The wear-and-tear regime of Russian missile carriers is very rapid and dynamic, but they still have a significant margin of strength, which should not be underestimated.
This was stated by military analyst, retired Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Petr Chernik in an interview with Elena Kirik.
According to the expert, the most numerous air-launched missile in Russia is the X-101, with 26 fully operational Tu-95MS bombers from which this missile is launched, as well as up to one and a half dozen Tu-160 bombers capable of launching the X-555 missile. However, the Tu-160 is a very problematic aircraft, particularly concerning its engines. In total, they are supposed to launch approximately 160 missiles in a single volley.
The occupiers also declare that they possess 150 "Iskander" launchers, each capable of carrying two missiles, which adds another 300 missiles. Additionally, there are small missile ships and submarines of the "Varshavyanka" type that could collectively contribute around 160 more missiles.
"When we add everything together - over 600 missiles should make up one volley. Why is this not happening? Because if they could truly do it, they would, but they are not. Why? The Tu-95MS, the youngest, is from 1994 - this is the youngest and the best. Overall, there are 60 of them, and these 26 survive by taking parts from the others because they cannot build new ones," Petr Chernik explained.
In the expert's opinion, with the current maintenance of the Tu-95MS and the reserve of those 24 machines that are not operational, the reserves should last for a good five more years. The occupiers have indeed increased missile production, but it is unlikely that they will surpass the figure of 150-160 missiles in a single launch.
