“Vladimir Monomakh” to Launch Bulava SLBM This Week

SS-N-32 Bulava SLBM flight ban in White Sea and area closure near Novaya Zemlya -- September 10-14, 2014
(Map courtesy of Google Maps)

An area closure and several flight bans have been issued for a missile launch that will occur between 10 and 14 September.

Area closure
HYDROARC 200/14

ARCTIC.
BARENTS SEA.
ROCKETS.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS 0100Z TO 1700Z DAILY
10 THRU 14 SEP IN AREA BOUND BY
72-00N 047-20E, 73-05N 051-00E,
72-30N 052-47E, 71-24N 049-25E.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 141800Z SEP 14.

Flight bans
G1331/14 - ATS RTE SEGMENTS CLSD:
A222 KUMEL - SOTIS,
A333 RILOM - DIRUG,
G375 KUGON - DIRUG. SFC - UNL, DAILY 0100-1700,
10 SEP 01:00 2014 UNTIL 14 SEP 17:00 2014.
CREATED: 06 SEP 09:05 2014

G1332/14 - TEMPO DANGER AREA ACT WI COORD:
7200N 04720E-7305N 05100E-7230N 05247E-
7124N 04925E-7200N 04720E. SFC - UNL, DAILY 0100-1700,
10 SEP 01:00 2014 UNTIL 14 SEP 17:00 2014.
CREATED: 06 SEP 09:18 2014

G1338/14 - FLT PROHIBITED WI AREA BOUNDED BY COORD:
660600N 0385500E-651000N 0373000E-651200N 0364900E-
651200N 0364700E-651200N 0363700E-653700N 0362600E-
661200N 0371900E-660400N 0374700E-660300N 0383800E-
660600N 0385500E. SFC - FL050, DAILY 0100-1700,
10 SEP 01:00 2014 UNTIL 14 SEP 17:00 2014.
CREATED: 06 SEP 15:43 2014

P6142/14 - ATS RTE B240 SEGMENT TILICHIKI NDB (TK) - OKLED CLSD. SFC - UNL, DAILY 0100-1700,
10 SEP 01:00 2014 UNTIL 14 SEP 17:00 2014.
CREATED: 06 SEP 09:05 2014

The area closure, which is adjacent to Novaya Zemlya, uses the same exact coordinates of an area closure declared for an SS-N-32 Bulava SLBM launch by Dolgorukiy-class SSBN “Aleksandr Nevskiy” on September 6, 2013. That missile failed in flight due to production quality control issues, but the launch itself was a success for the submarine and led to the completion of state testing and acceptance of the submarine in December 2013. As happened with last year’s launch, if the launch team aboard “Vladimir Monomakh” can successfully push the launch data to the missile and eject the missile out of its missile tube, the launch will be considered a success for the submarine. If the missile actually reaches the Kura Test Range on the Kamchatka Peninsula, even better…

This week’s SS-N-32 Bulava launch by “Vladimir Monomakh” is part of the submarine’s state testing, which began back in July 2014. A month earlier, Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Yuriy Borisov announced that the submarine would launch a Bulava SLBM in September. The submarine most recently completed a two-week at-sea period as part of state testing that focused on assessing the submarine’s acoustic parameters. If all goes well, “Vladimir Monomkah” could be turned over in December (December 10?).