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Bulava missile failure adds pressure on Kremlin
The missile, which is intended to become the state of the art Russian submarine armament, the Bulava missile, this week made another failed test launch. The missile is becoming a serious headache both for the Kremlin and the Russian Navy.The failed launch of 15 July is a serious blow to Russian authorities, which are investing heavily both money and prestige in the project. According to Kommersant, Russia now spends about 40 percent of its investments in new military hardware in the "Bulava" missile and the new submarine Yury Dolgoruky. The launch, which was made by the Typhoon-class submarine Dmitry Donskoy in the Barents Sea on 15 July was the sixth failed launch out of 12. The last launch, also a failed one, took place in December 2008. The Bulava missile reportedly failed in the early stage of the launch. A special commission has been established to study the incident, Interfax reports. Russian defence officials recently stressed that all technical problems with the missile now have been solved and that the Navy can start applying the missile system. That smooth takeover of the missile is yet to come. The Bulava missile is designed for the Borei class submarines, the fourth generation nuclear subs, the first of which are now being tested in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk Oblast. The vessel Yury Dolgoruky will be the flagship in the Russian submarine fleet. Another two vessels of the kind is under construction in the yard. As BarentsObserver recently reported, the Yury Dolgoruky last month underwent successful testing in the Barents Sea. Despite the many failed test launches and the huge money invested, Russia is unlikely to abandon the Bulava project. Even before this week's launch, Navy Head Commander Vladimir Vysotky said testing of the missile will be stepped up with four-five launches this year instead of the originally planned two. Posted by: Anonymoose 2009-07-17 |
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