Next, 13th in succession test start-up of ballistic missile "Bulava" took place on Thursday within the limits of program of the state flight development tests of a complex from a board of the strategic nuclear submarine "Dmitry Donskoy". Start-up was carried out from underwater position of submarine from water area of White Sea. According to military men, parameters of a trajectory of the rocket are worked out in a regular mode, fighting blocks have successfully arrived to the range Kura on Kamchatka.
The chief of Joint Staff of Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Nikolay Makarov reported the president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev on successful launch of the rocket "Bulava".
"Bulava" already could be pass to service in the middle of 2011, high-rank representative of the main headquarters of Navy of Russia informed "Interfax" on Thursday.
"It is planned to carry out two more test rocket operations till the end of the year, if they are successful, as well as today's start-up, then it's possible to bring question on the prompt end of tests of this strategic complex. I believe that passing of "Bulava" to service can take place in the middle of next year", - interlocutor of agency told.
- Our military men really can present good news in such a way that you will find oneself between a shit and a sweat, - editor-in-chief of FORUM.msk Anatoly Baranov said. - Only 5 from 12 previous start-ups of "Bulava" were recognized successful. Last start-up was made on December, 9th, 2009 and was unsuccessful. The given start-up - the first in the current year. So, does it mean that at such statistics even if 2 more operations will be successful it is possible to consider new rocket ready to become a basis of a sea component of strategic nuclear forces? After all we don't know precisely, to what extend present start-up was successful - whether military men never lied to us before?
Intercontinental ballistic missile "Bulava" - the newest Russian three-stage solid-fuel rocket. It should become in the long term a basis of naval strategic forces, new submarines of a class "Boreas" are already planned for this rocket.
"By the way, nobody was responsible for strategic decision which left the country practically without sea component of Strategic Nuclear Forces, - Anatoly Baranov reminded. - If not to consider resignation of the director of the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering Solomonov sufficient measure of responsibility taking into account possible consequences of such mistake and that today our naval nuclear forces already concede to the strategic opponent already in 5 times. After all even at the most successful coincidence of circumstances we will have a gap between breakdown of old rockets and submarines and input of new ones into a system as possibilities of the domestic industry as regards batch production of solid-fuel rockets are rather limited. Votkinsk factory produces 5-6 solid-fuel rockets "Topol-М1", there are no other manufacturers. It means manufacture of new rockets of "Bulava" type becomes additional burden to manufacture which doesn't cope with creation of new rockets of land basing - say, it will even strongly break the program of reequipment of strategic missile forces. Necessary complete set of for 3 new nuclear-powered submarines of class "Boreas" will be produced about 15 years at best. It is a catastrophe".
