Russia announced this Sunday that it has successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads from a fourth-generation nuclear submarine.
The launch of the ‘Boulava’ missile, the first in about a year, comes just days after Russia withdrew its ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
“The new strategic nuclear submarine ‘Emperor Alexander III’ successfully fired the intercontinental ballistic missile ‘Boulava’” from the White Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The missile reached its target at a test site on the Kamchatka Peninsula, in Russia’s far east, at the “scheduled time”, the same source said, quoted by AFP.
With a range of 8,000 kilometers and a length of 12 meters, the ‘Boulava’ (SS-NX-30 in NATO classification) can be equipped with 10 nuclear warheads.
According to the Russian military the submarine ‘Emperor Alexandre III’ is equipped with 16 ‘Boulava’ missiles.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law on the 2nd that revoked the ratification of the Total Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
Russian officials said the withdrawal does not mean Russia will resume nuclear testing, at least for now, as “the moratorium” remains in place, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
Source: DN
