On February 2, 1956, for the first time in world history, a ballistic missile with an atomic warhead took off
In the history of the Russian armed forces, there were two famous operations called "Baikal". One of them, "Baikal-79", became known almost immediately to the whole world: this was the name of the operation to overthrow the regime of Hafizullah Amin in Afghanistan on December 27, 1979. Few even in the USSR knew about the second, simply called "Baikal" - only those who were directly involved in organizing and conducting this operation. Meanwhile, it is from it that the beginning of the nuclear missile era should be counted. On February 2, 1956, an R-5M missile with a nuclear warhead was launched from the Kapustin Yar test site in the direction of the Karakum Desert - for the first time not only in our country, but also in the world.
Having flown an estimated distance of 1200 kilometers, the rocket hit the target, albeit with an almost extreme deviation. The fuse went off, a chain reaction started - and a characteristic atomic mushroom appeared at the place of impact. Foreign monitoring equipment for nuclear tests in the Soviet Union, of course, noted this fact, even calculating the power of the detonated charge - 80 kilotons of TNT. But it never occurred to anyone abroad that this was not just a test, but a test of the world's first ballistic missile with a nuclear charge …
Combat crew of the R-5M missile. Photo from the publication of the Ministry of Defense “Polygon Kapustin Yar. 70 years of tests and launches. Declassified photos"
The birth of the "five"
The R-5M rocket owes its birth, ultimately, to the failure that befell Sergei Korolev and his rocket men while working on the R-3 rocket. However, the developers themselves were not to blame for that: both then and now the point of view dominated that in the mid-1950s there was no chance of success in creating a ballistic missile with a flight range of 3000 kilometers. There was simply no experience, no materials, no equipment for creating oxygen-kerosene engines that would allow a warhead to be thrown at such a distance.
The troika never made it to the start, but became the progenitor of the five. Work on the R-5 rocket began immediately after the developers decided to abandon the development of the experimental R-3 before testing. By October 30, 1951, the preliminary design of the R-5 was ready. Those who were versed in the rocketry of that time, well understood that in the appearance of the new MRBM, that is, a long-range ballistic missile, the features of all its predecessors can be traced - both the R-1 and the R-2, and of course the R-3. But at the same time, there were significant differences that made it possible to bring the project of the first domestic ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead to implementation. In particular, the hermetic instrument compartment disappeared from it, which gave significant weight savings, the appearance of the warhead changed, and most importantly, the designers abandoned the thermal insulation of the oxygen compartment. Yes, because of this, it was necessary to replenish the stock of the oxidizer before the start, but then again the weight decreased, which means that the range increased - which, in fact, was required to be achieved.
The government decree on the beginning of development work on the "five" was issued on February 13, 1952. And exactly a year later, a new decree of the USSR Council of Ministers appeared - already on the conduct of flight design tests of the R-5. The first start of the "five" from the Kapustin Yar training ground took place on March 15, 1953, and the last - in February 1955. A total of 34 missiles were launched, and only three of the first series of tests were unsuccessful. The groundwork for the first 12 serial missiles was already ready, work on them had already begun - but then the project was stopped. A government decree of April 16, 1955 recognized the work on the R-5 completed, serial production was ordered to be curtailed, and all efforts were redirected to the creation of a modernized P-5 with a nuclear warhead.
Soviet GIFT
The "Five" was good for everyone, except for one thing: it carried a conventional warhead with a maximum warhead of one ton of explosives. Meanwhile, by this time it became absolutely clear that in the conditions of the flaring cold war, the advantage over the opposing side will be gained by the one who will be able to create a missile with a nuclear warhead. And such people were found in the Soviet Union.
The idea of equipping the missile with an atomic warhead was put forward by the rocket scientists themselves, and the Soviet atomic scientists were instructed to implement their idea. And they fully coped with this task: already in October 1953, when the R-5 was just beginning a series of tests, representatives of KB-11 - the current Russian Federal Nuclear Center "All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics" shield of the USSR, - they proposed using the new RDS-4 ammunition as a warhead for the "fives". And on December 17 of the same year, the work on the implementation of this proposal was approved by the next government decree.
This development was named DAR - "Long-range nuclear missile". And the first mention of the R-5M rocket appears six months later, in April 1954. By this time, work on the novelty was already in full swing both in the Moscow Region NII-88 and in the Nizhny Novgorod KB-11. Indeed, according to the original plans, tests of the modernized "five" were supposed to begin in October of the same year, and end with credible launches and state tests - including those with a nuclear warhead! - in November 1955. But as always, reality has made its own adjustments in these terms. The R-5M entered state tests only in January 1956. By the same time, the first nuclear weapon was ready, which the new rocket was to throw at a distance of 1200 kilometers.
