New Russian nuclear submarine test launches Bulava intercontinental missile

Nov 5 (Reuters) – Russia’s new nuclear-powered submarine Imperator Alexander III successfully carried out a test launch of the Bulava ballistic missile, designed to carry nuclear warheads, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

“The launch of a ballistic missile is the final element of the state tests, after which a decision will be made to accept the cruiser into the Navy,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

President Vladimir Putin has been pushing for Russia to maintain its nuclear deterrent 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 in 2022.

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 occurred.

The Borei-class strategic missile cruiser is equipped with 16 Bulava missiles and modern torpedo weapons, he said.

Putin participated in a ceremony in December to float the Imperator Alexander III, the state news agency TASS said.

The Navy has three Borei-class nuclear submarines in service: one is completing tests and three more are under construction, according to the Ministry of Defense.

The 12-meter (40-foot) long Bulava missile, which has an estimated range of around 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) and can carry up to six nuclear warheads, has become the cornerstone of the naval part of the nuclear triad From Russia.

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