Russians ‘have shattered idea of N-deterrence'

Press, 13 June 1978, Page 8

Russians ‘have shattered idea of N-deterrence'

[NZPA London' Highly accurate new Soviet missiles — developed' faster than expected — have' 'shattered the Western ,con-j •cept of nuclear deterrence.) according to “Flight” maga-' zine. The Soviet Union now has' the North Atlantic Treaty' Organisation pinned against! the wall, says the latest issue of the authoritative aerospace weekly, published in London. For years, the article says, the West has relied on de-

terrence, the idea that enough of its rockets would survive an initial attack to nflict unacceptable damage m the aggressor. It has ounted on its technological ead for N.A.T.O. to offset tVarsaw Pact numerical su-1 jeriority. Now, the magazine says.; 'he Soviet Union has tested.! hree to five years before! xpected. rockets that could; iestroy at least three-quar-j ers of American intercontinental ballistic missiles in their silos. I

The latest Soviet missiles! arc accurate to within 180 m [ at the end of a 13.000 km flight, well within the ac-j i curacy needed to be certain! iof destroying an American! [rocket silo, the magazine! 'says. ’ i According to “Flight,” 15) [per cent of the Soviet arse-'l jnal of rockets could destroy! I more than 75 per cent of! their American counterparts, while if all 4285 warheads the Americans plan to have ' by 1980 were fired at the 1300 Russian silos they < would destroy only 200 of 11

them. If the Soviet Union! launched a nuclear attack it I would be able to survive a retaliatory strike, says the! article. “The Soviet Union has! traditionally been less sensitive to nuclear attack than! the United States. Its in-! dustry and population are; dispersed more evenly! throughout the vast country.! and this combined with a drive of almost wartime in-! tensity to harden vital resources against attack.

[would allow Russia to ride, 'out the enfeebled United! • States retaliatory strike,”' 'says “Flight.” ' “Similarly, the seaborne • j ballistic-missile force is in- , [creasinglyput at risk by the! [Soviet Union’s rapidly im-[ proving anti-submarine' forces. “The U.S.S.R. is also! about to deploy very’ long! range SS-N-18 missiles! aboard its new 24-launchet [. Typhoon and Delta ill nu-[ clear submarines, which can stand off in deep water and i hold to ransom any target

softer than a hardened 1.C.8.M. silo." The magazine added: “Many Western planners are pinning their faith on the Cruise missile, but the Soviet Union could well deploy the hypersonic SA-10 sur-face-to-air missile some five years before predicted. “Russia’s well proven ability to pour monev and resources into patching holes in its defensive dvke could soon confound United States plans to flood the Soviet Union with several thousand

comparatively cheap subsonic Cruise missiles in wartime.” Admiral Sir Peter Hili Norton, former head of the military committee of N.A.T.0., has charged “Flight” with making up “horror or fairy story — with a certain amount of sub-stratum of truth — just intended to chill the blood.” He had no doubt, and the Americans had no doubt, that they would be able toj retaliate after a nuclear; strike. Whatever the latest Soviet i

rockets might be able to do |in taking out 75 per cent of i the silos of American land .based rockets, the Americans! ’ would still have their sub-marine-launched missiles. “They may not have as I long a range or be as accu-' irate as the latest Russian ; ones but there are fifty of! ithem each with 16 missiles.! ;and thev would make thei (Soviet Union uninhabitable.” : There was no doubt that. !Russia was trying to turn! parity in the nuclear field into superiority.