Defense Ministry: Bulava Missile to be Launched by SSBN Alexander Nevsky

09.08.2012 In 2012, ballistic missile Bulava will not be launched by SSBN Yury Dolgoruky; it is planned to launch the missile by same-type submarine Alexander Nevsky, deputy defense minister Alexander Sukhorukov told journalists on Wednesday, writes online Novosti VPK referring to business newspaper Vzglyad.

"The missile won't be launched by Yury Dolgoruky this year, we're going to launch it by Alexander Nevsky", Sukhorukov said.

That was his comment on reports of some media agencies that SSBN Yury Dolgoruky would be commissioned only after launch of SLBM Bulava, reports RIA Novosti.

On Monday, an insider in Russian defense industry said that lead submarine Yury Dolgoruky and missile system Bulava would be put in Russian Navy service after one more test launch controlled by Maritime Nuclear Force Control System.

As for him, all previous launches under flight development tests were held 'in manual mode' when Bulava was launched upon command directly given from the submarine.

Late in July, Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief VADM Viktor Chirkov declared that submarine-based ballistic missile system Bulava would be commissioned in the nearest future.

As was reported earlier, United Shipbuilding Corporation was about to deliver nuclear submarine Yury Dolgoruky on the Russian Navy Day, July 29.

Fourth-generation Project 955 Borei submarines were designed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau (St. Petersburg). Primary weapon of Borei-class submarines is new missile system Bulava. Each submarine is capable to carry 16 solid-propellant ballistic missiles R-30 Bulava having flight range of over 10,000 km and being armed with independently-targetable reentry vehicles.

Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine Yury Dolgoruky was laid down at Sevmash shipyard on Nov 2, 1996. Being about 170-meter long, 13.5-meter wide and displacing 24,000 tons, the sub will carry 16 Bulava ballistic missiles designed by the Moscow Thermotechnics Institute.