MOSCOW. March 19. KAZINFORM. The Russian Navy is planning to conduct at least four test launches of the Bulava ballistic missile at the end of June, a senior Navy official told RIA Novosti on Friday; Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.

"Two Bulava launches will be carried out from the Dmitry Donskoy nuclear submarine, followed by two launches from the Yury Dolgoruky nuclear sub," the source said.

"The second test on the Yury Dolgoruky will be a salvo launch," he said.

The Yury Dolgoruky is the first of Russia's Borey class strategic nuclear submarines, which have been exclusively designed for the Bulava, and is currently undergoing sea trials.

The source said that if the tests are successful, both the submarine and the missile could be put into service with the Russian Navy by the end of 2010.

The Bulava (SS-NX-30) is a three-stage liquid and solid-propellant submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). It carries up to 10 MIRV warheads and has a range of over 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles); Kazinform cites RIA Novosti. See www.en.rian.ru for full version.