Russia may halt the development of its accident-prone Bulava sea-based nuclear missiles and opt for another system if future tests fail to work successfully, Interfax reported Friday, quoting industry sources.
Russia has pressed ahead with the Bulava as a crucial plank of its strategic defense that has become a symbol of the country's attempts to create a new generation of post-Soviet weaponry to match Washington's advanced arsenal. Instead, the Sineva missile that has already entered service could be installed on new Borei-class submarines intended to carry the Bulava, Interfax reported.
"The Sineva, which was adopted in 2007, is the most probable alternative to the Bulava," Interfax quoted a source in the rocket and space industry as saying.
The Sineva differs from the Bulava in two major respects. First, it uses liquid rather than solid fuel. Second, it appears to work. Given that the Russians have a working, modern alternative to the Bulava, their persistence in the face of repeated catastrophic failure is a bit puzzling.
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