Tactical Nuclear Weapons and NATO.pdf - Program on Strategic ...

from an estimated 22,000 to some 2,000 deployable
TNWs. 10 Deployed warheads are operationally usable,
but separated from their delivery systems. <strong>Tactical</strong>
warheads “in reserve” are stored in depots <strong>and</strong>
are either earmarked for dismantlement or no longer
routinely maintained. Andrei Zagorski estimated that
the total number of the Russian TNWs is between
5,000 <strong>and</strong> 6,500, that some 2,000 of them are active
but not deployed, <strong>and</strong> that the rest remain in reserve. 11
Officially, all l<strong>and</strong>-based TNWs have been removed
from active service <strong>and</strong> have been destroyed. The new
Isk<strong>and</strong>er short-range ballistic missile nevertheless
might have a nuclear capability. The remaining Russian
TNWs are assigned to the Russian Navy <strong>and</strong> Air
Force <strong>and</strong> might be stored in depots at Air Force or
Navy bases for quick deployment. The Russian Navy
might possess 700 TNWs <strong>and</strong> the Air Force 650 in storages
close to military harbors <strong>and</strong> airfields (see Table
11-2). It has retained longer-range capabilities, e.g.,
the TU-22M aircraft capable of carrying nuclear air-tosurface
missiles (ASM) <strong>and</strong> gravity bombs against naval
aircraft carrier groups. There are also 700 tactical
warheads allocated for missile <strong>and</strong> air defense weapons
such as surface-to-air missiles SA-5B <strong>and</strong> SA-10
for combating enemy aircraft or cruise missiles. Another
category of naval armaments is general purpose
naval weapons such as the submarine launched cruise
missiles: SS-N-9, SS-N-12, SS-N-21, <strong>and</strong> SS-N-22, plus
nuclear torpedos <strong>and</strong> depth charges.
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