Bad ejection cartridge foiled ICBM test

MOSCOW, March 16 (UPI) -- The failure of the latest test launch of the Russian Bulava sea-based ballistic missile was caused by a faulty ejection cartridge, sources say.

After the missile left the tube of the Dmitry Donskoi strategic nuclear-powered submarine in the White Sea on Dec. 23, it went off course and self-destructed due to a malfunction following the first stage separation. A Russian Defense Ministry source told RIA Novosti Monday the malfunction was the fault of parts supplied by a subcontractor.

"The cause of the latest failure during the launch of the Bulava missile was purely technical," the source said. "One of the subcontractors supplied faulty ejection cartridges that were used in the separation of the missile's stages."

It was the fifth failure in 10 trials for the Bulava, an ICBM that carries up to 10 nuclear warheads and has a range of 5,000 miles. But the Defense Ministry is planning to complete a series of at least five Bulava tests and put the weapon into service by the end of this year, RIA Novosti said.