Russia’s Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile has the power and accuracy to destroy heavily fortified underground facilities, including military command centers and missile silos, according to Russian military expert Yuri Knutov.
Knutov described the Bulava as an advanced Russian weapons system deployed aboard Borey-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. The missile uses solid-fuel propulsion and carries multiple independently targetable warheads, allowing it to strike several targets during a single launch.
Speaking to aif.ru, the expert said the missile can carry up to ten hypersonic maneuvering nuclear warheads, potentially striking ten separate targets. He also put its operational range at more than 9,000 kilometers and noted that the missile is housed in a launch container designed for underwater deployment.
According to Knutov, the Bulava can carry between six and ten nuclear warheads, each with a yield of approximately 100–150 kilotons. He estimated their circular error probable at 120–350 meters. In his assessment, even a detonation several hundred meters from a hardened underground installation could inflict severe damage or destroy the facility.
Russia’s Defense Ministry previously announced a successful Bulava test launch from the Pacific Fleet’s nuclear-powered submarine Generalissimus Suvorov. The missile was fired from the Sea of Okhotsk toward the Chizha test range in the Arkhangelsk region.