The Bulava missile flight test program is not the most transparent program in the Russian military. But some interesting details crop up once in a while. A video posted a few days ago (which is apparently part of a propaganda movie made by MITT) suggest that the missile was flown from a land-based test launcher at least once.
The launch in question is at 18 seconds into the clip. The date and place of that test are unknown.
UPDATE 02/05/09: As my readers tell me, it was a pop-up test.
UPDATE 02/05/09: More help from readers - the place shown in video is the test site of the Design Bureau of Special Machine-Building (KBSM), which is developing the launcher for Bulava. The test site is located near Elizavetinka, not far from St.-Petersburg.
The book
Comments
Hi,
is the Navy test center in Nenoksa still active?
Martin
Pop-up test. Of course, there were more than two.
Gradient: As far as I can tell, the first stages of the missile ignited shortly after the "pop-up". Of course, this does not necessarily mean it worked all the way.
"...the first stages of the missile ignited shortly after the "pop-up".
Usual practice. 43 seconds. This is also pop-up test.
Thank you. Is it Nenoksa?
a) if it's a pop-up how far it flies from the test site?
b) with 43 seconds' thrust coud that be populated area near spb?
It probably lands not very far from the launch site. As for 43 seconds, it refers to the 43rd second of the clip.