I see you didn't answer the question. Is a missile that goes off course
and
explodes a success?

This is because you do not deserve any answer.

But, Michael, in the text you quoted five minutes earlier - here, lets look:


"Russia says new missile will beat any U.S. defences. Russia has developed
ballistic missile technology that can outwit any defensive system, a top
Russian general said on Thursday, in a clear
challenge to the United States' planned $50 billion anti-missile shield."

(Rather hard to do that when the missile in question CATOs shortly after launch
- what was it REALLY doing, "releasing its MARVs"?)

First Deputy Chief of Staff Colonel-General Yury Baluyevsky said that
during large-scale military exercises on Wednesday, Russia had
test-launched a missile system that could manoeuvre in mid-flight, allowing it
to dodge defences."

(True - we cannot hope to track all of the debris as it rains down!)


"The test carried out yesterday *confirmed* (??????) that we can build weapons
which will render any anti-missile system defenceless against an
attack by Russia's strategic forces," he told a news conference.

(It only confirmed the self-kill button worked.)

"Russia's manoeuvres have not gone entirely smoothly over the last week. A
Russian ballistic missile self-destructed after a failed test launch from a
submarine in the Arctic north on Wednesday. On Tuesday, two ballistic missiles
failed to take off in a test on another nuclear submarine."

And all of these failures combined to prove the Russians have a confirmed
ability to make charming speeches and pretty light shows in the sky. Putin
must feel SO PROUD of his *new* nuclear forces.

Its hard to feel threatened by a toothless old bear that can only growl, and
then lie to the press about how successful he was.

[insert some of Michael's, "We'll show you! Uhh, at some later time!" comments]