Bulava

Bulava missile test history

Date Comment
0.1 12/11/03 Success Pop-up test of a mockup of the missile.
0.2 09/23/04 Success Pop-up test.
1 09/27/05 Success(?) First flight test. Launch from a surfaced submarine. Reports about failure of the third stage.
2 12/21/05 Success First launch from a submerged submarine.
3 09/07/06 Failure Launch from a submerged submarine. The first stage failed shortly after launch.
4 10/25/06 Failure Launch from a submerged submarine. Failure of the first stage.
5 12/24/06 Failure From a surfaced submarine. Problems with the third stage.
6 06/28/07 Success Unconfirmed reports about problems with one of the warheads.
7 11/10/07 Failure The first stage failed shortly after launch.
8 09/18/08 Failure Failure of the bus.
9 11/28/08 Success The "first fully successful test" of the missile
10 12/23/08 Failure Failure of the third stage.
11 07/15/09 Failure Failure of the first stage
12 12/09/09 Failure Failure of the third stage
13 10/07/10 Success
14 10/29/10 Success
15 06/28/11 Success First launch from Project 955 submarine, Yuri Dolgorukiy (YD)
16 08/27/11 Success Full-range test to the Pacific (YD)
17 10/28/11 Success YD
18-19 12/23/11 Success Salvo launch of two missiles (YD)
20 09/06/13 Failure First launch from Aleksandr Nevskiy (AN). Failure on the 2nd minute
21 09/10/14 Success First launch from Vladimir Monomakh (VM)
22 10/29/14 Success First launch from fully loaded submarine (YD)
23 11/28/14 Success AN
24-25 11/14/15 Success(?) Salvo launch from Vladimir Monomakh. One of the missiles did not perform properly.
26-27 09/27/16 Success(?) Salvo launch from YD. The second missile exploded after launch.
28 06/26/17 Success YD
29-32 05/22/18 Success Four-missile salvo launch from YD
33 08/24/19 Success From YD
34 10/29/19 Success First launch from Knyaz Vladimir
35-38 12/12/20 Success Four-missile salvo launch from Vladimir Monomakh. First launch from the Pacific
39 11/03/22 Success From Generalissimus Suvorov
40 11/05/23 Success From mperator Alexander III

There is some uncertainty about results of two tests. The one on 27 September 2005 was reported to be successful at the time, but in December 2006 Ivan Safronov reported that the third stage of the missile failed in that test. Also, there were some reports about problems in the June 28th, 2007, but it is not clear whether these were credible.

Bulava missile has also been tested in pop-up tests from a land-based launcher.