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Russia successfully tests ballistic missiles
Russia's troubled nuclear weapons programme is back on track after the Russian Navy successfully test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile for the second time in a month.
By Andrew Osborn in Moscow
Published: 5:27PM BST 29 Oct 2010
The missile was fired from a Russian nuclear submarine and was seen as a major breakthrough by defence experts Photo: AP
The successful test launch of the Bulava or Mace missile from a nuclear-powered submarine submerged near the country's border with Finland was seen as a major breakthrough by defence experts who were beginning to fret that the costly project would have to be scrapped.
A spokesman for the Russian defence ministry said the missile, launched early on Friday morning, had hit its target more than 3,000 miles to the east in Russia's Far East and was "up to standard". When operational, the Bulava, which is supposed to be the cornerstone of Russia's nuclear arsenal for years ahead, will be able to carry up to ten nuclear warheads.
The Kremlin has boasted it can pierce any missile defence system in the world. But progress has been far from smooth since tests first began in 2004 and the missile has failed seven of the previous thirteen trials, angering the military's top brass and embarrassing the Kremlin. The next test will take place in December. It will have to pass a further six such tests before a new generation of nuclear submarines is armed with it.
