Bulava (missile)
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The RSM-56 Bulava (, " mace",
NATO reporting name NATO uses a system of code names, called reporting names, to denote military aircraft and other equipment used by post-Soviet states, former Warsaw Pact countries, China, and other countries. The system assists military communications by providi ...
s SS-N-30 / SS-NX-32,
GRAU The Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (), commonly referred to by its transliterated acronym GRAU (), is a department of the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is subordinate to the Chief of ...
index 3M30, 3K30) is a
submarine-launched ballistic missile A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from Ballistic missile submarine, submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which ...
(SLBM) developed for the
Russian Navy The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...
and deployed in 2019 on the new of ballistic missile nuclear submarines. It is intended to serve as a crucial component of Russia's
nuclear triad A nuclear triad is a three-pronged military force structure of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and strategic bombers with Nuclear weapon, nuclear bombs and missiles. Countrie ...
. The weapon takes its name from ''
bulava The RSM-56 Bulava (, " mace", NATO reporting names SS-N-30 / SS-NX-32, GRAU index 3M30, 3K30) is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) developed for the Russian Navy and deployed in 2019 on the new of ballistic missile nuclear submari ...
'', a
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
word for mace. Designed by
Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology (MITT; ) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) engineering and scientific research institute founded on May 13, 1946. The institute is located in the Otradnoye District in the north of Moscow. Previously, it wa ...
, development of the missile was launched in the late 1990s as a replacement for the
R-39 Rif The R-39 (; NATO reporting name: SS-N-20 '' Sturgeon''; bilateral arms control designation: RSM-52) was a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) that served with the Soviet Navy from its introduction in 1983 until 1991, after which it serve ...
solid-fuel SLBM. The Project 955/955A Borei-class submarines carry 16 missiles per vessel. A source in the Russian defense industry told TASS on June 29, 2018, that the D-30 missile system with the R-30 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile had been accepted for service in the Russian Navy after its successful four-missile salvo launch tests in 2018.


Description

The Bulava missile was developed by Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology under the leadership of chief designer . Although it utilizes some engineering solutions used for the recent
RT-2PM2 Topol-M The RT-2PM2 «Topol-M» (, NATO reporting name: SS-27 "Sickle B", other designations: SS-27 Mod 1, RS-12M1, RS-12M2, formerly incorrectly RT-2UTTKh) is one of the most recent intercontinental ballistic missiles to be deployed by Russia, and the f ...
ICBM, the new missile has been developed virtually from scratch. The Bulava is the submarine version of the Topol-M, and is both lighter and thinner than the Volna. The two missiles are expected to have comparable ranges, and similar CEP and
warhead A warhead is the section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket (weapon), rocket, torpedo, or bomb. Classification Types of warheads include: *E ...
configurations. Bulava has a declared START throw weight of 1150 kg to 9,500 kilometers. The missile has three stages; the first and second stages use
solid fuel Solid fuel refers to various forms of solid material that can be burnt to release energy, providing heat and light through the process of combustion. Solid fuels can be contrasted with liquid fuels and gaseous fuels. Common examples of solid fu ...
propellant, while the third stage uses a
liquid fuel Liquid fuels are combustible or energy-generating molecules that can be harnessed to create mechanical energy, usually producing kinetic energy; they also must take the shape of their container. It is the fumes of liquid fuels that are flammable ...
to allow high maneuverability during
warhead A warhead is the section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket (weapon), rocket, torpedo, or bomb. Classification Types of warheads include: *E ...
separation. The missile can be launched from an inclined position, allowing a
submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
to fire them while moving. It has a low flight trajectory, and due to this could be classified as a quasi-ballistic missile. It is rumored to possess advanced missile defense evasion capabilities and can maneuver at its boost stage. Borei-class submarines carrying Bulava missiles are expected to be an integral part of the Russian nuclear triad until 2040. Bulava can be loaded on
TEL TEL or Tel may refer to: Businesses and organisations * Tokyo Electron, a semiconductor equipment manufacturer * TE Connectivity, a technology company, NYSE stock ticker TEL * The European Library, an Internet service Place names * Tel, Azerbaij ...
road mobile launchers, on railway BZhRK trains and other various launchers.


