The Russian Navy is planning to conduct salvo launches of two Bulava missiles from Borey-class strategic nuclear-powered submarine the SSBN Yury Dolgoruky next month in the White Sea against the Kura Range, Kamchatka, Russia.

The launch, if successful, would be the last as part of the navy’s flight development test programme, after which the missile will be commissioned into service.

Defence minister Anatoly Serdiukov said that the test will be postponed to spring 2012 if weather conditions in the White Sea were not suitable.

The 170m-long Yury Dolgoruky has a hull diameter of 13m and a depth of 450m, and is capable of carrying 16 ballistic missiles, torpedoes and a crew of 107 at a speed of 29 knots.

The Bulava is capable of carrying ten warheads with a range of 8,000km and has been successful nine times out of 17 launches to date.