On the eve of the Day of Strategic Missile Forces, several news appeared regarding the further development of this type of troops. In parallel with the operation of existing missile systems, it is planned to create new ones. One of the new projects involves the creation of a combat railway missile system (BZHRK). In the past few days, there have been a number of reports on the progress of this project.
On December 16, the commander-in-chief of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel-General Sergei Karakaev, spoke about various aspects of the work and development of a kind of troops, and also touched on the topic of promising projects. According to him, in accordance with the instructions of the President, it is planned to create a new BZHRK, designed to complement the existing missile systems. The project received the symbol "Barguzin". The development of this complex is carried out exclusively by Russian enterprises. BZHRK "Barguzin" should combine the most advanced achievements of domestic science and technology.
S. Karakaev noted that the Barguzin complex will embody the positive experience in the development and operation of the previous system of this class - BZHRK 15P961 Molodets. The creation of a new railroad missile system will make it possible to fully restore the composition of the strike group of strategic missile forces. Thus, the latter will include mine, soil and railway missile systems.
The development of the Barguzin project is carried out by the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering (MIT). Over the past decades, this organization has created several types of missile systems for various purposes. Thus, the Strategic Missile Forces operate the Topol, Topol-M and Yars missiles developed at MIT, and the newest Project 955 Borey submarines carry Bulava missiles. Soon the list of complexes created by MIT specialists should be supplemented with one more entry.
S. Karakaev said that the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering completed the preliminary design of the Barguzin BZHRK. Now MIT employees have begun to prepare design documentation. Thus, the creation of a new missile system entered the main phase. The Barguzin complex should surpass the Molodets system in its characteristics. The design characteristics will allow it to remain in service until at least 2040.
For obvious reasons, the technical details of the new project are still unknown. Nevertheless, the press is trying to find out what the new railway missile system will be like. Interesting information was recently published by the Gazeta. Ru edition. The publication, citing an unnamed source in the defense industry, reveals some details of the new project.
According to the source, when creating a new BZHRK, some developments are used according to the "Molodets" system. At the same time, however, the complex should receive a completely new rocket that is not directly related to the product used in the old complex. The rocket for the new complex is being created on the basis of the Yars rocket, which is now supplied to the Strategic Missile Forces. The design of the product will undergo some changes, but it will be very similar to the basic one.
It should be noted that information about the construction of a new railway complex based on the developments in the Yars project appeared at the end of last year. A year ago, on the eve of the Strategic Missile Forces Day, Colonel-General S. Karakaev spoke about the methods of creating new missile technology. At the same time, the commander-in-chief of the Strategic Missile Forces noted that the starting weight of the new missile should not exceed 47 tons, and the dimensions should correspond to the dimensions of standard railway cars.
The relatively low weight of the rocket is an important feature of the new BZHRK, which distinguishes it from the "Molodets" and gives it an advantage over it. The 15Ж62 missiles weighed more than 100 tons, which is why the car with the launcher was equipped with special equipment to distribute the load to neighboring cars. Such a design of the complex units made it possible to bring the load on the track to acceptable values. The use of a much lighter rocket will make it possible to do without complex systems connecting the cars and redistributing the load.
Last year S. Karakaev also said that the new BZHRK project will be completed by the end of this decade. Thus, the strategic missile forces will receive new equipment by 2020.
About two years have passed since the first reports about the beginning of the development of a new combat railway missile system appeared. During this time, several options for the possible appearance of a promising weapon system have appeared. Most likely, in terms of general architecture and appearance, the new Barguzin BZHRK will be very similar to the Molodets complex. In view of the need for camouflage, the missile system should look like an ordinary train with passenger and freight cars, inside which all the necessary equipment will be placed.
The Barguzin missile system should include several locomotives, several cars to accommodate the crew and special equipment, as well as special cars with missile launchers. Launchers of the BZHRK "Molodets" were disguised as refrigerated cars. Probably Barguzin will receive similar units. According to available data, the main element of the complex - the rocket - is being developed on the basis of the Yars product, due to which the railway complex will be approximately equal to the unpaved Yars in its capabilities.
The known characteristics of the RS-24 Yars missile make it possible to roughly imagine what the Barguzin BZHRK missile will be like. The Yars product has three stages, the total length is about 23 m. The launch weight is estimated at 45-49 tons. The maximum launch range reaches 11 thousand km. There is no detailed information on combat equipment. According to various sources, the RS-24 missile carries a multiple warhead with 3-4 individually guided warheads. The Yars missile can be used with both mine and mobile launchers.
Like existing mobile ground-based missile systems, rail systems are highly mobile. However, the use of the existing railway network provides the BDRK with much greater strategic mobility, since the train with missiles, if necessary, can be transferred to the required area. Given the size of the country, such an opportunity increases the already considerable range of missiles.
According to the information released, the new BZHRK "Barguzin" will be ready by the end of this decade. By this time, the preparation of infrastructure for new missile systems should begin. The expected characteristics of the complex will allow it to operate for more than two decades.