Development history


Inception

In the 1990s, Russia had two submarine-launched ICBMs, the solid-fuel R-39 and the liquid-fuel
R-29 Vysota R-29 () is a family of Soviet submarine-launched ballistic missiles, designed by Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau. All variants use astro-inertial guidance systems. Variants R-29 *Deployment date: 1974 *Manufacturer designation: 4K75 * DoD designati ...
family, both developed by the Makeyev Design Bureau. A new missile, designated R-39UTTH Bark was under development to replace the R-39. The Bark was planned to become the only submarine-launched ballistic missile of the Russian nuclear arsenal. However, its development was plagued with problems, and after three test failures the Bark programme was canceled in 1998. Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology was now tasked with developing a new advanced missile. The institute promised that it would be able to quickly develop a new naval missile based on its recent
Topol-M The RT-2PM2 «Topol-M» (, NATO reporting name: SS-27 "Sickle B", other designations: SS-27 Mod 1, RS-12M1, RS-12M2, formerly incorrectly RT-2UTTKh) is one of the most recent intercontinental ballistic missiles to be deployed by Russia, and the f ...
land-based ICBM. The new missile would be deployed per 16 missiles on the Borei I (Project 955) and Borei II (Project 955A) class submarines. As the new submarines would not be ready in time for flight tests, the
Typhoon-class submarine The Project 941 ''Akula'' (, meaning 'shark', NATO reporting name Typhoon), was a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines designed and built by the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy. With a submerged displacement of , the Typhoons ...
''Dmitry Donskoy'' was upgraded to carry Bulavas. Key people involved in the decision to develop Bulava included the institute director and Bulava's chief designer Yury Solomonov; director of the Defense Ministry's Fourth Central Research Institute, Major-General
Vladimir Dvorkin Vladimir (, , pre-1918 orthography: ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, widespread throughout all Slavic nations in different forms and spellings. The earliest record of a person with the name is Vladimir of Bulgaria (). Etymology T ...
; Navy Commander, Fleet Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov; Defense Minister, Marshal
Igor Sergeyev Igor Dmitriyevich Sergeyev (; 20 April 1938 – 10 November 2006) was a Soviet and later Russian military officer who was Minister of Defense of Russia from 22 May 1997 to 28 March 2001. Before that he was the commander of the Strategic Rocket ...
; Economics Minister
Yakov Urinson Yakov Moiseyevich Urinson (; born 12 September 1944) is a Russian politician of Jewish descent, economist and Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Russian economy in 1997–1998, Member of the Presidium of the Russian Jewish Congress Th ...
and Prime Minister
Viktor Chernomyrdin Viktor Stepanovich Chernomyrdin (, ; 9 April 19383 November 2010) was a Soviet and Russian politician and businessman. He was the Minister of Gas Industry of the Soviet Union (13 February 1985 – 17 July 1989), after which he became first chairm ...
.


First tests

The missile completed the first stage launch-tests at the end of 2004. Although it was initially planned to base the Bulava design on the Topol-M, the first tests showed that the new missile was completely different in terms of appearance, dimensions and warhead lay-out. It was later acknowledged that the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology had developed Bulava virtually from scratch, reusing only a few engineering solutions from the Topol-M.


