The RSM-56 Bulava (russian: Булава, lit. "
mace",
NATO reporting name
NATO reporting names are code names for military equipment from Russia, China, and historically, the Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union and other nations of the Warsaw Pact). They provide unambiguous and easily understood English words in a uniform manne ...
SS-NX-30 or SS-N-32,
GRAU
The Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (), commonly referred to by its transliterated Russian acronym GRAU (), is a department of the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is subordinate to the ...
index 3M30, 3K30) is a
submarine-launched ballistic missile
A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a nuclear warhead ...
(SLBM) developed for the
Russian Navy and deployed in 2013 on the new of
ballistic missile nuclear submarines. It is intended as the future cornerstone of Russia's
nuclear triad, and is the most expensive weapons project in the country.
The weapon takes its name from ''
bulava
The RSM-56 Bulava (russian: Булава, lit. " mace", NATO reporting name SS-NX-30 or SS-N-32, GRAU index 3M30, 3K30) is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) developed for the Russian Navy and deployed in 2013 on the new of ball ...
'', a
Russian word for
mace.
Designed by
Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, development of the missile was launched in the late 1990s as a replacement for the
R-39 Rif
The R-39 Rif (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 ser ...
solid-fuel SLBM.
[
] The Project 955/955A Borei-class submarines carry 16 missiles per vessel. Development and deployment of the Bulava missile within the Russian Navy is not affected by the enforcement of the
new START
New START (Russian abbrev.: СНВ-III, ''SNV-III'' from ''сокращение стратегических наступательных вооружений'' "reduction of strategic offensive arms") is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between ...
treaty.
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
![Yuri Dolgorukiy successfully launched a Bulava ballistic missile (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Yuri_Dolgorukiy_successfully_launched_a_Bulava_ballistic_missile_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The Bulava missile was developed by Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology under the leadership of chief designer
Yury Solomonov. Although it utilizes some engineering solutions used for the recent
RT-2PM2 Topol-M ICBM, the new missile has been developed virtually from scratch.
Bulava is both lighter and more sophisticated than the Topol-M. The two missiles are expected to have comparable ranges, and similar
CEP
''Boletus edulis'' (English: cep, penny bun, porcino or porcini) is a basidiomycete fungus, and the type species of the genus ''Boletus''. Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere across Europe, Asia, and North America, it does not occu ...
and
warhead 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 fuels ...
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 separation. The missile can be launched from an inclined position, allowing a
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
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 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 Vysota Р-29 Высота (''height'', ''altitude'') 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: 19 ...
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 able to quickly develop a new naval missile based on its recent
Topol-M 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 Typhoon class, Soviet designation Project 941 ''Akula'' (russian: Акула, meaning "shark", NATO reporting name Typhoon), is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines designed and built by the Soviet Union for the Soviet ...
''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; Navy Commander, Fleet Admiral
Vladimir Kuroyedov
Fleet Admiral Vladimir Ivanovich Kuroyedov (russian: Владимир Иванович Куроедов; born 5 September 1944) is a former longest-serving Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy. Earlier he was Chief of Staff/1st Deputy Commande ...
; Defense Minister, Marshal
Igor Sergeyev; Economics Minister
Yakov Urinson and Prime Minister
Viktor Chernomyrdin
Viktor Stepanovich Chernomyrdin (russian: Ви́ктор Степа́нович Черномы́рдин, ; 9 April 19383 November 2010) was a Soviet and Russian politician and businessman. He was the Minister of Gas Industry of the Soviet Unio ...
.
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 (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is su ...
; the warheads successfully hit their targets at the
Kura Test Range
Kura Missile Test Range ( rus, Ракетный полигон Кура́), 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 destinatio ...
in the
Russian Far East
The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admini ...
.
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 one blow and prevent them from fighting b ...
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
The defense industry of Russia is a strategically important sector and a large employer in Russia. It is also a significant player in the global arms market, with Russian Federation being the second largest conventional arms exporter after the U ...
and problems in the design-technology-production chain.
:"Sometimes
he problem
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
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]
'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,
Anatoliy Serdyukov
Anatoly Eduardovich Serdyukov (russian: Анатолий Эдуардович Сердюков; 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 ...
, 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 missiles. The Sineva is an upgrade of the
R-29RM Shtil
The R-29RM Shtil (Russian: Штиль, lit. ''"Calmness"'', 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 i ...
and entered service in 2007. According to ''
RIA Novosti
RIA Novosti (russian: РИА Новости), sometimes referred to as RIAN () or RIA (russian: РИА, label=none) is a Russian state-owned domestic news agency. On 9 December 2013 by a decree of Vladimir Putin it was liquidated and its asse ...
'' 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
A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm.
The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other marine ...
