On 8 September 2004, Russian navy launched two ballistic missiles from submarines of the Northern Fleet. The launches were successful and missile warheads reached their targets at the Kura test site in Kamchatka.
At 09:38 MSK on September 8th, 2004, the K-84 “Ekaterinburg” submarine of the Project 667BDRM (Delta IV) type deployed at Barents Sea launched a R-29RM (SS-N-23) missile. The previous successful missile launch from the “Ekaterinburg” submarine was conducted on June 29th, 2004.
Two hours later, at 11:38 MSK, another submarine of the Northern Fleet, K-496 “Borisoglebsk” of the Project 667BDR (Delta III) type, conducted a successful launch of a R-29R (SS-N-18) missile. The submarine was also deployed at Barents Sea.
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May I ask how you ascertained that the missiles launched were of the R-29M (SS-N-23) type? The few news reports about the launch did not identify the missiles.
R-29RM is the only missile strategic submarines of the Project 667RM class are equipped to carry (and none of those submarines has been refitted for other missiles). So, it couldn't be another missile.
According to "Jane's Fighting Ships", the Borisoglebsk is a Delta III (P667BDR-Kalmar) class SSBN. If exact, that particular launch was then instead a R-29R (SS-N-18).
Yes, the second launch was that of R-29R missile. Thank you. I corrected the entry.
Mr. Podvig:
I had assumed that the two missiles were of the same type, given that the submarines which launched them were of the same type. But this recent interview of Ivanov to which I link here has him saying that the two missiles were different. What can you suggest?
Excerpt of interview:
[Question] Because whenever we are shown anything about our army, we are being told it was not a real missile but a simulated launch. I don't understand where the truth is and where the falsehoods are.
[Ivanov] As regards launches of naval ballistic missiles, then no further back than last Tuesday [7 September] two of our submarines in the Northern Fleet carried out two launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Not simulated with software but for real. And these missiles were of different types, and they both successfully hit several targets each on our range in Kamchatka. So in that respect everything is fine. But if we reflect more broadly on the forces and resources, then we have units on constant readiness, we have precision aerial weapons and so on. In any event, of course, we are not going to tell anyone in advance how we are going to deliver a preventive strike. Neither are we going to warn anyone in advance.
That has been corrected already. The second submarine was of Project 667BDR (Delta III) type, so it did fire a different missile - R-29R.
In a statement made on September 20, 2004, Sergey Ivanov said that these missile tests involved six warheads. However, only R-29R carries three warheads, while R-29RM carries four, so there must have been seven warheads. The statement is here: http://www.lenta.ru/russia/2004/09/20/submarine/