Russia test-fired a 16-year-old Topol ballistic missile Wednesday to determine whether the aging class of missile is still reliable, a military spokesman said.

The Strategic Rocket Forces are upgrading to a newer version of the missile called the Topol-M, but will also extend the original service life on the Topol, said Maxim Fedin, a spokesman with the rocket forces.

The older missile flew about 5,000 kilometers without a glitch and struck its target on the Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, Fedin said. The missile carried a dummy warhead, he said.