Fired From A Stealth Submarine, Russia's Bulava Ballistic Missile Claims To Be Immune To Anti-ballistic Missile Defense Systems

Illustration of the firing of the Bulava ICBM from a submarine. (Source: Russian Ministry of Defense via Sputnik)

JAKARTA - The Russian military successfully fired an R-30 Bulava ballistic missile from a strategic underwater cruiser, claiming it is immune to any anti-ballistic missile defense system.

This claim was made directly by the Chief of Staff of the Submarine Forces Command of the Russian Pacific Fleet Rear Admiral Arkady Navarsky, Wednesday. According to him, this is possible the ability to maneuver.

"As its main advantages, the Bulava is easy to maintain and maneuverable at its boost stage, which makes the missile invulnerable to any ABM system," he quoted TASS as October 27.

The Project 955 and Borei-A Project 955A nuclear-powered strategic submarines are the choice of the Russian Navy to carry the R-30 Bulava ICBM.

Last week, the Project 955A Project 955A Knyaz Oleg strategic nuclear-powered submarine successfully fired the Bulava from the depths of the White Sea and hit the target at the test site in Kura, Kamchatka, Russia's far east on October 21 last.

"Within the framework of the state test program, the strategic ballistic missile submarine Knyaz Oleg fired a Bulava ballistic missile from the waters of the White Sea. The launch of the ballistic missile was carried out from an underwater position to the Kura range in Kamchatka," the Russian Defense Ministry explained after the test.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported, according to confirmed data from objective control, "the warhead of the missile managed to reach the specified area in the estimated time."

The Borei and Borei-A-class submarines, manufactured by the Rubin Central Design Bureau of Marine Engineering, are capable of carrying 16 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles and are equipped with 533mm torpedo tubes.

According to the Ministry of Defense, compared to the basic Borei series, the Borei-A submarines feature better stealth acoustics, deep-sea maneuvering, and running capabilities, as well as improved armament control system.

Earlier in December 2020, the Pacific Fleet strategic underwater cruiser Vladimir Monomakh conducted a test launch salvo of four Bulava ICBMs.