According to Yuri Borisov, Russia's deputy defense minister, only two Bulava launches are scheduled to take place in 2014. The first will take place in September 2014, from the Vladimir Monomakh submarine, the second one - in November (the submarine was not identifiedlater identified as Yuri Dolgorukiy). The September launch will be part of the Vladimir Monomakh acceptance trials, rather than a dedicated test of the missile.

This is a departure from the plan to conduct five "practical test launches" of the Bulava missile before accepting it for service that was announced after the missile failure in September 2013. Since that was the only launch from the Alexander Nevskiy submarine, the November test might involve that submarine. UPDATE: No, it will not - in November the missile will be launched from Yuri Dolgorukiy. Aleksandr Nevskiy and Vladimir Monomakh will launch their missiles from the Sea of Okhotsk in the summer-fall of 2015. The same report said that the submarines will complete a transfer to the Pacific with a full complement of missiles on board.

It appears that the examination of the missiles that were returned to the Votkinsk plant after the most recent failure gave the Russian Navy enough confidence in Bulava. The first submarine of the Project 955 class, Yuri Dologorukiy, will receive a full complement of missiles in July 2014, before the end of the "practical test" series (the missiles will be loaded at a facility in Severomorsk, not in Severodvinsk as it was the practice so far).

Alexander Nevskiy and Vladimir Monomakh are scheduled to be transferred to the Pacific Fleet by the end of 2014. According to Borisov, the tests of Bulava will continue in 2015 and will involve submarines of the Northern as well as the Pacific Fleet.