Russia increases production of solid rocket engines - IISS. SATELLITE PHOTOS
Russia is actively increasing its capacity to produce solid fuel engines for missiles, which indicates plans to significantly expand its arsenal of modern weapons.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
IISS researcher Fabian Gintz analysed Russian production areas using satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies in July, September and October 2024.
According to him, US officials call it "the most ambitious expansion of military production since the Soviet era".
Russia modernises abandoned Soviet-era facilities
Satellite images show that construction work is underway at several sites. It is also possible that abandoned Soviet-era enterprises could be modernised and new infrastructure built, the analysis says.
Solid rocket engine production facilities are located in the Altai Krai, Rostov-on-Don, near Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Perm.
Engines for Soviet and new ballistic missiles
"This activity is noteworthy, as it has not been seen for the past 30 years. It was only in 2023, three decades after the collapse of the USSR, that significant investments in expansion and modernisation were recorded," said Fabian Hintz.
He noted that there is currently no reliable information on the types of engines produced at the Biysk II complex in the Altai Territory. However, data from a Russian company suggests that engines are produced there for both Soviet ballistic missiles and the new "Bulava" missiles, which can carry nuclear weapons.
For example, a declassified CIA document mentions that this facility could have produced the upper part of the engine housing for the Topol-M missile system.
He stressed that the exact purpose of the expansions "remains unclear".
Assistance from Iran and the DPRK
"Targeting is complicated by the possibility that multiple plants may be involved in the development and production of engines for a single missile system. This uncertainty makes it difficult to pinpoint which missile programme or category a particular expansion belongs to," says Hintz.
The analyst believes that imports of ballistic missiles from Iran and North Korea indicate that Russia's production of short-range missiles is insufficient to meet its needs for a war against Ukraine.
"Expanding its solid fuel engine production capacity could allow Russia to add to and improve its existing arsenal of systems deployed in Ukraine. In the long run, this expansion could also strengthen Russia's ability to develop systems that could pose a threat to NATO countries," the IISS scholar concluded.
