Article Posted on : - Jun 15, 2010

Russian nuclear submarine Dmitry Donskoy

MOSCOW (BNS): The next launch of the Bulava ballistic missile will be carried out in the third quarter of the year from nuclear submarine Dmitry Donskoy, Russian Deputy Defense Minister has said.

Col. Gen. Dmitry Popovkin Monday said test launches of the troubled Bulava ballistic missile will resume in the third quarter of the year.

“The first will be from the nuclear Dmitry Donskoy submarine. From which vessel the next launch will come depends on the first launch," Popovkin was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

Bulava missile has been specifically designed for Russia's new Borey class nuclear submarines, the first of which, the Yury Dolgoruky, is currently undergoing sea trials.

The latest of the missile test carried out in December last year also ended in failure. Only five of 12 Bulava launches have been officially reported as being successful.

The Russian Navy earlier planned at least four new test launches of the missile at the end of June, but defense industry experts suggested they would need to build three missiles under identical conditions to establish the causes of the failures, according to the report.

The Bulava (SS-NX-30) is a three-stage liquid and solid-propellant submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). It carries up to 10 MIRV warheads and has a range of over 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles).

Russia hopes the Bulava will be a key element of its nuclear forces. The Russian military has insisted that there is no alternative to the Bulava and pledged to continue testing the missile until it is ready to be deployed with the Navy.