Blair wants to cut UK nuke warheads by 20%

British Prime Minister Tony Blair laid out plans yesterday for a new multibillion-pound nuclear deterrent, telling lawmakers the future may hold perilous threats from rogue regimes and state-sponsored terrorists.

"In these circumstances, it would be unwise and dangerous for Britain alone of any of the nuclear powers to give up its independent nuclear deterrent," he told the House of Commons.

Blair said Britain may cut back on its stock of nuclear warheads from 200 to 160 a move that makes the proposal more acceptable to detractors within his own party.

He also proposed reducing its nuclear-armed submarine fleet from four to three in the coming decades. The existing fleet will start to be phased out in 2022.

Britain's conservative opposition leader, David Cameron, endorsed the new deterrent, though he urged options be kept open for a fourth submarine. The replacement fleet would cost around 20 billion pounds (US$40 billion).

Blair said Britain would join in a US programme to extend the Trident D5 missile, currently used by both countries, until the early 2040s. US President George W. Bush has sent Blair a written assurance that Britain would also be included in designing a successor missile, defence officials said.

Blair told legislators they would be asked to make decisions on the number of new submarines and a new missile design in the next Parliament, following national elections expected to be held in 2009.

Russia to deploy new missiles

Russia's defence minister said yesterday the Russian military was commissioning its first unit of new intercontinental ballistic missiles mounted on mobile launchers.

Sergei Ivanov said the new version of Topol-M missiles were "capable of penetrating multi-echeloned missile defence systems."

"These missiles will form the core of our Strategic Missile Forces," Ivanov said in televized remarks at the start of a cabinet session chaired by President Vladimir Putin. Putin said he would like to see the new missiles.

The Topol-M missiles, capable of hitting targets more than 10,000 kilometres away, have so far been deployed only in silos. Its new version, which will be mounted on a heavy off-road vehicle, makes it harder for an enemy to track it down.

Source: China Daily