BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

15/11/2007

Russia Considers Deploying Missile Launchers In Belarus

Moscow, Russia (AHN) - Russian officials are considering deploying Iskander missile launchers to Belarus as a countermeasure to American plans to place a missile defense system in Eastern Europe.

"For every action there's a reaction. The same is true of the components of a U.S. missile defense in the Czech Republic and in Poland," Colonel-General Vladimir Zaritsky, Chief of the Russian Armed Forces' rocket and artillery divisions said.

The chief of the Belarusian rocket troops Mikhail Puzikov said earlier that there were plans of buying Russian missile launchers Iskander-E to re-arm his nation's military forces.

"Why not? This may be possible, on certain conditions, and if there is a corresponding position taken by Belarus," Zaritsky said, adding that, the plan might prove an asymmetric response to the deployment of U.S. missile defense components in Europe.

Zaritsky said that the new missile launcher Iskander, which can carry missiles with a range of 500 km, will be used to re-arm five Russian missile brigades by 2016.

The Iskander consists of the rocket, a launcher, a rocket transportation and loading vehicle, a command control vehicle, a mobile information processing center, mobile logistic and support units and, sets of arsenal and training equipment, according to Russian media.

Source:

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7009161547

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