Troubles

The missile's flight test programme was problematic. Until 2009, there were 6 failures in 13 flight tests and one failure during ground test, blamed mostly on substandard components. This led to the missile's chief designer, Yury Solomonov resigning from his post in July 2009. Aleksandr Sukhodolskiy was appointed as the new general designer of sea-based ballistic missiles at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology; Solomonov however retained his post of general designer of land-based missiles. After a failure in December 2009, further tests were put on hold and a probe was conducted to find out the reasons for the failures. Testing was resumed on 7 October 2010 with a launch from the in the
White Sea The White Sea (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; ) is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the nort ...
; the warheads successfully hit their targets at the
Kura Test Range Kura Missile Test Range (), originally known as ''Kama'', is a Russian intercontinental ballistic missile impact area located in northern Kamchatka Krai in the Russian Far East. It is the destination for ballistic missiles which are test fired f ...
in the
Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...
. Seven launches have been conducted since the probe, all successful. On 28 June 2011, the missile was launched for the first time from its standard carrier, Borei-class submarine , and on 27 August 2011 the first full-range (over ) flight test was conducted. After this successful launch, the start of serial production of Bulava missiles in the same configuration was announced on 28 June 2011. A successful
salvo A salvo is the simultaneous discharge of artillery or firearms including the firing of guns either to hit a target or to perform a salute. As a tactic in warfare, the intent is to cripple an enemy in many blows at once and prevent them from f ...
launch on 23 December 2011 concluded the flight test programme. The missile was officially approved for service on 27 December 2011, and was reported to be commissioned aboard ''Yuri Dolgorukiy'' on 10 January 2013. The missile did however continue to fail in the summer of 2013 and was not operational as of November 2013. The Bulava became operational aboard ''Yury Dolgorukiy'' as of October 2015. However, recent developments put this in question. In November 2015, the submarine fired two missiles while submerged. One of the missiles self-destructed during the boost phase and the other failed to deliver its warheads to the specified target. After being sent back to the manufacturer, it was determined that the missiles failed due to manufacturing defects. After two successful tests in June 2017 and May 2018, a source in the Russian defense industry told TASS on June 29, 2018, that the D-30 missile system with the R-30 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile had been accepted for service in the Russian Navy.


Explanations for the failures

Chief designer Solomonov blamed the failures on the poor state of the Russian defense industry and problems in the design-technology-production chain. :"Sometimes
he problem He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter call ...
is poor-quality materials, sometimes it is the lack of necessary equipment to exclude the 'human' factor in production, sometimes it is inefficient quality control" According to Solomonov, the industry is unable to manufacture 50 of the necessary components for the missile, forcing designers to improvise and look for alternative solutions, which seriously complicates the testing process. Solomonov further said that despite the failures, there was no need for changes in the design. Sergei Kovalyov, the designer of three generations of Russian strategic submarines said that due to lack of funding, the developers had been unable to conduct test launches from a floating pad to test the underwater segment of the missile's trajectory. He also said that there were insufficient funds to conduct ground-based test launches. Both types of testing had been standard procedure during Soviet times. Kovalyov also criticised the poor quality of missile components provided by a large number of sub-contractors and the absence of military representatives at manufacturing plants. The 2009 Norwegian spiral anomalies, a temporary strange light phenomenon over vast areas of northern Norway have been explained with a failed stage of a Bulava missile test. According to a spokesman, "The missile's first two stages worked as normal, but there was a technical malfunction at the next, third, stage of the trajectory".
Clara Moskowitz Clara Moskowitz is an American science journalist who works as a senior editor for ''Scientific American''. Career Moskowitz majored in astronomy and physics at Wesleyan University, graduating in 2005. She went to the University of California, S ...

'Russia admits missile caused UFO lights'
''MSNBC News'', 10 December 2009.


Effects on the military

Due to the delays in Bulava's development, the launch of the fourth Borei-class submarine, ''Svyatitel Nikolay'', was pushed back. Russia was planning to build eight Borei-class submarines by 2015. Only one Typhoon-class submarine, ''Dmitry Donskoy'', was modified to launch Bulavas. The Bulava program is the most expensive weapons project in Russia.


