Media: Russian Yars missiles delivery deadline is in jeopardy
The Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology (MITT) has encountered problems while implementing the state defense order for launchers for the Yars missile systems, as reported by Kommersant, citing a letter from the head of MITT, Sergey Nikulin, to the First Deputy Director of the Rostec State Corporation, Vladimir Artyakov.
The letter states that due to difficult economic situations and problems with creditors, the Podolsk Electromechanical Factory (PEMZ) is not able to deliver the equipment for the hydraulic launch systems for the Yars missile in time.
According to Nikulin, PEMZ is on the verge of bankruptcy, and as the co-supplier of this equipment, the order was suspended in June of 2016. "This jeopardized the accomplishment of the state defense order," reads the letter by the head of the institute.
As a result, MITT’s management has asked Rostec to start duplicate production at the Kovrov Electromechanical Plant (KEMZ). However, according to Nikulin, this would require a 1.5-year pre-production planning time.
Kommersant’s correspondents who are close to Rostec affirm that KEMZ is ready to start the production of equipment for the hydraulic launching systems for the Yars missiles, but this requires making amendments to the contract, as it lists the executor of the order as PEMZ-Spetsmash.
"Let's wait for the decision of the court, and then we will decide how to remedy the situation. The armed forces will not be without the Yars missiles," the top manager of one of the industrial enterprises concluded.
The RS-24 Yars missile is a Russian solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology. It has been proposed that the Yars should replace the RS-18 and RS-20 ICBM, and together with the Topol-M form the basis of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN).
As reported by Korrespondent.net, Russia overtook the United States in the number of nuclear weapons. Parity has been achieved through the adoption of the new Project 955 nuclear submarines, which are equipped with Bulava missiles with multiple warheads.