Russia’s Bulava (SS-NX-30) solid-fuelled missile seems to have clocked up yet another flight test failure yesterday. If my records are correct, this is the eighth failure in 12 launches. And two of the other four were only partial successes, with problems noted during warhead deployment.
(I seem to recall that the earlier Bark missile (SS-NX-28) was cancelled after only two test shots, both of which failed.)
Just to add to the Russian Navy’s problems, the first Borei-class Bulava boat now has little prospect of becoming operational in the near future, while Sevmash is due to lay down the fourth of the class later this month.
Bulava’s opponents will become even more vociferous, but the problem they face is that the liquid-fuelled Sineva which is being suggested as a possible replacement for Bulava, apparently cannot be installed in the Borei class without major structural ‘surgery’.
By: xanadu2000in - 24th January 2010 at 18:59
It was a new design wasnt it unlike the Bulava which is based on the Topol. Sad 🙁
By: HAWX ace - 24th January 2010 at 18:56
What was the name of the missile that was cancelled in favour of the Bulava?
By: xanadu2000in - 24th January 2010 at 18:47
No rush, there’s only one Borei in the water anyway. They could take a few years to fix the missile and it won’t matter.
They’ve gotta make it near 100% reliable anyway, or it defeats the purposes of the system.
What was the name of the missile that was cancelled in favour of the Bulava?
By: Tutpriduri - 14th January 2010 at 18:36
No rush, there’s only one Borei in the water anyway. They could take a few years to fix the missile and it won’t matter.
They’ve gotta make it near 100% reliable anyway, or it defeats the purposes of the system.
By: Distiller - 14th January 2010 at 18:29
On Russian TV a few days ago they said that there will be a test stop for Bulava till mid summer. Suppose they’ll use the time for work on system reliability.
By: HAWX ace - 14th January 2010 at 16:35
That’s a reality check allright. The Russians finally admitting the Bulava has flaws. Jeee! It’s not the perfect weapon after all! Still, the source is not brave enough to show itself. But it’s novosti….
Design flaw caused latest test failure of Bulava missile – source
15:3712/01/2010
Investigators have established that the latest test failure of the troubled Bulava ballistic missile was caused by a design flaw, rather than a faulty component, a Russian defense industry source said Tuesday.
“An investigation commission established in December that a design flaw in the device which controls the separation of the third stage had caused the latest failure of the Bulava missile,” the source said.
Full story: http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100114/157543847.html
By: Austin - 11th December 2009 at 01:32
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) – The December 9, 2009 test of the RSM-56 Bulava (SS-NX-30) submarine-launched ballistic missile has failed, said the Russian Defense Ministry. There have been 12 other test flights since December 2003.
Without going into technical details, which must be clarified by experts, we must now assess the entire project’s status and the implications of the latest abortive test on the future development of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces.
The decision to develop the Bulava missile was adopted in 1998 when Moscow’s Institute of Thermal Technology was directed to develop an advanced missile system for the Russian navy.
Institute management claimed that it could promptly develop a new ballistic missile based on the Topol M (SS-27 Sickle B) intercontinental ballistic missile, for the Russian navy. This concept was expected to simplify the deployment of the naval component of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces and to require less maintenance costs.
Although it is hard to say who initiated such drastic changes, the press claims that Yury Solomonov, director of the Institute of Thermal Technology, Major-General Vladimir Dvorkin, director of the Defense Ministry’s Fourth Central Research Institute, Navy Commander Fleet Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov, the then Defense Minister Marshal Igor Sergeyev, Economics Minister Yakov Urinson and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, are responsible for this.
It was decided to deploy the new Bulava missiles aboard the Project 955 Borei class and Project 955A Borei-A class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.
The first submarine of the class, the Yury Dolgoruky, is currently undergoing sea trials. Another two submarines are under construction, and the keel of the fourth Borei class submarine is to be laid before New Year’s Eve.
Initial tests of the new missile and its first images revealed that the Bulava will have little in common with the Topol-M. The Bulava was completely different in terms of its appearance, dimensions and warhead lay-out. Nevertheless, the plan had gone too far to back out.
Eleven full-fledged flight tests were conducted between September 27, 2005 and December 9, 2009. Only three launches, specifically the first, second and eighth, were deemed fully successful. Two other launches were rated partially successful.
Facilitating due control over missile component production and ready-made missile assembly, rather than project funding, is the main problem. Moreover, the companies involved require skilled, well-paid workers. However, wage raises alone cannot boost missile quality.
More expensive missiles would be manufactured, unless other measures are implemented.
Some experts think it would be appropriate to upgrade the Bulava missile and to hold a tender for another missile system, due to be installed aboard Project 955 submarines. In their opinion, the program should involve several leading design bureaus, and the most promising project should be implemented.
This would make it possible to develop another missile system for replacing the Bulava if its reliability is not improved.
Russia’s president, who oversees the state of the Armed Forces as Commander-in-Chief, would be expected to personally monitor the program because this will ensure due supervision.
