WEAPONS OF RETALIATION

Russia revives the production of railway trains with intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles on board

In February of this year marked 31 years, as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union brought into trial operation first combat rail missile system (BZHRK) - "weapons of retaliation" that guarantees the application of the probable opponent devastating nuclear retaliation. Appearing almost, "nowhere", 36 intercontinental ballistic missiles, each carrying 10 nuclear separable charges could literally wipe out any European country that is a member of NATO, and several major US states. BZHRK become one of the symbols of the Soviet military engineering thought, because no country in the world and could not create anything like it.

 

Unfortunately, at the turn of the century the Soviet-Russian nuclear trains were unichtozheny.No in the first half of this year, the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology must complete the preliminary design of a new combat rail missile system, and defense plants - begin to prepare for its industrial production. In this case, the current BZHRK can become even more formidable weapon for the enemies of our country.

Blow "invisible"

Attempts to adapt the rail under a launching pad for rockets were undertaken by engineers of Nazi Germany. For obvious reasons, they remained attempts. New development of this idea was in the 60s of last century, the Soviet Union. At that point in the national security strategy of our country was finally formed and the concept of "nuclear triad" (strategic bombers in the air, submarines at sea and ground launchers with intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles), and the concept of "group retaliation". Battle railway missile systems in both these concepts fit can be very useful. Given the extensive network of Soviet railways, they could secretly moved great distances and are more likely than other carriers of nuclear warheads (except, perhaps, the submarine at the time), would have survived after applying the enemy on the territory of the Soviet Union's first nuclear strike.

The lead developer BZHRK with RT-23 missile was appointed Design Bureau "South" (Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine). "The task that confronted us, the Soviet government, hit its grandeur. In the domestic and international practice nobody has ever faced so many problems. We had to place an intercontinental ballistic missile in a railway carriage, and yet with a rocket launcher weighs over 150 tons. How to do it? After the train with such a huge load, to walk in the ways of general state of the Ministry of Railways. How can carry strategic missile with a nuclear warhead, how to ensure the absolute safety of the road, because we had been given a design speed of 120 km / h. Endure whether bridges will not collapse if the canvas, and the very start, how to transfer the load on the railway track at the start of the rocket stand whether the train on the rails during the launch as quickly as possible after stopping the train lift rocket in a vertical position? "- Later recalled about tortured him at the moment issues Chief Designer KB "Southern" Academician Vladimir Fedorovich Utkin. However, by the mid 80th century godovproshlogo CB "South" to make the necessary rocket, and KB special engineering (LACA, St. Petersburg, Russia), under the leadership of General Designer Academician Alexei Fyodorovich Utkin has created a unique "space center on wheels."

 

Experienced engineering creation brothers Utkin Soviet-style hard. Flight tests of the missile RT-23UTTH (15ZH61) made 32 times. Experienced train carried 18 outputs on the resource and transportation tests, during which the "dashed" by rail more than 400 thousand km. Already after the first missile regiment with rocket RT-23UTTH stood on alert, BZHRK successfully passed a special test the effects of electromagnetic radiation, lightning protection, and the impact of the shock wave.

As a result, by 1992, our country has deployed three missile divisions armed with BZHRK ICBMs RT-23UTTH: 10th Missile Division in the Kostroma region, 52-I missile division stationed in the Closed Star (RUS), 36th Missile Division BUT Pine (Krasnoyarsk Territory). In each of the four divisions had missile regiment (of 12 compositions BZHRK, three launchers each).

What was that?

BZHRK 15P961 "done" with intercontinental ballistic missile 15ZH61 (RT-23 Molodets, SS-24 "Ssalrel") received a unique engineering construction. On the surface it looks like a normal train of several refrigerated and passenger cars.This consisted of three modules with trehvagonnyh launchers of ICBMs RT-23UTTH, command module consisting of 7 wagons, tank-wagon with reserves of fuel and lubricants, and three locomotive DM-62. Train and launcher were developed on the basis of eight-chetyrehtelezhechnogo car carrying capacity of 135 tons by the LACA. Minimum starting module includes three cars: a control point launcher, launcher and machine software. Each of the three launchers BZHRK member could implement both start in a train, and independently.When driving on the country's rail network BZHRK allows you to quickly change the disposition of the starting position up to 1000 kilometers per day. At the same time identify the train as it was possible BZHRK only by the presence of the third part of the locomotive, or drawing attention to ground surveillance at refrigerated cars with eight wheel sets (conventional wagon wheel has four pairs). Even weight reduction missiles at 1.5 tonnes, compared with mining option and load the launcher to eight axes of the car did not allow designers to fully meet the permissible axial load on the road. To solve this problem in BZHRK applied special "handling" of the device, redistribute the weight of the car with a launcher on the next car. To ensure the battery life of the trigger module, as well as a device for short-circuiting and removal of contact network, starting modules were equipped with four diesel generators of 100 kW. Stand-alone operation rocket train was 28 days.

