The announcement carried by the ITAR-TASS news agency came three days after Russia said it was ready to strike alleged terrorist camps outside its borders at any time using cruise missile technology similar to that in the United States.

"This year, our strategic Tu-160 and Tu-95C bombers have been equipped with new non-nuclear precision weapons," ITAR-TASS quoted an unnamed Russian air force general as saying.

"These cruise missiles have a range of more than 3,000 kilometersmiles) and can miss a target by no more than a few meters while carrying a warhead of hundreds of kilotons," the source said.

The report failed to specify the type of missile being used.

However analysts said Russia was now equipping an intercontinental ballistic missile X-55 (AS-15 Kent according to Western qualifications) with non-nuclear explosives.

The X-55 was first deployed in 1983.