MOSCOW. Aug 1 (Interfax) - Defense Ministry officials gathered behind closed doors on July 31 to discuss a plan to reschedule the commissioning of the Yury Dolgoruky strategic submarine until autumn, the daily Kommersant reported on Wednesday.
"We have informed the military," a source in the shipbuilding industry told the Kommersant, "that the deadline for commissioning the Yury Dolgoruky will have to be put off several months."
"The reason for this is that the Navy is expected to get not only the submarine, but also the Bulava strategic missile system. We need time to dovetail the two systems," the source said.
No Bulava launches are expected to be carried out during these tests, he said.
"We will check the compatibility of the two systems in a set of tests without live launches. If the testing is a success, the military will get the Yury Dolgoruky - Bulava set in September-October 2012," the source also said.
The Yury Dolgoruky was to be commissioned on Navy Day, on July 29, the Kommersant writes.