Debate about the program

Despite continued test failures, the
Russian defense minister The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (; MOD) is the governing body of the Russian Armed Forces. The President of Russia is the Commander-in-Chief of the forces and directs the activity of the ministry. The Minister of Defence exerci ...
,
Anatoliy Serdyukov Anatoly Eduardovich Serdyukov (; born 8 January 1962) is a Russian politician and businessman. He was Russia's Minister of Defense from 15 February 2007 to 6 November 2012, and made several major reforms in the Russian military. He has worked a ...
, has stated that the project will not be abandoned. "We will certainly not give up the Bulava. I think that despite all the failures, the missile will fly," he said in an interview in late December 2009. The Russian military has been adamant that there is no alternative to Bulava. There has been discussions among analysts about the possibility of re-equipping the Borei-class submarines with the more reliable liquid-propellant
R-29RMU Sineva The R-29RMU2 Sineva (, lit. " blueness"), code RSM-54, is a Russian liquid-fueled submarine-launched ballistic missile with GRAU index 3M27, designation SS-N-23A Skiff. It can carry four warheads and is designed to be launched from Delta IV-cla ...
missiles. The Sineva is an upgrade of the
R-29RM Shtil The R-29RM (, NATO reporting name SS-N-23 Skiff) was a liquid propellant, submarine-launched ballistic missile in use by the Russian Navy. It had the alternate Russian designations RSM-54 and GRAU index 3M27. It was designed to be launched fro ...
and entered service in 2007. According to ''
RIA Novosti RIA Novosti (), sometimes referred to as RIAN () or RIA (), is a Russian state-owned domestic news agency. On 9 December 2013, by a decree of Vladimir Putin, it was liquidated and its assets and workforce were transferred to the newly created ...
'' military analyst Ilya Kramnik, this would have been an attractive option, given that the less advanced Sineva missiles already have "virtually the same impressive specifications as the
Trident II The UGM-133A Trident II, or Trident D5 is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), built by Lockheed Martin Space in Sunnyvale, California, and deployed with the United States Navy and Royal Navy. It was first deployed in March 1990, and ...
(D5) SLBMs wielded by the
U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...
and the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
." However, the work needed to redesign and modify the Borei-class submarines to carry Sinevas is regarded as too expensive.


Probe

After a launch failure in December 2009 caused by a defective engine nozzle and which led to the
2009 Norwegian spiral anomaly The Norwegian spiral anomaly of 2009 (, "the spiral-form light pattern", ''det spiralformede lysfenomenet'', "the spiral-form light phenomenon") was a light phenomenon that appeared in the night sky over Norway in the morning of 9 December 2009. ...
, further tests were put on hold and a review of the missile program was initiated. The results of the probe were delivered to the Russian government in May 2010.


2010 tests

Testing was resumed for the first time after the probe on 7 October 2010. The missile was launched from the submerged ''Dmitry Donskoy'', in the
White Sea The White Sea (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; ) is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the nort ...
, and the warheads successfully hit their targets at the Kura testing range, to the north of
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (, ) is a city and the administrative center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. It is located in the Far East of the country and lies along the coast of Avacha Bay by the Pacific Ocean, nearby Khalaktyrskoye Lake. As of the 202 ...
in the
Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...
. The launch reportedly took place at 07:15 UTC. The missile travelled over , and the rocket's trajectory was within the normal parameters, according to a Navy official. The second test launch in 2010 from ''Dmitry Donskoy'' was set to 29 October and was successful. The next test to be performed from ''Yuriy Dolgorukiy'' was initially planned to December 2010, but was postponed to mid-summer 2011 due to ice conditions in White Sea.


2011 tests and deployment

According to the Russian Vice Premier
Sergei Ivanov Sergei Borisovich Ivanov (, ; born 31 January 1953) is a Russian senior official and politician who has been serving as the Special Presidential Envoy on the Issues of Environmental Activities, Ecology and Transport since 12 August 2016. He h ...
another six successful launches (one planned in 2010, other five in 2011) will be required before the missile could be commissioned.


2012 tests and deployment

In August 2012 a high-ranking official of Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation said in 2012 Russia will test fire its Bulava missile only once, in November, specifically from the nuclear-powered submarine .


2013 deployment

Bulava was finally commissioned with its lead carrier ''Yuri Dolgorukiy'' on 10 January 2013. The official ceremony of raising the Russian Navy colors on the submarine was led by Russian Defense Minister
Sergey Shoigu Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu; , . (born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician and military officer who has served as secretary of the Security Council since 2024. He served as Minister of Defence of Russia from 2012 to 2024. Shoigu has served ...
. After another failed launch in September, Shoigu announced a pause in the state trials of the next two submarines and five more test launches. The entire production run of the missiles was then recalled for factory inspections.


