TopolM

Topol-M is a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the Makeyev Design Bureau. It is part of the Topol family and has the NATO designation SS-27 Sickle B. The system was designed to provide a highly mobile and hardened strategic delivery option and to replace older missiles in service with the Russian Strategic Missile Forces. Its development began in the 1990s, with the missile entering service in the late 1990s to early 2000s and continuing to be produced and deployed in the following years.

The Topol-M is a three-stage solid-fuel missile available in two basing configurations: a silo-based version and a road-mobile version carried on a transport-erector-launcher. It is noted for its mobility and survivability against missile defenses, enabled by its ability to relocate and operate from dispersed locations. The missile has an estimated range of about 10,000 to 11,000 kilometers and is designed to deliver a strategic warhead with modern guidance, stabilization, and reentry vehicle technologies. While the system was originally conceived for a single warhead, various modernization efforts have explored enhancements to payload options and accuracy within treaty and strategic constraints, but the deployed configuration has primarily emphasized single-warhead capability.

Operationally, Topol-M has been a core component of Russia’s strategic deterrent and has complemented newer systems in the country’s ICBM modernization program. It has seen upgrades over time to improve reliability, accuracy, and survivability, and remains listed as part of the active force alongside other missile families.