Preparation of the R-5M rocket for launch at the Kapustin Yar range. Photo from defendingrussia.ru
"We watched" Baikal "!"
But before putting the world's first ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead on the launch pad, it was necessary to test in practice all the subtleties of the docking of the "special item" with the carrier. For this, mock-ups of an atomic warhead were used - and with them, the first four launches were carried out as part of state tests. The first took place on January 11, 1956. The rocket successfully flew the distance it was supposed to and just as safely hit the target within the "dispersion ellipse" - that is, it did not deviate too much from the given course and from the planned fall site.
This result was very inspiring for the developers. After all, he confirmed not only the fidelity of the chosen decision to equip the rocket with a shorter and blunt nose, which the gunsmiths insisted on, who needed to ensure that the rocket was not too close to the ground. First of all, the successful launch proved that the seriously complicated R-5M control system, in which almost all elements were duplicated, and some even twice, works without serious failures. But overlays were not without, although they did not have a serious impact on the launch results. However, the detected air rudder flutter forced the developers to take urgent measures, and on the following missiles, the rudder design was partially changed, and the control system was made more rigid.
It is noteworthy that in order to make sure of the reliability of the duplicated control systems, some important elements were specially “spoiled” on the next three missiles before launch. And nothing! Like the first "state" P-5M, the next three also started without failures and hit the target. And this meant that it was possible to finally proceed to the last, most important stage of testing - the launch of a rocket with a real nuclear warhead, albeit of reduced power.
Launch of the R-5M rocket at the Kapustin Yar training ground. Photo from the RSC Energia website
One of the founders of the domestic rocket industry, Academician Boris Chertok, spoke well about the conditions in which these tests took place in his book "Rockets and People". Here is what he wrote: “Korolyov was nervous about the delays in the preparation of the rocket. He did not want to allow Nikolai Pavlov (Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for Design and Testing of Atomic Munitions of the Ministry of Medium Machine Building. - Ed.) To report to Mitrofan Nedelin (at that moment - Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR for special weapons and rocket technology. - author's note), the Chairman of the State Commission, that the charge is prepared for removal, and the launch delay is due to the fault of the missilemen. As a deputy technical manager, I was responsible for preparing a rocket at a technical position. At night, I reported to Korolev that there was a remark when testing the stabilization machine, I propose to replace the amplifier-converter and repeat the horizontal tests, which will require another three to four hours. He replied: “Work calmly. Their neutron gun also failed. " My knowledge of nuclear technology was not enough to realize what a gain in time we get. Finally, everything is ready and the start date has been confirmed on February 2. All, except for the combat crew, were removed from the start."
The first in the country - and in the world! - The launch of a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead was named "Baikal". Apparently, as was customary at the time and in that industry, the name was chosen so that it was as little associated with the test site as possible. Just in case: you never know who and to whom will accidentally blab about "Baikal" - so let the reconnaissance of a potential enemy look for what is unknown in the Siberian taiga! But the name of the operation was also a code word by which the observers had to confirm that the missile launched from the Kapustin Yar test site reached the crash site in the Aral Karakum Desert and that the warhead worked as it should. And therefore, the test participants, all on their nerves, waited and could not wait for the report “We watched Baikal” to be heard in the telephone receiver …
And again - a quote from the memoirs of Boris Chertok: “The launch went without any overlaps. The R-5M rocket, for the first time in the world, carried a warhead with an atomic charge through space. Having flown the prescribed 1200 km, the head without destruction reached the Earth in the region of the Aral Karakum Desert. The percussion fuse went off and a land-based nuclear explosion marked the beginning of the nuclear missile era in the history of mankind. There were no publications about this historical event. American technology had no means of detecting missile launches. Therefore, the fact of an atomic explosion was noted by them as another ground test of atomic weapons. We congratulated each other and destroyed the entire supply of champagne, which until then had been carefully guarded in the canteen of the executive staff."
"Ivanhoe" was silent
But there was another code word that accompanied the world's first tests of a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead - and which, unlike Baikal, no one wanted to hear. Unlike the first four missiles, the fifth, with real special ammunition, was equipped with missile detonation equipment - APR. It had to be created on the assumption that a missile equipped with a nuclear warhead in the event of a deviation from the course or engine failure is a much greater danger than a missile with conventional explosives. Even an option was allowed in which, in the event of combat use in case of a technical failure, the missile could fall on its own territory, and not on the enemy's territory - and it was necessary to develop and test a system for its destruction before the special warhead was triggered.
