Russia's Soviet-built nuclear missiles have remained fully combat-ready, and the military isn't planning to withdraw them from service en masse, a top general was quoted as saying Monday. The deputy chief of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces, Lt.-Gen. Vitaly Linnik, said that recent test launches of Soviet-built missiles had proven their worth. "None of the missile systems on alert duty now has trends of degradation," Linnik said, according to the Interfax-Military News Agency. The Russian strategic forces have conducted regular test launches of Soviet-built ballistic missiles to check their readiness. Military officials have said that Russia would keep them on duty for another 10 to 15 years _ long past their designated lifetime. "The missiles aren't going to be taken out of service in bulk," Linnik said.
