Russia test fires intercontinental missile

After a series of setbacks in recent years, Russia on Thursday successfully tested its next-generation submarine launched intercontinental ballistic missile with multiple nuclear warheads.

According to Russian Naval spokesman Capt Igor Dygalo, Typhoon class nuclear submarine Dmitry Donskoi test fired the Bulava missile from the White Sea in North Russia precisely hitting a designated target about 6700 km away in the Kamchatka Peninsula in the country's far-east, that faces the US state of Alaska.

"A dummy warhead reached the testing grounds right on schedule," Igor Dygalo was quoted as saying by state-run Rossia Channel.

However, despite previous successful launches, three missile tests failed late last year, including one personally watched by President Vladimir Putin during the course of war games of Russian nuclear force's main component -- the Northern Fleet.

According to the national defence programme beginning from this year, R-30 Bulava (NATO codename SS-NX-30) nuclear ICBM are to be deployed on next-generation Borey-class nuclear missile submarines.

The missiles are expected to become the mainstay of the Russian Navy's strategic nuclear forces in decades to come.

The first Borey-class nuclear submarine, Yuri Dolgoruki, was launched on April 15 at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, currently also refitting Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy.

Two other Borey-class nuclear submarines, the Alexander Nevsky and the Vladimir Monomakh, are also currently under construction at the Sevmash shipyard, with a fourth submarine on the future production schedule list.

Developed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology from the Topol-M (SS-27) land-based ICBM, R-30 Bulava ballistic missile has a range of 8000 km and can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads picking individual targets and has a range of 8,000 km.