Russia’s newest submarine returns to shipyard after White Sea mission without launching the Bulava missile. Speculations take off, BarentsObserver reports.
Russia’s first strategic missile submarine built after 1992, the Borei-class “Yury Dolgoruky” sailed quietly in the White Sea this weekend and made port call to its homeyard, Sevmash in Severodvinsk. The submarine had been on a high-profiled mission to the northern part of the White Sea and was supposed to launch a test-missile on Saturday.
Interfax was Sunday afternoon quoting an official from Sevmash naval yard as saying the missile test did not take place due to a malfunction in the submarine’s energy system. Other Russian media reported Sunday evening that it was the missile itself that didn’t worked properly and couldn’t be fired.
“We are absolutely convinced that the missile will be passed into service, but considering its importance for the state security, we have decided to check all its qualities one more time,” RIA Novosti quoted an unnamed source in the Defense Ministry as saying. That report sounds somewhat foggy since the same Ministry earlier said “Yury Dolgoruky” would sail out in late August to test-fire a Bulava missile.
BarentsObserver posted an editorial this spring arguing that successful launches of the Bulava missile this summer are of enormous prestige for Moscow. Not only for military officials, but also for top politicians that have proudly announced that the Bulava missile is so high-tech that it can penetrate any US missile defence systems.
Out of 15 Bulava missile tests carried out over the last six years, only seven of them have been considered a success.
Russia’s first strategic missile submarine built after 1992, the Borei-class “Yury Dolgoruky” sailed quietly in the White Sea this weekend and made port call to its homeyard, Sevmash in Severodvinsk. The submarine had been on a high-profiled mission to the northern part of the White Sea and was supposed to launch a test-missile on Saturday.
Interfax was Sunday afternoon quoting an official from Sevmash naval yard as saying the missile test did not take place due to a malfunction in the submarine’s energy system. Other Russian media reported Sunday evening that it was the missile itself that didn’t worked properly and couldn’t be fired.
“We are absolutely convinced that the missile will be passed into service, but considering its importance for the state security, we have decided to check all its qualities one more time,” RIA Novosti quoted an unnamed source in the Defense Ministry as saying. That report sounds somewhat foggy since the same Ministry earlier said “Yury Dolgoruky” would sail out in late August to test-fire a Bulava missile.
BarentsObserver posted an editorial this spring arguing that successful launches of the Bulava missile this summer are of enormous prestige for Moscow. Not only for military officials, but also for top politicians that have proudly announced that the Bulava missile is so high-tech that it can penetrate any US missile defence systems.
Out of 15 Bulava missile tests carried out over the last six years, only seven of them have been considered a success.