Russia creates strategic missiles of a new class
In place of the most powerful ballistic missiles R-36М2 "Voevoda", known in the West under the terrible name "Satan", will come the super rockets of the fifth generation.One of the largest military-industrial associations located in the Moscow region is developing new intercontinental silo-based ballistic missile.
В stories This enterprise had the most breakthrough rocket projects. There is no doubt that a heavy ballistic missile — a worthy change to the Voivode — will be created there.
In the Soviet years, it took eight years from receiving a technical task for a new rocket product before putting it into a mine on combat duty. With good funding and forcing the work of the rocket may be in the mine, as in former times, also after eight years. At the same time, as NGO experts emphasize, such problems, which arose during the development of the Bulava offshore missile, cannot be in principle.
At one time, domestic designers overtook competitors on the world stage in absolutely everything. None of the newest American strategic missiles in their combat capabilities to this day has even come close to the very first version of the heavy P-36.
A number of technical clarifications should be made. Work on the world's most powerful ballistic missile under the symbol Р-36, also known as 15P14, began in 1969. In 1975, she embarked. Next was a series of important upgrades. As a result, three missile systems were put into operation. According to the START code, missiles were used in these complexes - PC-20А, PC-20B, PC-20В. By NATO code - SS-18 - Satan six modifications. The Americans took into account even minor modernization improvements, we are the most significant. The name "Satan" overseas was assigned to the very first Soviet rocket P-36 (PC-20А). It is said that she received a frightening name for the black color in which the body was painted.
Rocket P-36 belonged to the third generation. She, like the P-36M, had only alphanumeric indexing. Only R-36М2, which entered service with the Strategic Missile Forces in 1988, became known as the military name “Voivode”. It was attributed to the fourth generation, although in fact it was a very deep modernization of the very first P-36 rocket.
The entire Soviet Union worked on the project, but the main burden fell on Ukraine, primarily at Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, located in Dnepropetrovsk. The main designers were consistently Mikhail Yangel and Vladimir Utkin behind him.
Creating a rocket was not easy. Of the 43 test runs of the first series, only 36 went well. The first test start of the Voivode in the spring of 1986 of the year ended in a serious accident. The rocket exploded in the mine launcher, which was completely destroyed. Fortunately, there were no human victims. As a result, the "Voevoda" became the most reliable missile in the world. Its resource is now officially extended to 20 years, it is possible to extend to 25 years. This is a unique case. After all, the rocket is constantly fueled by quite aggressive components of liquid fuel and oxidizer. The new generation of "Governor" in its characteristics should surpass its predecessors, who are now on duty. The rocket is located in virtually invulnerable underground mines. You can only hit them with a direct hit by an enemy nuclear-powered missile. And the explosion a few hundred meters from the mine for the "Governor" is not terrible. The rocket starts even in the conditions of a fiery dust storm that accompanies a nuclear explosion. Neither hard X-rays, nor neutron fluxes are terrible to her.
Any target on the planet is achievable to her, she can fly a distance from 11000 km to 16000 km, depending on the mass of the warhead. The maximum mass of the warhead in fourth-generation rockets is 8730 kg. For comparison, the American ICBM mine-based "Minuteman-3" fly at a distance of up to 13000 km, but with a warhead of 1150 kg. Even the most powerful ICBM of the USA - the latest-modification Marine "Trident" - casts a 2,8 warhead with tons of 11000 km. All tactical and technical parameters of the projected rocket are strictly secret. However, it is clear that they will exceed the capabilities of the current "Governor".
For various modifications and types of "Satan" various warheads were created. The most powerful is 25 megatons. Now only missiles with ten warheads are on duty, each of which contains 0,75 Mt of nuclear explosives in TNT. That is, the total charge is equal to 7,5 MT, which is more than enough to cause the enemy irreparable losses in the attacked area.
The head module, which houses the warhead, has a powerful armor protection. In addition, he carries a whole swarm of distracting targets, creating on the radars of missile defense systems the impression of an overmassive strike. As NATO experts say, in such conditions it is impossible to single out real warheads. All nuclear ballistic missiles have false targets today. But only in the "Governor" managed to realize the full identity of the physical fields of deception and combat units.
In the Strategic Missile Forces of the USSR, 308 of the "Satan" complexes were deployed as part of five missile divisions. Now Russia is protected by 74 launchers with Voyevoda missiles. By the way, even after the resignation of heavy missiles continue to serve - in the civilian world. Discontinued from combat duty, the R-36M missiles were converted into the Dnepr commercial launch vehicle. With its help, about forty foreign satellites for various purposes were put into space orbits. There was a case when the rocket, which stood on the 24 combat duty of the year, worked for almost a quarter of a century without problems.
In 1991, the design bureau of the fifth generation P-36М3 Ikar was developed at Yuzhmash Design Bureau. Did not work out. Now, heavy rockets are really the fifth generation, and not the next modification they create in Russia. The latest scientific and technological achievements will be invested in it. But we must hurry. With the 2014, the inevitable write-off, albeit reliable, but still the old "Governor" will begin.
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