The lead ship of the Russian Navy’s Project 955 Borey-class submarines test fired the Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Russian defense ministry said on Monday.
‘Yuriy Dolgorukiy’ fired the ICBM from a submerged position in the Barents Sea towards a test range in Kamchatka.
According to the defense ministry, the confirmed control data showed that the ICBM completed its full flight cycle and successfully hit the targets at the test site.
Bulava is a submarine-launched ballistic missile deployed on the Russian new Project 955 submarines. The missile’s previous launch took place on September 27, according to Russian news agency Tass, when Yuri Dolgoruky launched two ICBMs from the White Sea towards the Kura practice range.
Yuriy Dolgorukiy is the lead ship of a new class of submarines intended to replace the Delta III, Delta IV and Typhoon classes in Russian Navy service. The submarine was laid down in November 1996 and commissioned in January 2013.
The 170-meter-long boat carries 16 missile tubes and is capable of housing 160 nuclear warheads.