🇷🇺 Backbone of Russia’s Naval Nuclear Deterrent: What We Know About Bulava Missile (1 Viewer)

[Old School]

The RSM-56 Bulava (lit. "Mace") missile is a crucial component of Russia's strategic nuclear deterrent, and the keystone of the Navy's nuclear capabilities.
The Bulava submarine-launched missile has been adopted into service by Russia's military, legendary Russian rocket and missile developer and Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology (MITT) General Designer Yuri Solomonov has confirmed.

"On May 7 of this year, a decree was signed on the adoption of the Bulava missile system," Solomonov told Russian media on Tuesday.

What are the Missile's Characteristics?

The Bulava is a 36.8-ton, three-stage solid fuel missile with a range of at least 9,300 km that can carry between 6 and 10 nuclear-capable multiple independent reentry vehicles (MIRVs) which have an explosive yield of between 100-150 kilotons each. Alternatively, the missiles can deploy up to 40 decoys to saturate enemy missile defenses. The missile's MIRVs accelerate to hypersonic speeds during flight, and have the ability to maneuver, which makes them extremely difficult to intercept.
Compounding risks for the prospective enemy is the fact that Bulavas are sea-borne, with their Borei and Borei-A class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine carriers lurking the depths at secret patrol locations and launching the missiles from underwater, making it next to impossible to preemptively attack and destroy them in surprise aggression, and thus guaranteeing Russia's ability to retaliate. Each sub carries 16 Bulava SLBMs.

Why Did Russia Need the Bulava, and Who Developed the Missile?

The Bulava's development began in 1998 after the cancellation of the R-39M Bark strategic SLBM after a series of failed test firings.
The task of creating the new strategic missile fell on Solomonov, a living legend of a rocket and missile designer, and the MITT – a leading Russian strategic missile developer that's also known for the Topol, Topol-M, and Yars series of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The Bulava's creation began at a time when Russia's defense industry was at arguably its lowest ebb, with the collapse of the Soviet Union less than 10 years earlier stripping the sector of funding, brilliant scientific minds, and the ability to coordinate with institutes and defense producers in other post-Soviet republics.
The Bulava was originally envisioned as an attempt to unify sea and ground-based solid fuel strategic missile designs as much as possible to reduce costs. This ultimately proved impossible, and designers set to work to create a new SLBM virtually from scratch.