Article Posted on : - Mar 18, 2009

File image of Russian first deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov on the launch of Yury Dolgoruky, Russia's first new-generation strategic nuclear submarine. RIA Novosti photo

MOSCOW (BNS): Defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov announced that Russia had started mooring trials of the first Borey class nuclear-powered strategic submarine, which will be equipped with Bulava sea-based ballistic missiles.

The minister made the announcement at Defence Ministry meeting, which was attended by President Dmitry Medvedev. The minister said that the mooring trials were in line with the programme on the introduction of new Borey class nuclear-powered strategic submarines into the Russian Navy. “We have begun mooring trials of the first submarine in the series - the Yury Dolgoruky submarine,” Serdyukov said.

He said that the submarine, built at the Sevmash plant in northern Russia, was taken out of dry dock in April 2007.

Reports in the media state that the vessel is 170 meters (580 feet) long, has a hull diameter of 13 meters (42 feet), a crew of 107, including 55 officers, a maximum depth of 450 meters (about 1,500 feet) and a submerged speed of about 29 knots. It can carry up to 16 ballistic missiles and torpedoes.

Russian news agency RIA Novosti reports that two other Borey-class nuclear submarines, the Alexander Nevsky and the Vladimir Monomakh, are currently under construction at the Sevmash shipyard and are expected to be completed in 2009 and 2011. Russia is planning to build a total of eight submarines of this class by 2015, the agency said.

RIA Novosti said that Russia also plans to complete tests and put into service sea-based Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) in 2009 despite numerous test failures. Earlier, reports stated that the Russian military had blamed the test failures on production flaws and said that the tests would continue until the missile was ready for production.

The Bulava (SS-NX-30) ICBM carries up to 10 nuclear warheads and has a range of 8,000 km (5,000 miles), it said.