Russia's
third Borey-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, the Vladimir
Monomakh, was officially inducted in the Russian Navy on Friday, the
Sevmash shipyard reported. "The ceremony of raising the Russian
Navy colors on the Vladimir Monomakh submarine on Friday, December 19,
at Sevmash," the shipyard's press-service said in a statement.
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According
to the statement, the submarine will soon leave a naval base in Severodvinsk
in northern Russia to join the 25th Submarine Division of the Pacific
Fleet based in Russia's Far East.
The Borey class, the Russian Navy’s first post-Soviet ballistic
missile submarine design, will form the backbone of the fleet’s
strategic nuclear deterrent force after older boats are retired by 2018.
Russia expects eight of the boats to enter service by 2020.
The missile — developed specifically for the new Borey-class —
has suffered a string of failures in past tests.
Last September during state trials of the Aleksander Nevsky nuclear-powered
submarine a Bulava rocket experienced a malfunction. Following this
incident Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered to hold five
additional launches of Bulava missiles.
Despite the test failures, the Russian military insisted there is no
alternative to the Bulava as the main armament for Russia’s new
Borey-class strategic missile submarines. |
