Serdyukov Not Abandoning Bulava SLBM

Reporting on a Rossiyskaya gazeta interview to be published Thursday, ITAR-TASS quoted Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov saying he is not giving up on the Bulava, despite a string of unsuccessful test launches.  Asked if the Bulava’s problems influenced the delay in the laydown of the fourth Borey SSBN, Serdyukov stated, “The laydown will happen, and we certainly aren’t abandoning the Bulava.  What’s the cause of unsuccessful launches?  I think there are really many causes, among them, the unpreparedness of the production base to make everything precisely.  Here the question of production discipline still has an impact.  Someone tries to replace materials with others, this also drags a mass of consequences.  In general, there is an entire tangle of problems and, unfortunately, they are not being resolved as quickly as we would like.  Nevertheless, I think that the missile will fly.”