On December 23, 2011 Yuri Dolgorukiy submarine of the Project 955 class conducted a successful salvo launch of two Bulava missiles. According to the Ministry of Defense spokesman, the missiles were launched from a submerged submarine deployed in the White Sea toward the Kura test site in Kamchatka. All warheads were reported to have successfully reached their targets.
These are the 18th and the 19th launch in the Bulava development program. The missile will most likely be accepted for service in 2012. In February 2011, the Ministry of Defense expected that Bulava program would require from four to five launches before the missile could enter service.
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It's good news. Pavel, will Bulava settle with 6 warheads finally?
So that seems to be improving, meanwhile they have had 6 failed tries from Dec 2010 to just today in placing objects into orbits, from GLONASS to today's failure again...most o them are blamed on rocket engines and different stages-blocs. It is embarrassing I have to say.
I think Russian are trying too many launches (34 already this year with 5+1 failures) every year. They should put number of launch around 20 every year to keep everything in order for the launch as do by the European Space Agency (5) and NASA (19) until they fully reorganize the space industry. Now it's time for a brand new modern launcher. Angara should be promoted at the earliest. Industry should also be restructured and fresh brain must be inducted immediately. The pride of Soviet space supremacy is now diminishing due to negligence and wrong policies of Russian authority. I never find any developed country which has neglected science and technology the way Russia has done since the collapse of Soviet Union. I always wonder why the Russian scientists and engineers were miserably failed to achieve anything new in last 20 years! They were even failed to maintain the old systems in good shape, many of the new efforts to improve the old systems were result in embarrassing failures. One Soviet time scientist other day said we didn't work for money rather work for pride! May be in democratic Russia everyone is working for money none interested in pride, and that may the case for this downfall of Russian space industry!
A salvo launch of Bulavas only 6 months after the 1st firing from YD submarine certainly is an achievement for russian submarine forces and industry. I believe Russia may not have been performing such a salvo launch of SLBMs for 1 or 2 decades !
After 6 reportedly successful flight tests in a row, ended by a 2 missile salvo, my guess would be that Borey/Bulava is to be declared operational within weeks (once these 2 latest flights have been fully analysed) - unless some work still has to be done on the missile payload elements (which in any case are likely to keep evolving, see latest SS-19 test).
Regarding Bulava's payload capability, the missile size and diameter suggest to me that 6 "normal" (non maneuverable) RVs (the figure declared in arms reduction treaties) are probably the max payload but operational configurations are likely to be below that figure (either for increased range and sub patrol space, or to accomodate shroud space for anti-US MD penaids such as the mythic "hypersonic" maneuvering warhead - if it exists!).
Any additional news on the fate of K-84 Ekaterinburg? Apparently there was a dockyard fire at the Roslyakovo shipyard. Sounds like the submarine was damaged but thankfully there were no casualties and the nuclear reactor shutdown successfully.
Frank Shuler
USA
Next Bulava is scheduled 6-10 sept according to NOTAM
V5342/13 - TEMPO DANGER AREA ACT WI COORD: 7200N 04720E-7305N 05100E-7230N 05247E- 7124N 04925E-7200N 04720E. SFC - UNL, DAILY 0100-1500, 06 SEP 01:00 2013 UNTIL 10 SEP 15:00 2013. CREATED: 02 SEP 07:54 2013
I use this url for NOTAM data: http://structure.mil.ru/structure/forces/hydrographic/info/notices.htm
but it always seems a bit old. Is there a better site?
Thanks,
Mark