Media: Director of Bulava-Developing Institute May Lose Job

18.01.2012 Russian government decided to dismiss Sergei Nikulin from the post of Director General of state-led company Moscow Thermotechnics Institute (MTI) which is developer of SLBM Bulava and ICBM Topol-M, writes Izvestiya on Jan 18 referring to an informed source.

Nikulin won a competition for vacant post of Director General in Sept 2009. Prior to that, he headed Vympel Machinery Plant (Moscow).

"Governmental draft directives based on MTI shareholders' voting was agreed with Roskosmos which is the company's supervisor, Rosimuschestvo, endorsed by Minister of Economic Development Elvira Nabiullina, and submitted for signature to vice premier Dmitry Rogozin who is in charge of space and defense matters in the government", writes the newspaper. As is planned, Nikulin's duties would be temporarily performed by the institute's deputy director Alexander Dorofeyev. He has been holding that position since 1997 and is responsible for cooperation between companies engaged in rocket engineering. "A top-ranking undisclosed source in Roskosmos said it had been planned to conduct staff replacements in the institute even before New Year's holidays... The cause of Nikitin's dismissal is his quite independent and publicly declared posture on certain sensitive issues, explained the source in the space agency", writes the newspaper.

In July 2011, MTI Chief Designer and developer of ICBM Yars and SLBM Bulava Yury Solomonov said in the interview to Kommersant that defense ministry must have been also blamed for frustration of State Defense Order 2011 since it was protracting conclusion of defense contracts.

In July 2009, Solomonov resigned from the office of MTI director after 11-th test launch of SLBM Bulava happened to be faulty again. On July 21, Solomonov's deputy Alexander Dorofeyev was temporarily posted to his position. After appointment of Nikulin, next four Bulava launches were successful, and defense ministry has already announced Bulava could be put in batch production.

Submarine-launched ballistic missile R30 Bulava (in international agreements – RSM-56, on NATO classificxation – SS-NX-30) has maximal flight range of 8,000 km. The missile is capable to carry 6-10 hypersonic maneuvering independently-targetable nuclear warheads with yield of 100-150 kiloton each.

It was decided to develop the missile far back in 1988; Moscow Thermotechnics Institute was in charge. The argument in favor of such decision was the will to standardize sea- and land-based solid-propellant missiles and reduce expenses.

SLBM Bulava is highly unified with ground-based strategic missile system Topol-M. It is planned to arm new-generation of Russian strategic submarines with Bulava missiles.

Moscow Thermotechnics Institute has developed over 70 types of solid-propellant missiles for Strategic Missile Force (Temp-S, Pioneer, Topol, Topol-M, and Yars), Land Force (Mars, Filin, and Luna), and Navy (ASW systems Vikhr, Liven, and Medvedka). The institute is engaged in the Bulava project since 1997.