After a series of failures, the Navy has successfully test-fired an advanced intercontinental ballistic missile, the weapon the government hopes will become a key part of the nation's nuclear arsenals, the Defense Ministry said.
The Bulava missile was launched Friday from the Yury Dolgoruky submarine underwater in the White Sea, and the missile's warheads reached the Kura testing range on the Kamchatka Peninsula, some 5,500 kilometers away, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in televised remarks.
The test was Bulava's third successful launch in a row after a string of failures that raised questions about the future of Russia's most expensive post-Soviet military project.
The Bulava is a three-stage missile that can carry up to 10 individually targeted warheads at a range of 8,000 kilometers. Russian officials have boasted of its ability to dodge any potential missile defenses.
Friday's test was the third launched from the Yury Dolgoruky, a new Borei-class nuclear submarine specifically designed to carry 12 Bulava missiles.
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