Nuclear warhead for Bulava is ready – designers

08.12.2010 Nuclear payload for submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) Bulava has been already developed, said Yury Solomonov, director general of Moscow Thermotechnics Institute, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the missile's chief designer.

"Nuclear payload has been designed. When missiles are loaded into the carrier submarine, nuclear warhead will be completely finished", said Solomonov in the interview to National Defense magazine which will be published later in December.

Answering the question how long will nuclear program last since the moment of first patrol, Solomonov said: "I guess, the Bulava-armed grouping will exist till 2050 for certain".

SLBM Bulava is expected to become the basic element of Russia's naval strategic nuclear force; new Bulava-designed submarines have been already laid down. Only half out of 14 test launches were found successful. The recent launch of Bulava was carried out on Oct 29, 2010 and was also effective. After the latest faulty launch the date of further tests was repeatedly postponed.

Bulava-carriers are modernized Project 941UM Akula (Typhoon) nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine Dmitry Donskoy and Project 955 Borei subs – Yury Dolgoruky, Alexander Nevsky, Vladimir Monomakh and others. Totally, it is planned to build 8 submarines of this type till 2015.