surface-to-air missiles and Pantsir air defence systems.

Russia last month also announced a series of naval exercises in the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Mediterranean and elsewhere.

With roughly one million active-duty military personnel and state-of-the-art weapons, the Russian army is one of the largest and most powerful in the world.

Moscow has the world's second-largest arsenal of nuclear weapons and a huge cache of ballistic missiles.

Putin has also boasted of developing a number of "invincible" weapons that can surpass existing systems, including the Sarmat intercontinental missiles and Burevestnik cruise missiles.

In recent years the Kremlin strongman has scored a number of battlefield - and foreign policy - triumphs that helped boost his popularity despite economic malaise at home.

In January, Russia swiftly sent troops to the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan to back a Kremlin-friendly regime in what was touted as a peace-keeping operation amid deadly unrest.

In 2015, Russia charged into Syria with an air campaign that turned the tide of a complex conflict in favour of the Damascus regime.

The intervention helped President Bashar al-Assad reclaim swathes of territory his forces had lost to Islamists and Western-backed opposition groups. Syria has also proved a valuable training ground for the Russian military.

Reports claim Russia has developed the Kinzhal missile system to likely target European infrastructure and to counter US's THAAD missile threat.

The Kinzhal can reportedly fly at Mach 4 speed (4,900 km/h) and can reach speeds of up to Mach 10 (12,350 km/hr). It is a missile which would be almost impossible to detect by European radars.

The missile had undergone trial in southern Russia in December 2017 as the country's defence ministry said "the hypersonic missile hit the preset target on the test site.”

Last year Russia tested the Kedr intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from the Plesetsk spaceport.

The Russian defence forces expect to replace the RS-24 Yars ICBM with the Kedr in 2030. The design and development of the missile is currently under Moscow's Institute of Thermal Technology (MITT).

The test was carried out in mid-June months ahead of Russia's troop deployment along Ukraine's border.

Kedr has both silo-based and mobile ICBM variants. The mobile-based ICBMs have a definite advantage since they can be moved around and are harder to detect. Russia is intent on upgrading its ICBM force as it takes on NATO and America in long-range missile duel.

According to Russia's TASS news agency, the second regiment of UR-100N UTTKh intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) with the Avangard hypersonic warheads will assume combat alert in Russia’s Strategic Missile Force before the end of the year.

The second regiment of the Avangard hypersonic missile system will take position in the Yasny missile formation, the news agency said.

The first regiment had taken command post in late 2019 and was put to full strength in 2021. The Avangard hypersonic weapon was first mentioned by Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2018.

According to a US Congress report, Russia's Strategic Rocket Forces currently has three missile armies which in turn comprise 11 missile divisions.

The Russian Federation maintains a triad of nuclear forces consisting of ICBMs, SLBMs and heavy bombers. Russia deploys its strategic nuclear forces at more than a dozen bases across its territory, the report said.

Russia’s ICBM force currently comprises 310 missiles that can carry up to 1,189 warheads. Clearly, Russia's overwhelming military strength can easily overpower Ukraine greatly worrying Western officials.

Russia is also developing a new heavy ICBM known as the Sarmat (SS-X-30).