Timetable


Service

In October 2010 it was reported that 150-170 operational missiles would be built (124 active + reserve for training and tests). After the successful launch on 27 June 2011, the Russian government announced the start of serial production of Bulava missiles. On 10 January 2013, Bulava was adopted into experimental service with its lead carrier submarine ''Yuri Dolgorukiy''. It was reported in June 2018 that the missile has been accepted for service by the Russian Navy after its successful test firings conducted in 2018. Russian state media reported on 14 May 2024 that the missile officially entered service on 7 May.


Operators

; * The
Russian Navy The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...
is the only operator of the RSM-56 Bulava. As of January 2024, 112 missiles were deployed on 7 Borei-class ballistic missile submarines: ** K-535 ** K-550 ** K-551 ** K-549 ** K-552 ** K-553 ** K-554


Specifications


See also

*
R-29 Vysota R-29 () is a family of Soviet submarine-launched ballistic missiles, designed by Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau. All variants use astro-inertial guidance systems. Variants R-29 *Deployment date: 1974 *Manufacturer designation: 4K75 * DoD designati ...
*
R-29RM Shtil The R-29RM (, NATO reporting name SS-N-23 Skiff) was a liquid propellant, submarine-launched ballistic missile in use by the Russian Navy. It had the alternate Russian designations RSM-54 and GRAU index 3M27. It was designed to be launched fro ...
*
R-29RMU Sineva The R-29RMU2 Sineva (, lit. " blueness"), code RSM-54, is a Russian liquid-fueled submarine-launched ballistic missile with GRAU index 3M27, designation SS-N-23A Skiff. It can carry four warheads and is designed to be launched from Delta IV-cla ...
*
R-29RMU2 Layner The R-29RMU2.1 Lajner ( meaning ''Liner'' as in airliner or ocean liner) is a Russian liquid-fuelled submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and the newest member of the R-29 missile family, developed by the Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau and ...
*
Kanyon The Poseidon (, "Poseidon", GRAU index 2M39, NATO reporting name Kanyon), previously known by Russian codename Status-6 (), is an autonomous, nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle reportedly in production by Rubin Design Bureau, capable ...
*
UGM-133 Trident II The UGM-133A Trident II, or Trident D5 is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), built by Lockheed Martin Space in Sunnyvale, California, and deployed with the United States Navy and Royal Navy. It was first deployed in March 1990, an ...
*
M51 (missile) The M51 SLBM is a French submarine-launched ballistic missile, built by ArianeGroup, and deployed with the French Navy. Designed to replace the M45 (missile), M45 SLBM (in French terminology the MSBS – ''Mer-Sol-Balistique-Stratégique'' "Sea-gr ...
*
JL-3 The JL-3 (; NATO reporting name: CSS-NX-20) is a Chinese third-generation intercontinental-range submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). It arms the Type 094 submarine, and is expected to arm the future Type 096. History The first test ...
* K-6 *
Pukguksong-6 The ''Pukguksong-6'' () is presumed to be the official designation for a North Korean solid-fueled submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) first unveiled in 2022. Description The ''Pukguksong-6'' is a solid-propelled missile probably deri ...
*
R-39 Rif The R-39 (; NATO reporting name: SS-N-20 '' Sturgeon''; bilateral arms control designation: RSM-52) was a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) that served with the Soviet Navy from its introduction in 1983 until 1991, after which it serve ...
*
R-39M R-39UTTH BarkUTTH means "Improved tactical and technical characteristics", NATO reporting name SS-NX-28, was a Russian submarine-launched ballistic missile. The missile was an upgraded version of the R-39 missile that was designed for the Typhoo ...


References


External links


CSIS Missile Threat - SS-N-32 "Bulava"

Russia's Bulava undergoes fast-track test programme
May 2006.
Technical data
in
PDF Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe Inc., Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, computer hardware, ...
, DTIG.
Technical data
from CNews.ru.
Technical data
from warfare.ru. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rsm-56 Bulava Nuclear weapons of Russia Submarine-launched ballistic missiles of Russia Intercontinental ballistic missiles of Russia Votkinsk Machine Building Plant products MIRV capable missiles Military equipment introduced in the 2010s