Russian Ballistic Missile Sub on Initial Sea Trials
"The Yury Dolgoruky will complete an initial sea trial on June 7. If all testing goes successfully, the boat will be accepted into service in the near future," a Sevmash source told RIA Novosti, adding that no tests of the boat's future primary armament, the Bulava ICBM, are planned during the sea trial. The Bulava will be test-fired again this year, but from another boat of this class, the Alexander Nevsky, and if the test is successful, the two systems will be accepted into the service this year. Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and former navy commander Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky had previously said that the Borey class boats and Bulava, would enter service this fall. The 24,000 ton displacement Borey class boats will carry 16 Bulava missiles.
Russian Shipbuilders Fail to Agree Nuclear Sub Program Price
Russia’s Defense Ministry and the United Shipbuilding Corporation failed again to agree final contract terms for delivery of the new Borey class (Project 955) strategic nuclear submarine, despite the intervention of President Vladimir Putin who wants the submarines ot form the core of Russia's strategic ballistic missile force by 2018. Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said his ministry and the submarine manufacturer would return to talks in the future to agree a final price for the Borey boats by 2015. “We agreed that we will return to price talks in 2015," he said. "Should the industry be able to demonstrate it has incurred any substantial costs, we may accept them, that is, recalculate them,” Serdyukov told journalists after the meeting with Putin. He did not state a price.
Operation to Liberate the MV Arctic Sea
According to Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, eight people of Estonian, Latvian and Russian nationality were arrested during the operation to liberate the Arctic Sea. Investigations revealed that on July 24, 2009, these people boarded the Arctic Sea and using the threat of arms, demanded that the crew change course. Then the Arctic Sea sailed on to an African route indicated by the aggressors and turned off its navigation equipment. Serdyukov reported on the measures taken in accordance with the President's instructions concerning the disappearance of the Arctic Sea and the Russian crew on board. Earlier on during the meeting, Serdyukov reported to President Medvedev that the crew of the Arctic Sea has been released.
