The Russian Navy successfully test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile today, officials said.
The Bulava missile was launched from the submerged Dmitry Donskoy submarine in the White Sea and its warheads hit a designated target at a military range on
the far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, navy spokesman Captain Igor Dygalo said.
Russian navy chief Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky congratulated the submarine’s crew on the successful launch, Capt Dygalo said.
Several previous tests of the Bulava had failed — casting doubt of Russia’s ability to build what Russian officials have hailed as a key future component of the nation’s nuclear forces.
The Bulava was developed by the Moscow-based Thermal Technology Institute, which designed the new ground-based Topol-M missile and had no previous experience in building submarine-based missiles.
According to published Russian reports, the Bulava is designed to have a range of 6,200 miles and carry six individually targeted nuclear warheads.
It is expected to equip new Borei-class nuclear submarines, the first of which, Yuri Dolgoruky, was to be commissioned later this year.
AP