Russia's military has successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, the RS-18 `Stiletto`.
The ICBM was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and successfully reached the Kura test range on the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia's Far East as planned. The RS-18 (SS-19 or 'Stiletto in Western classification) was developed in the late 1970s and produced till the early 1990s. The two stage liquid-propellant missile can carry a four-ton payload to a range of up to 10,000 km. Monday’s launch was aimed at improving the missile’s performance and to prove that its operational life could be extended. As a result, Russian military authorities have extended its operational life by one year to 31 years. According to authorities, more test launches will be carried out this year.