Russia has developed a new ground-launched cruise missile that breaks the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told the House of Representatives Permanent Select Intelligence Committee on Thursday.
"Russia… has the largest and most capable nuclear missile force," Clapper said in his testimony. "It has a cruise missile that violates the INF Treaty."
Clapper reiterated a claim he previously made in earlier testimony to Congress on February 9.
In that earlier testimony, Clapper acknowledged that Russia had denied it was violating the INF Treaty.
earlier report
New Fuel Increases Range of Russian Cruise Missiles by 185 Miles
A new propellant could be used in the engines of hypersonic strategic cruise missiles to increase their range by up to 300 kilometers (185 miles), Russian Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov said Tuesday.
"Over the past few years, Decylin-M fuel, which enables the range of strategic cruise missiles to be increased by 250-300 kilometers, began to be used by the Russian Armed Forces," Bulgakov told reporters.
Cruise missiles are widely used in Russia's anti-terrorist campaign in Syria, which is being conducted at Damascus' request. On October 7, the first launch of Kalibr cruise missiles (NATO reporting name SS-N-27 "Sizzler"), used in the Syrian air campaign, was conducted from the Caspian Sea. All the missiles reached their targets, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
