Upgraded Russian SSBN Fires Bulava Intercontinental Missile for First Time

Russian Nuclear Submarine Fires Intercontinental Missile for First Time

(Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; issued Oct 30, 2019)

Russia's Defense Ministry says it has test-launched a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile from its most advanced nuclear-powered submarine for the first time, striking a target thousands of kilometers away.

The ministry said on October 30 that the missile was fired from an upgraded Borei-class nuclear submarine that was submerged in the White Sea near Arkhangelsk on Russia's northern coast.

It said the missile carried a dummy payload that reached a test site in Russia's Far East region of Kamchatka.

Vice Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev said the upgraded model of the Borei-class submarine is scheduled to enter service with Russia's Northern Fleet at the end of 2019 once it has completed trials that include weapons tests.

The test comes amid tensions between Moscow and Washington following the demise of a Cold War-era nuclear treaty that has sparked fears of a growing arms race.


Global arms controls set up during the Cold War to keep Washington and Moscow in check have come under strain since the demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which banned the deployment of short- and intermediate-range missiles.

In August, the United States pulled out of the accord.

Washington said Moscow has openly disregarded the conditions of the treaty, a charge that Russia has denied.

The last major nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States, known as the New START treaty, is due to expire in 2021.

Signed in 2010, the New START treaty limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the United States and Russia are allowed to deploy.

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Russia's New Submarine Test-Fires Ballistic Missile

(Source: Deutsche Welle German Radio; issued Oct 30, 2019)

Russia has successfully test-fired a ballistic missile from its newest nuclear-powered submarine. It comes as Russia is carrying out nuclear and submarine modernization.

Russia's newest nuclear-powered submarine successfully test-fired a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time, the defense ministry said on Wednesday.

The submerged Prince Vladimir fired the unarmed missile a distance of around 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) from the White Sea to a test site in the Kamchatka peninsula in far eastern Russia.

The Prince Vladimir is the first upgraded 955A model of Russia's Borei class strategic submarines, designed with better stealth, maneuverability and armament capabilities.

It is currently being tested ahead of being delivered to the navy's Northern Fleet in December, the fleet's commander Vice Admiral Moiseyev told TASS state news agency.

Three other Borei class submarines have already been delivered to the navy and four more are being built at the Sevmash shipyard. Each Borei class submarine can carry 16 Bulava missiles.

The launch comes as Cold War-era arms control treaties between Moscow and Washington are under strain since the end of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

The New START treaty, which limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads the world's two biggest nuclear powers can deploy, is due to expire in 2021.

In early October, the US Air Force successfully tested an unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, a distance of nearly 6,760 kilometers.

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