MOSCOW, April 13 (RIA Novosti) - Sea-based Bulava ballistic missiles could be deployed on the Yury Dolgoruky nuclear submarine in 2008, after three additional years of testing, the project's chief designer said Thursday.
Yuri Solomonov, director and chief designer at the Institute of Heat Technology, dismissed previous statements that the missile would be put in service after first two test launches.
"We will have to conduct at least ten additional Bulava test launches, and then process the received data for about three years," he said.
Last year, Russia conducted successful test launches of the Bulava, which is adapted from the Topol-M (SS-27). The first in-flight test launch was conducted on September 27, 2005 from the Dmitry Donskoi, a Typhoon-class ballistic missile submarine.
On December 21, 2005 another Bulava was launched from the Dmitry Donskoi in the White Sea before traveling thousands of miles to hit a dummy target on the Kura test site on the Kamchatka Peninsula. It was the first time a Bulava had been launched from a submerged position.
Russia's Borey-class nuclear submarines will be equipped with Bulava missiles.
