Russia said their new strategic nuclear submarine successfully launched a ballistic missile, the final test needed before the boat can enter service.
Russian Ministry of Defense
Russia's new strategic nuclear submarine has successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, it's defense ministry said, releasing video footage it said was from the test.
The test involved the firing of an intercontinental-range Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and was a significant step for the vessel. Decisions on the submarine's entry into service with the Russian navy will follow this test, the last of the state trials, Russia said.
Video footage from the defense ministry that was shared by Russian state media outlets on Sunday showed what they said was the newest Borei-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine Imperator Alexander III launching an RSM-56 Bulava ballistic missile.
In the video, the missile flies up and soars across the sky, leaving a large trail of smoke behind it. Russia's defense ministry said that the test took place in the White Sea off Russia's northern coast, with the missile hitting a target on the Kura combat field on the far eastern Kamchatka peninsula.
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The purportedly successful test was an important — and final — step for the Imperator Alexander III. "Missile warheads arrived in the designated area at the set time. The ballistic missile firing is the final element of state trials, with the decision to be made after that on cruiser's acceptance by the Navy," the ministry said in the statement published by state media.
Once it enters service, it'll be the seventh and latest of Russia's Project 955 Borei-class submarines to do so and only the fourth of the newer, more modern 955As. These ballistic missile submarines have been in service with the Russian navy since 2013, and the most recent boat in the class to join the fleet was the Generalissimus Suvorov, which was commissioned in late December 2022.
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The more modern subs, like Imperator Alexander III and Generalissimus Suvorov, are designed to carry as many as 16 Bulava SLBMs, which have been in service since a series of successful tests in 2018 and are a powerful — and expensive — weapon for the Russian navy. Each Bulava missile, which means "mace" in Russian, carries six nuclear warheads and has a reported range of about 5,000 miles, far enough to be considered intercontinental.
Russia has prioritized both the development of the Borei subs, the name meaning Arctic Wind, and Bulava SLBMs. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has spent decades rebuilding its nuclear and conventional weapons forces. Other Russian subs, like the Severodvinsk-class, are especially formidable, with US officials saying the vessels are hard to detect and capable of striking important targets in Europe and the US. And those Severodvinsk submarines have been increasingly active in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans this year, worrying some US officials.