The project managers involved should be held personally liable in case of failure because material incentives are ineffective and because resignations no longer scare anyone.
Nuclear-tipped missiles largely facilitate national defense capability. Since the end of World War II and the break-up of the Soviet Union, too many high-ranking officials and production workers have become accustomed to the fact that resignations are the ultimate punishment for incompetence and mismanagement.
Obviously, this concept must be changed with regard to logistics support of the strategic nuclear forces, to say the least, because the price of possible mistakes is becoming too high.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
By: fulcrum-aholic - 11th December 2009 at 00:20
a clip is shown how the spirals were formed…
By: fulcrum-aholic - 11th December 2009 at 00:09
Mysterious Light Show In Norway The Failed Missle Test?!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fgn7-AoQtI
By: Nicolas - 10th December 2009 at 22:14
Bulava test history:
By: Mercurius - 10th December 2009 at 21:11
Does anyone here have the time to make a list at what point of the flight the repective failure happened?
A list of flight dates and failure causes was published some time in the last year, but I can’t put my hand on it. My memory is that the failures have been fairly randomly distributed in terms of missile stages.
If I can find the data in the next new days, I’ll post it.
By: Nicolas - 10th December 2009 at 21:04
Ya have to to ever succeed. What’s so interesting about the 3rd stage if I might ask?
3rd stage is liquid-propellant.
http://newsruss.blogspot.com/2009/07/sequential-launch-of-rocket-bulava.html
I bet construction on the next Borey’s will halt until problems are fixed. There is no point in finishing them as long as they dont have a working missile ready. The Sineva can not be fitted unless the class is totally redesigned, will likely not happen.
By: sferrin - 10th December 2009 at 19:28
Well looking at the way they are persistant about it , they will make sure Bulava suceeds even if it means 10 more test to suceed.
The 3rd stage seems to be the very interesting stage and has suceeded only once.
Ya have to to ever succeed. What’s so interesting about the 3rd stage if I might ask?
By: Rodolfo - 10th December 2009 at 18:37
By: Rodolfo - 10th December 2009 at 18:32
Well looking at the way they are persistant about it , they will make sure Bulava suceeds even if it means 10 more test to suceed.
The 3rd stage seems to be the very interesting stage and has suceeded only once.
May be but the fault source is inconsistent. Seem that the missile have faults everywhere. A bad design or very bad quality issues. The thing seems to be always problematic, even if sometimes deployed.
By: Distiller - 10th December 2009 at 16:58
Does anyone here have the time to make a list at what point of the flight the repective failure happened?
By: mabie - 10th December 2009 at 14:49
Wasn’t the Bulava based on the Topol? If so, they had a proven design to build upon.. one wonders if the problem can be traced to design flaws or quality issues.
By: Austin - 10th December 2009 at 12:44
Well looking at the way they are persistant about it , they will make sure Bulava suceeds even if it means 10 more test to suceed.
The 3rd stage seems to be the very interesting stage and has suceeded only once.
By: Austin - 10th December 2009 at 12:39
Russia’s latest Bulava missile test unsuccessful
The latest test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile in the White Sea in northern Russia ended in failure, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
Wednesday’s test was Bulava’s seventh failure, according to official reports. Russia hopes the submarine-launched missile will be a key element of its nuclear forces.
“The first two stages functioned smoothly, but the flight faltered at the third stage. There was a technical failure in the third stage engines rendering them unstable,” the ministry said in a statement.
The statement came after media reports on a mysterious light in the form of a spiral over Norway’s northern areas several hundred kilometers from the launch site on Wednesday. Norwegian media suggested it could be a Russian missile spinning after a faulty launch.
Only five out of 12 Bulava launches have been reported successful. The previous failure occurred in July, when the missile self-destructed after its first stage malfunctioned. The latest launch had since been delayed several times.
But some analysts suggest that in reality the number of failures has been considerably greater. According to Russian military expert Pavel Felgenhauer, of the Bulava’s 11 test launches, only one was entirely successful.
The future development of the Bulava has been questioned by some lawmakers and defense industry experts, who have suggested that all efforts should be focused on the existing Sineva SLBM.
But the military has insisted there is no alternative to the Bulava and pledged to continue testing the missile until it is ready to be put in service with the Navy.
The Bulava (SS-NX-30) SLBM carries up to 10 MIRV warheads and has a range of over 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles). The three-stage solid-propellant ballistic missile is designed for deployment on Borey class nuclear-powered submarines.
The Bulava, along with Topol-M land-based ballistic missiles, is expected to become the core of Russia’s nuclear triad.
MOSCOW, December 10 (RIA Novosti)
By: Sintra - 10th December 2009 at 12:35
Those are the kind of news that in the “bad” old times would send an entire design team into a touristic trip to Siberia. If they were lucky!
It seems that the Russian Navy is between a rock and a hard place, four (very) expensive hulls being constructed wich is main armament is a system with a habit of not working.
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December 10, 2009 at 11:57 am