Recently, the general designer of the state enterprise “Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering” Yuri Solomonov announced that the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM “Bulava”) was adopted for service, which is fundamentally different from all strategic missiles operated by the Russians. Federation for now. This is a colossal technological breakthrough in Russian science and industry, and, of course, such a step could not but launch processes on a much larger scale. Let’s talk about them. Where did the Bulava come from? The collapse of the Soviet Union sharply raised the question of creating a new generation of strategic missile submarines (SSBNs), since it turned out that the existing ones were no longer relevant. There were also problems with weapons, associated, again, with the collapse of the Union. It was then that Project 955 began development of a fourth-generation SSBN codenamed “Borey”. It was decided to use the almost ready-made D-19 UTTH “Bark” missile system, developed since 1986, as the strike force of these boats. In this configuration, on November 2, 1996, the first nuclear submarine of the 4th generation, Yuri Dolgoruky, was laid down. It was planned to finish it by 2006, but it didn’t work out. This is a very complex process that Russia simply did not engage in at the end of the 1990s. In addition, the schedule was constantly changing due to delivery delays. Against this background, the R-39UTTH “Bark” solid-fuel missiles, three launches of which failed miserably, received disappointing ratings, and there was no time to improve them. Thus, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation decided to replace the Bark with a fundamentally new missile system (RK) D-30 with a solid-fuel ballistic missile R-30 Bulava. He pulled the entire industry along with him. The design of the missile heads provides for individual guidance with the ability to maneuver. This made it possible to simultaneously minimize the likelihood of successful interception of warheads and deliver powerful strikes with one missile simultaneously against several targets located at a great distance. These differences could not be compared with the Bark systems, so the 955 Borei project was forced to undergo enormous changes. This caused delays in the readiness of the main SSBNs. But when “reworking” the system, the designers completely redesigned the technical component and removed the installation of two shafts, which was an absolute innovation for Russia, because previously nuclear submarines had two shafts and two hulls. Instead, they installed an almost silent water-jet engine with high traction qualities. As a result, in 2008, the updated K-535 “Yuri Dolgoruky” was launched. Then difficulties began with the launches of the Bulava itself – the missiles simply went into abnormal operation, deviated from the calculated course, and the media called it a “floating failure.” Of course, the situation could not help but cause caustic comments from Western countries on this matter. And the saddest thing is that they were not unfounded, because the Russian Federation really lagged behind in this direction, and it had a very long time to catch up. Thus, it became clear that the problem lay in incorrect rocket assembly technology, which made it possible to find a solution. In 2011, testing resumed and was successful, ending by 2013. Submarine fleet of the 4th generation From this moment on, the lead SSBN of Project 955 “Yuri Dolgoruky” became part of the 31st submarine division of the Northern Fleet. The cruiser’s displacement is 24 thousand tons. The maximum number of missiles it launches is 16. Almost immediately after this, two more nuclear submarines were ready – Alexander Nevsky and Vladimir Monomakh. And in July 2021, the lead boat of the new modernized project “Prince Vladimir” was laid down at Sevmash. They differ in that their cases are built taking into account the optimization of the design of previous models. Such boats are being produced as part of a new project called “Borey A”. Currently, the Russian Navy has 7 nuclear submarines manufactured according to both projects, some of them were completed by “Prince Oleg”, “Generalissimo Suvorov” and “Emperor Alexander III”. And 3 more SSBNs are under construction. As for the missiles themselves, after 2013 all tests were carried out as usual. It took several years to fine-tune it, and various launches were made. For example, in 2018, a salvo of four missiles was launched simultaneously, and in the fall of 2023, the Bulava was successfully launched by the Emperor Alexander III SSBN as part of ship testing. A total of 40 test launches were carried out by the end of 2022, which made it possible to confidently make a decision on the official deployment of these missiles. Thus, during the development of missiles, the entire nuclear submarine fleet of the Russian Federation changed its appearance. But it all started with them. This latest step means that Russia’s strategic deterrent forces will become even more maneuverable, fast and stealthy. After all, the good thing about a solid-fuel rocket is that it can be stored in a burning state for decades, and, if necessary, quickly brought into combat readiness. Therefore, enemies should exert the last forces of their diplomacy before everything reaches the point of no return. SPHERE https://dzen.ru Subscribe to our Telegram channel so as not to miss all the most important materials that we publish: https://t.me/russiapost
The adoption of the BULAVA marked the beginning of a large-scale renewal of the entire fleet of strategic nuclear submarines of the Russian Federation. SPHERICAL
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