Solid-propellant Soviet intercontinental-range ballistic missile, equipped with multiple independently targeted warheads.

The first post-Soviet Russian ballistic missile, which will provide Russia's submarine-launched deterrent by the third decade of the 21st Century. Twelve Bulava missiles, each with as many as ten warheads, will be installed in each of six of the new Mark 955 Borei-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines.

Development of the Bulava missile began in 1999. Originally a different new solid-propellant missile was developed to that would fit in the existing R-39 missile tubes of the Typhoon-class submarines. The keel of the first Project 955 submarine, the Yuri Dolgoruky, was laid down at the Severodvinsk Nuclear Shipbuilding Centre in Arkhangelsk in 1996, and was to have entered service in 2001, replacing earlier Project 941 Typhoon-class ballistic missile submarines equipped with R-39 missiles. However the new solid-propellant ballistic missile failed in all three of its initial development tests in the late 1990's. That missile was cancelled and the Moscow Heat Engineering Institute was ordered to develop a new missile, the Bulava, in its place. The Yuri Dolgoruky, already in construction, had to be redesigned. The Typhoon-class SSBN selected for testing the Bulava, the Dmitry Donskoi, had to be heavily modified to Project 941UM standard. All of this resulted in the first test of the new missile being delayed to 2005, over seven years late to the original schedule.

In February 2004 President Putin claimed that the Bulava MIRV warheads could breach any available or potential anti-ballistic missile system. This presumably meant that they can maneuver after separation from the warhead bus, either in space or during reentry or both. Russia's Navy expected to commission the Yuri Dolgorukiy by 2006 and take delivery of at least two other submarines of the class by 2010. The keel of the second Mk 955, the Alexander Nevskiy was laid March 19, 2004 at the Sevmashpredpriyatiye shipyard.

The Bulava missile is significantly smaller than the R-39 series -- in fact, it is more like a solid-fuel replacement for the R-29 series. With a mass similar to the Minuteman 3, it would have an intercontinental throw weight of over a tonne. This in turn meant that its stated capability to carry as many as ten warheads could only be accomplished at ranges of around 7000 to 8000 km. Russian officials have reported that land-mobile versions of the missile will also be developed.

Official Characteristics as declared under START-2 Treaty: