Russia Fielding New Nuclear-Armed Air-To-Air Missiles: U.S. Intel

[william]

Russia is introducing new nuclear-tipped air-to-air missiles as part of an overall expansion of its nuclear forces, according to an assessment from the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, or DIA. While nuclear-armed air-to-air missiles were part of the Soviet Union’s arsenal during the Cold War, their current status within the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) is little-known, which makes the disclosure from this U.S. intelligence agency all the more intriguing. Since this is described as a new weapon, it’s almost certainly a reference to a version of the R-37M, a very long-range air-to-air missile known to NATO as the AA-13 Axehead.

The information is published in the DIA’s unclassified 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment, presented to the Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations United States House of Representatives. The air-to-air missiles reference was brought to our attention by Hans Kristensen, the director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) think tank.

Mention is also given to Russia’s likely expansion of its chemical and biological warfare programs.

However, the undisclosed type of nuclear-armed air-to-air missile is the only specific type of tactical (or strategic) weapon named as such in this section. Presuming the new missile mentioned by the DIA is a version of the R-37M, this and the older R-33S would be the only nuclear-armed air-to-air missiles in service anywhere in the world.

Nuclear-armed air-to-air missiles were originally intended to take out formations of bomber aircraft at the height of the Cold War. They were very much area-effect weapons. Today such bomber formations aren’t as relevant, but not having to get within the blast-fragmentation range of a missile warhead to take down a target could be seen as advantageous in the modern era, possibly against stealthy aircraft that can be detected but are hard to lock up, especially by a small radar on a missile during its terminal attack phase. Swarms of drones and waves of cruise missiles are another possibility. Still, exactly what prompted Moscow to pursue such a capability now is unclear.

While Russia is unlikely to reveal much in the way of information about its new nuclear-armed air-to-air missile, it is significant that it has been referred to specifically in the DIA’s report. While the R-37M is, by all accounts, a very formidable long-range weapon, the apparent existence of a nuclear-tipped version is another complicating factor for any adversary and provides a capability likely unmatched by any contemporary air-to-air missile.

Russia Fielding New Nuclear-Armed Air-To-Air Missiles: U.S. Intel

A nuclear-tipped air-to-air missile sounds like a Cold War relic, but the Pentagon assesses that Russia is introducing a new weapon of this type. A nuclear-tipped air-to-air missile sounds like a Cold War relic, but the Pentagon assesses that Russia is introducing a new weapon of this type.

www.twz.com

 

[Publius]

All of these announced test and new weapons development projects all have a particular smell of fear or desperation.