Star Wars Continue, As Russia Develops “Rudolph”

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced it is working on a mobile anti-shock complex called Rudolph, reportedly capable of destroying enemy reconnaissance satellites in outer space. Rudolph is part of Russia’s State Armament Program for 2018-2027, which is aimed at modernizing the country’s military forces.

“It is planned to create and complete the Rudolph mobile anti-satellite complex, and the Tirada-2S ground and mobile radio-electronic communication system for communication satellites,” said Oleg Achasov, the deputy head of the 46th Central Research Institute at Russia’s defense ministry, at parliamentary hearings on November 30.

A top priority of Russia’s military has been the modernization its strategic nuclear forces, as well as the development of anti-aircraft missile systems and high-precision weapons.

Russia’s next State Armament Program was initially scheduled and budgeted for eight years, from 2018 to 2025. However Russia’s top military brass and senior representatives met in Sochi on November 23 to address concerns related to military technology development and procurement. A decision was made to extend the next eight-year plan through 2027, and finance it with 19.3 trillion rubles ($325.8 billion) for a period of ten years. When adjusted to inflation, analysts believe that this figure is close to the amount allocated for the current armament program period, which runs from 2012 to 2020, potentially giving Russia’s armed forces greater ease. All efforts are designed to increase the Russian military’s combat readiness.

The next program includes plans to upgrade missile complexes such as the nuclear bomb fitted RS-28 Sarmat missile, known as “Satan” and allegedly capable of destroying an area the size of Texas; the PAK FA stealth fighter jet and the Su-35S; as well as hypersonic missiles, tanks and combat vehicles for future combat platforms including Armata, Kurganets, ‘boomerang’, and a self-propelled gun called Coalition-SV.

While Rudolph has been announced just in time for Christmas, Russian research into and development of anti-satellite systems is nothing new.

In the early 1980s, the Soviet Union was aware of the possibility of an attack launched from outer space, after U.S. President Ronald Reagan proposed the creation of the Strategic Defense Initiative in 1983. The program was intended to defend the U.S. from Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles by intercepting them at various phases during their flight. The space-based anti-missile system was quickly dubbed “Star Wars” by military and movie enthusiasts.

The Cold War ended when the USSR collapsed in December 1991, but a de facto arms race of sorts has continued between the U.S. and Russia.

On December 3, Russia successfully launched its Lotos-S1 satellite, which is designed to monitor adversarial radio signals and intercept data, including those taking place on supposedly ‘closed’ communication channels. The satellite was launched aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, a spaceport on the edge of the Russian Arctic. Lotos-S1 is the third satellite of its kind in a series of Lotos electronic intelligence-gathering equipment.