Defence Intelligence: Russia failed test on Yars and Bulava launches

4 November, 2023 The launch of an Yars intercontinental ballistic missile. Photo credits: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation Russia failed tests of nuclear ballistic missile launches.

This was reported by the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. The Russian military recently attempted to launch the Yars and Bulava intercontinental missiles. The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reported that on November 1, 2023, Russia conducted unsuccessful tests of the RS-24 Yars ICBM, which is the main component of the Russian strategic nuclear forces.

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p2020). ????: ??? ?? 15U175M TEL of the RS-24 Yars ICBM (June 2020). Photo credits: Russian media

The launch of the missile took place on the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk Oblast at the Kura Missile Test Range in Kamchatka. The launch was made by the 33rd Guards Rocket Army of the Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Army.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, the Yars missile went astray, as during the previous command and CP exercise of the Strategic Rocket Forces of the aggressor state on October 25, 2023.

Launch of Bulava ICBM. Photo from open sources

The test launch of the RSM-56 Bulava ballistic missile from the Project 955 Borei ballistic missile submarines, which took place on October 25, was also unsuccessful. These shootings once again confirmed the unreliability of this ballistic missile, which is deployed on submarines, according to the Defence Intelligence.

"Moscow also has serious problems with RS-28 Sarmat silo-based heavy ICBMs, one of the key modernization projects for the Russian Strategic Forces of the Russian Federation. The Sarmat missile in Russia has been created since 2009. According to Moscow's initial plans, it should have been adopted five years ago - in 2018, but the date has been constantly postponed," the Defence Intelligence stated.

Sarmat ICBM.

Photo from open sources

It is known that Sarmat was adopted by the Russian Federation only in September 2023, after the first and only full test was conducted in April of this year.

Sarmat ICBM. Photo from open sources

The Defence Intelligence also reported that Russia is trying to improve the air component of strategic nuclear forces. As part of the partial modernization of Soviet Tu-160 and Tu-95S bombers, Russians are able to update 1-2 aircraft annually.

The first flight of the newly built Tu-160M.

January 2022.

Photo credits: UAC

Also, according to the DIU, the planned delivery of new Russian Tu-160?2 (an upgraded version of the basic Soviet aircraft) strategic supersonic bombers for 2023 was postponed to a later date, since the Russians could not resume production of a new version of the N?-32 turbofan jet engine.

S-400 launchers at the Kapustin Yar training ground

Recall that the Russian industry is working on a new operational-tactical missile, which can be used with the launchers of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system.