MOSCOW, Feb 21 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. These weapons have kept Washington at bay for decades and surpassed anything the Americans had in destructive power. Fifty years ago, the first successful flight tests of the R-36M intercontinental ballistic missile, nicknamed "Satan" in the West, took place. About how she so impressed the NATO countries, — in the material of RIA Novosti.
More than two hundred Hiroshima
At the end of the 1960s, it became clear to the command of the Soviet Strategic Missile Forces that the R-36 heavy ballistic missile adopted in 1967 did not fully meet the requirements of the military. The ICBM could carry only three combat units and was not distinguished by high accuracy.
In 1969, the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau began developing a completely different missile - three times superior to its predecessor in accuracy, four times in combat readiness, one and a half times in energy capabilities and 15-30 times in launcher security.
Structurally, the R-36M is a two—stage liquid, according to the "tandem" scheme with a sequential arrangement of steps. The head unit has three variants: a light monoblock with a charge of eight megatons and a range of 16 thousand kilometers, a heavy monoblock — 20 megatons and 11,200 kilometers, and a separable — ten combat units of 400 kilotons each.
All options are with an improved complex of means of overcoming missile defense. In particular, with a set of false targets simulating the characteristics of combat units on the off-atmospheric part of the trajectory and a significant part of the atmospheric one. It was assumed that the radars of the American missile attack warning system (SPRN) would not be able to distinguish the real P-36M from the "dummy".
Samples of first-generation ballistic missiles at the Peter the Great Military Academy of Strategic Missile Forces Training and Research Center Image source: © RIA Novosti / Valery Melnikov
Even a limited strike by such missiles on the United States would cause unacceptable damage to Washington. A combat unit with a splitting head is comparable in power to 25 atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima. Consequently, one missile is capable of arranging 250 Hiroshima for the enemy. The Soviet Union managed to build 190 of these ICBMs.
Priority goal
In 1980, an improved version was adopted — the R-36M UTTH. The product turned out to be extremely successful: two or three times more precisely, it covered a much larger area. This was provided by a new system that spreads combat units at optimal intervals. Increased the memory of the onboard computer, upgraded the control system. The process of preparing for the launch was largely automated and reduced to a minute.
The head part is separable, each with ten combat units of 750 kilotons. One missile is capable of hitting different types of targets on an area of up to 300,000 square kilometers. Taking into account the fact that there were 308 units in the Soviet Strategic Missile Forces, the salvo with the entire arsenal was guaranteed to destroy key cities and infrastructure facilities of the likely enemy.
Well, the crown of the heavy Soviet ICBM program is rightfully considered to be the following modification — the R-36M2, adopted in 1988. During development, the designers mainly tried to improve the counteraction to missile defense systems and make the missile more resistant to the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion. This is the most powerful combat missile system in the world, which is still in service with the Russian Strategic Missile Forces today.
Lifting the cover of the RS-20 rocket launcher ("Voivode"). Orenburg Red Banner Missile Division of the Strategic Missile Forces Image source: © RIA Novosti / Vladimir Fedorenko
The R-36M2 is ready to throw ten combat units of 800 kilotons for 11 thousand kilometers. Soviet strategists calculated that a strike from eight to ten missiles would destroy 80 percent of the US industrial potential and most of the population. Of course, the Americans still consider "Satan" as a priority target for the first strike. However, destroying this ICBM is not so easy.
Compared to previous modifications, the P-36M2 is ten times more resistant to X—ray radiation and 100 times more resistant to gamma neutron radiation. Mine launchers withstand a direct hit of the combat unit. In addition, new means of overcoming the missile defense system were introduced into the complex — heavy and light false targets, as well as dipole reflectors.
The heir of "Satan"
This ICBM will be replaced by the promising RS-28 Sarmat complex.
Tactical and technical characteristics were revealed for the first time at the Army-2019 forum. The range is a record 18 thousand kilometers, the length is 35.5 meters, the diameter is three. The ICBM will deliver from ten to 15 warheads of 500-750 kilotons to the target. In addition, the missile is compatible with the Avangard hypersonic guided combat units, which accelerate to Mach 15 numbers. In fact, it is an invulnerable weapon.
The first launch of the Sarmat under the state testing program took place on April 20, 2022. The Defense Ministry then noted that the design characteristics at all stages of the flight were confirmed, the training combat units arrived from Plesetsk to the specified area of the Kura test site in Kamchatka. The new ICBM, the Russian leadership emphasizes, will be put on combat duty in the near future.