The missile itself PT 23UTTH had three stages plus stage dilution warheads.The first stage was equipped with a solid engine 15D206 (borrowed from the missile 15ZH44) with a central fixed, partially recessed nozzle running on mixed fuel-T9 BC-8E. The second and third stages were also solid propulsion nozzle - still central, sliding. The head part - separated type with ten independently targetable warheads capacity of 0.43Mt and complex means to overcome missile defense. The rocket was the original inflatable cone head. This solution is applied to reduce the overall length of the missile and its placement in the car.The firing range - 10100 km. Missile length of 23 m. The length of the launch canister 21 m. The maximum diameter of the missile body 2.4 m. Starting weight of 104.8 tons of missiles. Weight missile with a launch canister 126 tons.

And now the most interesting - how to launch rockets with BZHRK. Received the order to launch missiles, the train stopped at any point of your route.Special device is put aside contact suspension, opening roof of one of the refrigerator cars, where the vertical position rose launch canister with a missile.This is followed by a mortar rocket launch. Coming out of the container, the rocket was deflected away from the train using powder accelerator and only then on it was launched boosters. And this technology allows to take the jet propulsion engine of a rocket launch facility and thereby ensure the sustainability of the rocket train safety of people and engineering designs, including the railway. On receipt of the order to start up the launching took place no more than 3 minutes.

The defeat of the trains

Twelve Soviet missile trains began to Americans toothache. Extensive railway network of the USSR (remember that each train, carrying on board 30 nuclear warheads, could move a day for 1 thousand km), the presence of numerous natural and artificial shelters did not allow a sufficient degree of confidence to determine their presence, including by satellite . United States, too, in the 60s of the last century have attempted to create a similar train. But it did not work.According to foreign sources, the prototype BZHRK until 1992 was tested on a railway landfill United States and the West Missile Range (Vandenberg Air Force Base, California). It consisted of two types of locomotives, wagons with two launchers of ICBMs "MX" command post system for cars and cars for personnel. Starting the car, where the missile were almost 30 m in length, weighing about 180 tons, as well as in the Soviet Union, had eight wheelsets.

But while American engineers, unlike the Soviets, failed to create effective mechanisms for lowering the contact network and tap the rocket during its launch in the direction of the train and railroad tracks (rocket "MX" was originally developed for the mine-based version). Therefore, the launch of missiles by US BZHRK assumed from specially equipped launch pads, which, of course, significantly reduced the secrecy and surprise factor. In addition, unlike the Soviet Union, the United States is less developed rail network, roads and railways are owned by private companies. And this created a lot of problems, ranging from the fact that for the control of rocket engines of the trains would have to involve civilian personnel, finishing problems with the creation of a centralized management system combat patrols BZHRK and organization of their technical operation.

On the other hand, working on a project of their BZHRK Americans, in fact, confirmed the findings of the Soviet military about the effectiveness of this "weapon of retaliation" as such. The US military was going to get 25 BZHRK.According to their calculations, with such a large number of missile dispersal trains on the railway sections with a total length of 120 thousand km probability of hitting these BZHRK 150 Soviet ICBMs "Voivod" is only 10 (!)%. That is, if we apply these calculations to the Soviet missile train, 150 US MX missiles will hit no more than 1-2 Soviet BZHRK. The remaining 10 three minutes after the start of the attack on the US hurl a volley of 300 nuclear warheads (30 rockets on 10 charges each). And when you consider that by 1992, fighting rail missile systems in the Soviet Union had already made a batch, the picture for the Americans get very sad. However, then there was something that happened to tens or even hundreds of unique Soviet military engineering developments.First, at the insistence of the United Kingdom, since 1992 Russia has put its BZHRK "laid up" - in the place of permanent deployment, and then - in 1993, pledged, according to the START-2, for 10 years to destroy all the missiles PT 23UTTH. Although this treaty, in fact, has never entered into force, in 2003-2005, all Russian BZHRK were removed from combat duty and utilizirovany.Vneshny appearance of two of them now can only be seen in the museum of railway equipment at the Warsaw station of Saint-Petersburg and the Technical Museum of AvtoVAZ.

"Scalpel" "poplar" is not an obstacle

BZHRK officially been removed from combat duty in May 2005. It was assumed that their function will take the mobile missile complexes "Topol-M".However, this solution still looks mixed. The question is not even that "Topol-M" is a single charge, while the RT-23UTTH there were 10. In the end, replace "Topol-M" is "yars" (P-24), which charges more . And the question is not even that after the collapse of the USSR production of "scalpel" remained in Ukraine and no one even in delirium is not prividitsya to resume production of ballistic missiles there fighting for rail systems. The question of principle incorrectness BZHRK opposition and media ICBMs at an automobile platform. "It is time to realize that soon mobile ground-based ICBMs would become meaningless, our missiles" Topol-M "will turn into a defenseless target and can not survive when applied on them first strike. Not to mention the fact that standing in the woods missiles are not protected from the usual small arms terrorists. So all this talk about hypersonic speeds, maneuvering warheads and other updates do not have any sense, because before a retaliatory strike these missiles simply will not survive. In rail-based ICBMs rolling (BZHRK) position is not as tragic as these missiles can navigate through the vast territory of our country, and to find them in the flow of conventional train is not so easy, especially in the mountainous areas of the country, you can create special tunnels in which could, if necessary, hide BZHRK. However, in the face of rising terrorism in Russia should think deeply before making a decision to recreate BZHRK. Undermining train with terrorists such missiles equipped with nuclear warheads, and ordinary accident, can lead to unpredictable tragic consequences, "- says Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Yuri Grigoriev.

