Russia test-fires strategic missiles from submarine
PLA Daily 2004-03-18
MOSCOW, March 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Russian Northern Fleet nuclear submarine Novomoskovsky on Wednesday successfully test-fired two RSM-54 ballistic missiles, Interfax news agency reported.
The missiles were launched from underwater in the Barents Sea and hit targets at a testing ground on the Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, the agency said, citing a navy spokesman.
The launches took place a month after the Novomoskovsky reportedly failed to launch an RSM-54 missile on Feb. 17 during military maneuvers. Earlier statements said that the launch had been blocked by a command from a navigation satellite, but later, on the same day, the navy claimed the launch had never been planned.
On February 18, another strategic nuclear-powered missile Karelia also launched an RSM-54 missile. The missile, however, deviated from its planned track 98 seconds after the flight and was self-destructed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who watched the unsuccessful launches, on March 1 order the navy to conduct another exercise to make him sure that "all mistakes have been fixed."
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