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Russia tested new ballistic missile

Sineva sea-launched ballistic missile (Photo ARMS-TASS)

Last Friday’s test-launch of a missile from the Barents Sea could be the first test of a new, modernized version of the Sineva submarine-launched ballistic missile.

Location

The missile that was launched from underwater position from the strategic nuclear submarine “Yekaterinburg” in the Barents Sea Friday May 20 was not a regular Sineva SLBM, but a modernized version called Layner, Vzglyad reports.

A military source told Vzglyad that the Layner missile is a ‘profound modernization’ of Sineva and differs from the latter by a complete reconstruction of one of the key systems in the missile, considerably improving its capacities.

As BarentsObserver reported, last Friday’s launch from the Barents Sea was a success, with the missile reaching its target on the Kura range on the Kamchatka Peninsula as planned.

According to the producer of the missile Makeyev State Rocket Center, the Sineva ballistic missile has a ‘large potential for modernization, making it effective for many years ahead’.

The R-29RMU Sineva is a submarine-launched ballistic missile. It is identified by NATO as the SS-N-23 Skiff and designed to be launched from Delta IV class submarines. Delta IV submarines can carry up to 16 missiles, and the intercontinental missile is reported to be capable of carrying up to 10 nuclear warheads.