Global General

Russian military test-fires new missile

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-06-28 22:12

MOSCOW - Russia's Defense Ministry says the navy has successfully test-fired an advanced ballistic missile from a new-generation nuclear submarine.

Ministry spokesman Col. Igor Konashenkov says the Bulava missile was launched from under the water in the White Sea that separates Russia from Scandinavia. He says its warheads reached the Kura testing range on the Pacific Kamchatka Peninsula, some 5,500 kilometers (3,500 miles) away.

The Yuri Dolgoruky nuclear submarine is designed to carry the Bulava missiles that were hailed as a cornerstone of Russia's updated nuclear arsenal.

Tuesday's test follows two failed Bulava launches from the same submarine that raised doubts about one of Russia's most expensive post-Soviet military projects.