Global Security Newswire

Russia intends to carry out a single trial flight of its new Bulava ballistic missile this year from the Borei-class submarine Alexander Nevsky, not multiple firings as certain news updates had asserted, a Russian naval official said in remarks reported on Thursday by Voice of Russia (see GSN, May 7).

Moscow might place the Alexander Nevsky on active duty before 2013, according to the official. Previous reporting indicated the nuclear-capable Bulava would also enter active service in that time frame (Voice of Russia/Spacewar.com, May 10).

Meanwhile, Russian naval chief Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said his service would retain the Akula-class ballistic missile submarines Severstal and Archangelsk on active duty for several more years, Defense and Security reported (see GSN, March 7). According to previous reports, a lack of armaments suited for the vessels was forcing their pending elimination.

Akula-class atomic-powered submarines have been active in the Russian navy since the 1980s. At the start of the year, the navy retained only three of an original six-vessel fleet, according to earlier reporting (Defense and Security, May 11).