MOSCOW, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Navy has
successfully conducted the launch of a Bulava ballistic missile from the Dmitry
Donskoi nuclear submarine in the White Sea, Russian news agencies reported
Thursday.
"The Dmitry Donskoi submarine performed a successful
launch of the Bulava up-to-date ballistic missile in the White Sea, at the Kura
test site on the Kamchatka Peninsula," Navy spokesman Captain Igor Dygalo was
quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.
"The head part of the missile landed on the test
range in time," Dygalo added.
The R-30 Bulava (SS-NX-30) ballistic missile was
developed at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology. It can carry up to 10
nuclear warheads and has a range of 8,000 km.
The first in-flight test launch was conducted Sept.
27, 2005 also from the Dmitry Donskoi, a Typhoon-class ballistic missile
submarine.
On Dec. 21, 2005, another Bulava was launched from
the Dmitry Donskoi in the White Sea before traveling thousands of miles to hit a
dummy target at the Kura test site, on the Kamchatka Peninsula. It was the first
time a Bulava had been launched from a submerged position.
Russia's Borei-class nuclear submarines could be
equipped with Bulava missiles as early as 2008.
The Bulava is the submarine-launched version of
Russia's most advanced missile, the Topol-M (SS-27) solid fuel ICBM. The
SS-NX-30 is a derivative of the SS-27, except for a slight decrease in range due
to conversion of the design for submarine launch. The SS-27 is 21.9 meters long,
far too large to fit in a typical submarine. The largest previously deployed
Russian SLBM was the R-39/Ss-N-20 Sturgeon, which was 16 meters long.
The Bulava will have a range not less than 8,000 km,
and is reportedly features a 550 kT yield nuclear
warhead.
WASHINGTON, June 14 (Xinhua)-- A senior Russian official
on Thursday reiterated Moscow's call for United States to freeze development of
its planned missile shield in eastern Europe. Full story
MOSCOW, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Russia will take "proportionate
measures" to cope with the anti-missile components deployed by the United States
in central Europe, First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said here on
Wednesday. Full story
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