MOSCOW, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Russia on Monday conducted a successful test launch of a silo-based Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from its Plesetsk launch site in the northern Arkhangelsk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"The simulated warhead hit a designated target on the Kamchatka Peninsula," the ministry's Zvezda broadcasting service said.

The distance between Plesetsk and the Kamchatka Peninsula exceeds 5,500 kilometers.

The test launch once again confirmed the technical readiness of Topol-M ICBMs, which are on the combat duty with the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, Zvezda said.

The Topol-M single-warhead ICBM has a maximum range of about 11,000 kilometers and can carry a nuclear warhead with a yield of up to 550 kilotons. The missile can be deployed on both silo-based and mobile land-based launch platforms.

Russian authorities said Russia is gradually substituting Topol-M missiles with new Yars ICBMs.

First tested in May 2007, the Yars missile system has a potential range of 11,000-12,000 kilometers, and can carry six to 10 independently targetable warheads of 100-300 kilotons, according to media reports.