New Russian ICBM carries bigger warhead

MOSCOW, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Russia's newest intercontinental ballistic missile carries a five-ton warhead, four times larger than its predecessors, a Russian military adviser said.

"The 45-ton Yars has a payload of 1.2 tons. The new missile will be able to orbit a payload of five tons," said Col. Gen. Viktor Yesin, adviser to the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, referring to the Yars missile the new model replaces.

Yesin added the new missile will have a greater capability for missile defense penetration, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported Friday.