Test launches of Russia's ill-fated Bulava ballistic missile will resume "soon," but not in September as previously announced, General Staff Chief Nikolai Makarov said on Wednesday.
Defense Minister Sergei Serdyukov said two weeks ago that the test launches would resume in the second half of September.
The Bulava test launches were put on hold after a failed launch, from the Dmitry Donskoy nuclear submarine in the White Sea on December 9, 2009, which was caused by a defective engine nozzle.
The Bulava (SS-NX-30), a three-stage liquid and solid-propellant submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), has officially suffered seven failures in 12 tests.
But some analysts suggest that in reality the number of failures is considerably larger, with Russian military expert Pavel Felgenhauer suggesting that of the Bulava's 12 test launches, only one was entirely successful.
RAMENSKOYE (Moscow Region), September 22 (RIA Novosti)
