Russia to upgrade all missile systems by 2021

Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) would be fully equipped with fifth-generation missile systems by 2021, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday. Nearly 60 percent of the RVSN would have the latest systems by 2016 and 98 percent by 2021, ministry spokesman Igor Yegorov told reporters. In addition to the fifth-generation Yars and Topol-M missiles, new command and control centers would be built and new communications, security and other systems would be put into service, he said. According to the spokesman, the modernization was aimed at building the capacity to penetrate the anti-missile defense systems being deployed by NATO and the United States. Earlier in October, a defense committee of the parliament's lower house, or State Duma, submitted proposals for the 2014-2016 federal budget to spend more than 46 billion rubles (1.4 billion U.S. dollars) on nuclear weapons building and maintenance. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in September the budget deficit would not result in cuts to military procurement plans until 2020. Earlier this year, President Vladimir Putin said nuclear weapons remained the most important guarantee of Russia's sovereignty and integrity. Russia plans to upgrade some 85 percent of its strategic nuclear weapons by 2020. The government has earmarked 20 trillion rubles (about 600 billion dollars) for the massive rearmament program until 2020.