"Mobility mobile" Topol-M "is limited to a certain radius around their home base. It would be naive to think that with the modern means of space exploration metal object longer than 24 meters, a diameter of about 3.5 and a height of almost 5 meters, in addition, a large amount of heat and electromagnetic radiation, can be hidden. Extensive railway network provides BZHRK compared with ground complexes greater secrecy. Of the IDB announced plans to produce "Topol-M" is easy to assume that by 2015 the new missiles will be armed with only two missile divisions - 54 mobile launchers and 76 mine. Is it possible to retaliate after a raid by hundreds of "Minuteman" and not too wasteful we unilaterally reduce its nuclear potential? Saving, even with the upgrade and testing, 36 launchers BZHRK with rockets, each carrying 10 warheads, excess power in the 25-27 times dropped on Hiroshima, in spite of all possible conflicts, it would be far worse (by the criterion "cost-effectiveness") option "emphasizes academic advisor and the actual Academy of Engineering Sciences Yuri Zaitsev.

Whatever it was, but after the failure of Americans and Europeans to give Russia guarantees that created them in Europe missile defense system will not be used against our country, revival of manufacturing BZHRK seems to be one of the most effective response to this threat. "It was 2020 European missile defense due to the appearance of new modifications of the SM-3 interceptor missiles will be able to intercept Russian ICBMs. Under these circumstances the Moscow forced to take adequate measures to counter "- emphasizes the director of the Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade Igor Korotchenko.

Therefore, since the end of 2011 once again began to sound like the voice of the Russian military that our country needs to revive the production of combat rail missile systems. And with the advent of the government and the appointment of Dmitry Rogozin's new defense minister Sergei Shoigu this subject began to take concrete shape. "The Defense Ministry report was submitted to the Supreme Commander, and was tasked to carry out under the state program of armaments and defense contracts schematic design BZHRK.Main executor of this work is the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, time for completion of conceptual design - the first half of 2014. It was reported that there is a need to revisit the issue of a new BZHRK given its increased survivability and branching of our rail network, "- said the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces reporters Sergey Karakayev.

Function BZHRK while obviously remains the same - to retaliate against any target on earth. But the missile itself, and run complex, quite obviously, will be different than the Soviet BZHRK "done" with the IDB "Scalpel". What about the rocket, it is obvious that it will be one of the modifications "Yarsa" suitable in size for the standard car, refrigerator 24 meters in length, with multiple warheads. At the same time, however, still unclear of its range shooting. From the words of Colonel-General Karakaeva could conclude that designers will try to reduce the weight of the rocket for a new BZHRK almost doubled compared to the "scalpel" - up to 50 tons. This is understandable, since before the new missile system evidently seeks to become more noticeable (remember eight-cars-launchers "Young Man" and his three locomotives) and more than passable (ie new BZHRK should move on any railroad tracks vast country without all their pre-treatment). But the most suitable for this missile - the RS-26 "Frontier", flight tests which should be completed this year, while only flies at a distance of not more than 6 thousand kilometers. "Scalpel" flying at 10 thousand miles, "yars", as stated, is flying at 11 thousand miles.

Have designers and new ideas on locomotives for BZHRK. At the time of development "Molodtcov" total capacity of three locomotives DM62 (special modification of the serial locomotive M62) was 6 thousand hp The power of this two-part main freight locomotive 2TE25A "Vityaz", which is commercially available "TMH" - 6800 hp However, there are quite exotic (so far) ideas. Back in the early 80s of last century in our country has been developed constructive version atomovoza with a fast neutron reactor BOR-60 (thermal capacity of 60 MW, 10 MW of electrical power). However, in the production of this car is not gone, though could provide BZHRK virtually unlimited autonomy. But over the past few years, "Russian Railways" obkatali locomotive on liquefied natural gas - gas turbine, which was created in 2006 on the basis of one of the gas-turbine engines Nikolai Kuznetsov. In 2009, during the test prototype of this machine set a record listed in the Guinness Book of Records: drove on experimental ring structure of 159 cars with a total weight of 15 thousand. Tons (!). And on one filling it can go almost 1000 km. In general, almost perfect car for cruising combat rail missile system, for example, in the Russian Arctic.

In this new BZHRK himself, apparently, will appear in the new program Gosvooruzheny - for the period from 2016 to 2025, which is now being prepared by the Government. Therefore, the Russian designers locomotives still have a little time to get there "fit" with your new or old, but so far unrealized development.