How Russia managed to get ahead in the arms race

Despite the fact that the military budget of Russia is 15 times smaller than that of the United States, and 22 times smaller than that of NATO, for the first time we managed to get ahead in the grueling arms race, which lasts from the time of the USSR.


The paradox, but the colossal power of the Soviet Union, which defeated the Third Reich, could not provide the country with an advantage in the field of strategic weapons. The first atomic bomb was tested in the USA, the first cruise missiles were put into service, the first specialized strategic missile submarine was launched. We only had to catch up with the “Western partner”.

Even the parity that was achieved only in 1972 (the SALT-1 treaty) and 1979 (SALT-1) did not stop the arms race between the two countries. In 1983, US President R. Reagan announced the launch of the Strategic Defense Initiative, which included the creation of a large-scale missile defense with space-based elements.

This provided a serious advantage for the Americans in a hypothetical nuclear war, and the USSR had to re-enter the race. However, this time the "exhausting marathon" could not stand it economy Union.

Modern Russia has gone the other way. Today we have armaments that none of the existing and even promising missile defense systems can handle. For example, the RS-28 Sarmat ballistic missile, equipped with Avangard hypersonic blocks, can reach speeds of up to 20 missiles and hit targets in the United States through the North and South Poles. Do not forget about the 9M730 Burevestnik missile with poison, the hypersonic Dagger, as well as the Peresvet combat laser system and the Hephaestus SVP-24 complex.

Now Russia has pulled so far that it will take us a long time to catch up. At the same time, our country is not going to attack anyone. On the contrary, by our efforts we are keeping the world from an unlikely, but still possible nuclear war.