Russia’s new nuclear-powered submarine, the Imperator Alexander III, carried out a successful test launch of the Bulava ballistic missile, designed to carry nuclear warheads, the Russian Ministry of Defense said yesterday.
“Firing a ballistic missile is the final element of state tests, after which a decision will be made to accept the cruiser into the Navy,” the ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been pushing for Russia to maintain its nuclear deterrence to counter what he calls growing security threats, as ties between Moscow and the West have hit new lows over the war Russia launched in Ukraine last year.
The intercontinental missile, launched from an underwater position in the White Sea off Russia’s northern coast, hit a target thousands of kilometers away on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, it said.
The ministry did not say when the test took place.
The Borei-class strategic-missile cruiser is equipped with 16 Bulava missiles and modern torpedo weapons, it said.
Putin took part in a launching ceremony in December last year setting the Imperator Alexander III afloat, Russia’s TASS state news agency said.
The navy has three nuclear-powered submarines of the Borei-class in service — one is completing tests and three more are under construction, the ministry said.
The 12m-long Bulava missile, which has an estimated range of about 8,000km and can carry up to six nuclear warheads, has become the cornerstone in the naval component of Russia’s nuclear triad.
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