(D5) SLBMs wielded by the
U.S. Navy and the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
." 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 ( no, spiralformede lysmønsteret, "spiral-form light pattern", ''spiralformede lysfenomenet'', "spiral-form light phenomenon") appeared in the night sky over Norway. It was visible from, and photographed from ...
, 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 (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is su ...
, and the warheads successfully hit their targets at the
Kura testing range, to the north of
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in the
Russian Far East
The Russian Far East (russian: Дальний Восток России, r=Dal'niy Vostok Rossii, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in Northeast Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asian continent; and is admini ...
.
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.
Each of following new test missiles needed to be built under nearly identical conditions, in order to determine the cause of potential failures.
2011 tests and deployment
Russian defense sources have stated that the Bulava missile will not enter service until it is 98-99% reliable. According to the Russian Vice Premier
Sergei Ivanov another six successful launches (one planned in 2010, other five in 2011) will be required before the missile could be commissioned.
After a successful test salvo launch in December 2011, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev announced that the Bulava missile was ready and it would now be adopted for service with the Russian Navy.
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, ; tyv, Сергей Күжүгет оглу Шойгу, translit=Sergey Kyzhyget oglu Shoygu, . (russian: Сергей Кужугетович Шойгу; born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician who has served as ...
. 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.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister
Yury Borisov
Yury Ivanovich Borisov (russian: Юрий Иванович Борисов; born 31 December 1956) is a Russian politician, former military strategist, and mathematician currently serving as Director General of Roscosmos.
From 2018 to 2022, he ...
told reporters on Wednesday 20 November 2013:
"The commission has completed its work. The causes have been determined. They are technological and are related to the production of the nozzle," Borisov told a roundtable meeting on state defense contracts.
The cause of the failure does not call into question "the correctness of the production of the product in general," he said. The flaw that has been revealed has been corrected on the three remaining missiles in this batch, Borisov said. Borisov said Russian Defense Minister
Sergei Shoigu has made a decision to hold another five Bulava launches.
"These launches will be planned next year," Borisov said.
The intercontinental ballistic missile Bulava was launched at the Kura testing ground in Kamchatka during the state testing of the strategic nuclear submarine Alexander Nevsky in the White Sea on September 6.
"The missile left the launch container, but its board system failed three minutes into the launch," the Russian Defense Ministry earlier said.
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.
Operators
;
* The
Russian Navy is the only operator of the RSM-56 Bulava. As of January 2022, 96 missiles were deployed on 6 Borei-class ballistic missile submarines:
** K-535
** K-550
** K-551
** K-549
** K-552
** K-553
Specifications
See also
*
R-29 Vysota
R-29 Vysota Р-29 Высота (''height'', ''altitude'') 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: 19 ...
*
R-29RM Shtil
The R-29RM Shtil (Russian: Штиль, lit. ''"Calmness"'', 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 i ...
*
R-29RMU Sineva
*
R-29RMU2 Layner
*
Kanyon
The Poseidon (russian: Посейдон, "Poseidon", NATO reporting name Kanyon), previously known by Russian codename Status-6 (russian: Статус-6), is an autonomous, nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicle under development by Rubin ...
*
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 US Navy, American and Royal Navy, British navies. It was first deployed in M ...
*
M45 (missile)
The M45 SLBM was a French Navy submarine-launched ballistic missile (In French terminology, the MSBS - ''Mer-Sol-Ballistique-Stratégique'' (Sea-ground-Strategic ballistic missile).)
Forty-eight M45 were in commission in the ''Force océanique s ...
*
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-1
The Julang-1 (, also known as the JL-1; NATO reporting name CSS-N-3) was China's first generation nuclear submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). According to a US Department of Defense report in 2011, the operational status of the JL-1 was ...
*
JL-2
The JL-2 (, NATO reporting name CSS-N-14) is a Chinese second-generation intercontinental-range submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) deployed on the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) Type 094 submarines. It succeeds the JL-1 SLBM ...
*
JL-3
The JL-3 () is a Chinese third-generation intercontinental-range submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in development. It will likely deploy on the Type 096, a predicted future class of Chinese ballistic missile submarine.
The missile is ...
*
K Missile family
The K family of missiles (K for 'Kalam'), is a family of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) developed by India to boost its second strike abilities and thus augment its nuclear deterrence. Information about this family of missiles ha ...
*
Pukkuksong-1
The Pukguksong-1 or Pukkŭksŏng-1, Bukgeukseong-1 (Hangul: 북극성1호, Hanja: 北極星1号, literally Polaris-1), alternatively KN-11 in intelligence communities outside North Korea, is a North Korean, two-stage submarine-launched ballisti ...
*
R-39 Rif
The R-39 Rif (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 ser ...
*
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 datain
PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
, DTIG.
Technical datafrom CNews.ru.
Technical datafrom warfare.ru.
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