Russia on Friday began building its second submarine in a class capable of firing nuclear-armed cruise missiles, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, June 26).
Construction of the first Yasen-class submarine started in 1993 and is expected to wrap up within the next two years, according to RIA Novoti and Interfax (Agence France-Presse I/Spacewar.com, July 24).
Russia's navy intends to retain a "balanced" nuclear missile deterrent in four decades, Russian navy commander Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky said yesterday.
"It is important to know exactly what the navy should be by the year 2050, proceeding from two things: it must be a balanced nuclear missile force and, secondly, it must comply with the state's national interests and economic possibilities," Vysotsky told RIA Novosti.
The navy would balance its reliance on submarines and surface vessels, he indicated (RIA Novosti, July 26).
The officer added that Moscow would not abandon development of its Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile despite repeated test failures involving the weapon, according to AFP (see GSN, July 24).
"The Bulava itself is not the absolute ideal of 21st century weaponry. It is a step towards this idea," he said.
"Moving forward, it is necessary to complete its development. ... We've done a certain amount of groundwork and we will not reconsider the program to develop a new generation of ballistic missiles under the name Bulava" (Agence France-Presse II/Spacewar.com, July 26).