Daily Archives: May 16, 2011

Fateful Season for Bulava Begins

Posted on May 16, 2011 | 1 comment

A Defense Ministry source tells RIA Novosti that Bulava SLBM testing will resume between 15 and 17 June.  The test launch will come from modified Proyekt 941U SSBN Dmitriy Donskoy, though the source claims Borey-class SSBN Yuriy Dolgorukiy is ready to fire the missile.

Recall that Proyekt 955 Dolgorukiy was back at Sevmash for work this winter.

The source says the first launch from Dolgorukiy will come after two successful firings from Donskoy.

Bulava now has 7 reported successes in 14 tries.  There will be 4-5 tests in 2011.

If they are successful (and at least a couple come from Dolgorukiy), the SLBM and its intended submarine will be accepted into the Navy inventory.  And serial production of Bulava will ramp up. 

If they aren’t, the naval strategic modernization effort will find itself back where it was prior to two successful launches last October.

But the Russians seem pretty confident this time around.

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Posted in Defense Industry, Strategic Forces Modernization

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Sweeping Clean at Spetsstroy

Posted on May 16, 2011 | Leave a comment

The broom has swept clean at Spetsstroy.

This morning’s ukaz from President Medvedev dismissed:

  • General-Major Vasiliy Petrovich Bogomolov.
  • General-Lieutenant Nikolay Vasilyevich Gulakov.
  • General-Lieutenant Vladimir Vladimirovich Mirzoyev.
  • General-Major Yuriy Fedorovich Onilov.
  • General-Major Aleksandr Vasilyevich Khodos.

RIA Novosti indicated Khodos had been ex-Spetsstroy Chief Abroskin’s Chief Engineer.  Bogomolov was his Deputy for Construction of Special Designation Facilities.  And Mirzoyev was Deputy for Capital Construction and Industry.  Specific duties for Onilov and Gulakov weren’t cited. 

Other Russian media noted they followed others forced out before Abroskin was retired.  Some accounts claimed they were connected to construction of “Putin’s palace” on the Black Sea.

In any event, ex-Deputy Defense Minister, now Spetsstroy Chief Grigoriy Naginskiy has wasted no time in getting a clean slate.  And it’s pretty rare that the wheels of the cadre machinery turn rapidly.  The whole operation must have been in the works for some time.

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Posted in Military Leadership, Serdyukov's Reforms

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More Appointments, Dismissals

Posted on May 16, 2011 | Leave a comment

President Medvedev’s 3 March decree on Defense Ministry personnel.

Appoint:

  • Colonel Sergey Faatovich Akhmetshin, Deputy Chief, Main Staff, Air Forces, relieved as Chief, Central Command Post of the Deputy Chief for Combat Command and Control, Main Staff, Air Forces.
  • Rear-Admiral Aleksey Yevgenyevich Belkin, Deputy Commander of the Northern Fleet for Material-Technical Support, relieved as Chief, Rear Services, Deputy Commander of the Northern Fleet for Rear Services.
  • Colonel Andrey Nikolayevich Yeliseyev, Chief, Rear Support Directorate, Southern MD.
  • Colonel Igor Anatolyevich Kolesnikov, Chief, 644th Facility “S,” Regional Nuclear Support Center.
  • Colonel Aleksandr Nikolayevich Lyapkin, Chief, Development Planning Directorate, Air Forces, Deputy Chief of the Main Staff, Air Forces, relieved as Chief, Organizational-Planning Directorate, Deputy Chief of the Main Staff, Air Forces.
  • Captain First Rank Oleg Mikhaylovich Molchanov, Deputy Commander of Baltic Fleet for Personnel Work, relieved as Deputy Commander of Baltic Fleet for Socialization Work.
  • General-Major Petr Valentinovich Panteleyev, Chief, Faculty of National Security and State Defense, Military Academy of the General Staff, RF Armed Forces.
  • Colonel Nikolay Sergeyevich Sheludyakov, Chief 957th Facility “S,” Regional Nuclear Support Center.
  • General-Major Aleksey Dmitriyevich Konnov, Chief, Branch, Military Academy of the RVSN (Serpukhov, Moscow Oblast), relieved as Deputy Chief, Petr Velikiy Military Academy of the RVSN.
  • Colonel Anatoliy Vladimirovich Lbov, Deputy Commander of Baltic Fleet for Material-Technical Support, relieved as Chief of Rear Services, Deputy Commander of Baltic Fleet for Rear Services.
  • Captain First Rank Yuriy Vladimirovich Tripolskiy, Chief, Directorate of Material-Technical Support Planning and Coordination, Northern Fleet.
  • Colonel Andrey Sergeyevich Trifonov, Commander, 27th Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade.

Relieve:

  • Colonel Aleksandr Lvovich Golubev, Chief, Operational Directorate, Deputy Chief of Staff, Leningrad MD.
  • Colonel Viktor Petrovich Kosyanov, Chief, Rear Services, Deputy Commander of the 36th Army for Rear Services.
  • General-Major Sergey Ivanovich Levin, Chief of Staff of Rear Services, First Deputy Chief of Staff of Rear Services, Siberian MD.
  • General-Major Igor Vadimovich Sulim, Chief, Frontal and Army Aviation Directorate.
  • Colonel Sergey Viktorovich Zherikhov, Chief of Rear Services, Deputy Commander of 5th Army for Rear Services.
  • Rear-Admiral Farit Khaziyevich Zinnatullin, Chief of Armaments and Arms Servicing, Deputy Commander of Pacific Fleet for Armaments and Arms Servicing.
  • Colonel Oleg Anatolyevich Lakshin, Chief of Rear Services, Deputy Commander of 35th Army for Rear Services.

Relieve and dismiss from military service:

  • General-Major Mikhail Mikhaylovich Levshunov, Chief of Armaments, Deputy Commander of VDV for Armaments.
  • General-Major Pavel Georgiyevich Smelov, Chief, Missile Troops and Artillery, Siberian MD.

Dismiss from military service:

  • General-Major Ivan Vitalyevich Borodinchik.
  • General-Major Boris Georgiyevich Zaytsev.

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Posted in Military Leadership

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