A word to one of the closest associates of Sergei Korolev - Refat Appazov, who took part in Operation Baikal and was in charge of the brand new APR installed on the R-5M rocket. About what emotions he experienced on February 2, 1956, the professor told in his book of memoirs "Traces in the heart and in memory": "The launch day could have been postponed if the weather conditions would not have allowed confident observation from the APR point. But the forecasters' forecast turned out to be accurate: the sky is clear, a little frost helped to maintain a vigorous fighting mood. The situation was more tense than during the preparation of conventional missiles, there was almost no noticeable extraneous conversations and unnecessary walking around the bush. Sergei Pavlovich, as always, beckoned with the usual movement of one or the other, gave instructions, asked the last questions, asked if there were any doubts, asked to immediately report on the slightest problems noticed. At the pre-launch meeting of the State Commission, the heads of all services of the range and missile systems reported on full readiness, and a decision was made to launch the rocket.
An hour before the start, our calculation of the APR (emergency detonation of the rocket) departed for their workplace, but before that one very narrow meeting, consisting of only three people, was held, the participants of which were told the password word, when pronounced, the rocket was to be blown up. That word turned out to be "Ivanhoe". Why this particular word, who chose it and what relation this medieval knight had to the forthcoming work - I never found out. Most likely, it was the fantasy of Sergei Pavlovich himself, or his deputy for testing Leonid Voskresensky, a man with a very extraordinary thinking. The scheme for activating the APR system was as follows. When dangerous deviations appeared, I pronounced the password word, the telephone operator immediately repeated it into the tube connecting our point with the bunker, and in the bunker L. A. Voskresensky pressed a button transmitting this command via a radio link to a flying rocket. I don't know about the others, but I felt very strong excitement, apparently realizing my special role in the upcoming operation. Frankly, I was scared …"
Photo from the site militaryrussia.ru
But "Ivanhoe" was silent: the rocket almost did not deviate from its intended target. Refat Appazov recalls: "One hundred and fifteen", - I hear the voice of the timekeeper and think: "The end is coming soon." "One hundred and twenty" - and here is the long-awaited moment: the engine is turned off, the light in the theodolite's field of view has gone out. You can breathe, move, talk. Looking up from the theodolite, the first thing he did was wipe his glasses. We shook hands, congratulated on the success and waited for the transport that would take us to the start. As soon as we arrived at the place, he (Sergey Korolev. - Author's note) took me a little away from his large circle and asked how far the head part could deviate from the target. I replied that everything should be within the scattering ellipse, since no abnormalities were noticeable in flight."
Russian "Sly"
Successful completion of state tests is, as a rule, a sufficient reason for a new model to be adopted. So it happened with the R-5M missile: by a decree of the USSR Council of Ministers of June 21, 1956, the world's first ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead (GRAU index - 8K51, originally - 8A62M) was adopted by the engineering brigades of the Reserve of the Supreme Command - that was the name subdivisions of the future Strategic Missile Forces. However, this document only fixed the status quo, since the first unit, armed with the modernized "fives", went on alert back in May.
The world learned about the appearance of a new, unprecedented weapon in the Soviet Union in the fall of 1957. On November 7, several transport installations with R-5M took part in the parade on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution - this is how, according to tradition, the Soviet leadership demonstrated new types of weapons to foreign diplomats. Rocket of impressive size (length - 20.8 m, diameter - 1.65 m, launch weight - 29.1 tons) rode across Red Square, convincing the world that the Soviet Army had the strongest means of delivering atomic weapons. The novelty has received the NATO index Shyster - that is, a sly, a joker, a solicitor for shady matters.
R-5M missiles at a parade in Moscow on November 7, 1957. Photo from the site kollektsiya.ru
This was the expression of the amazement that the West experienced when it learned about the existence of the "five" of a new type. And the R-5M was indeed a very progressive weapon for its time. The time for full preparation for the launch is 2-2.5 hours, the time spent in the firing position on the launch pad is one hour, the power of the ammunition is 0.3 megatons. With a range of 1,200 kilometers, these missiles, located along the western borders of the Soviet Union, could reach many important targets in Western Europe. But not all of them. And therefore, already in February 1959, two divisions of the 72nd Guards Engineering Brigade of the RVGK under the command of Colonel Alexander Kholopov were transferred to the GDR.
This displacement took place in an atmosphere of such secrecy that even the leadership of a "friendly socialist country" did not know about it: the German communist government would hardly have liked the news of the deployment of Soviet atomic missiles on the country's territory. One division was located near the city of Furstenberg, the second - near the Templin military airfield. But, however, they did not stay there for long: in the fall of the same year, both divisions returned to the brigade's location in the city of Gvardeisk, Kaliningrad Region. By that time, the new R-12 missile with a longer flight range had already been adopted, and the need to deploy the R-5M outside the Soviet Union disappeared.
Rocket R-5M in the park named after Hero of the Soviet Union Lieutenant General Galaktion Alpaidze in Mirny. Photo from the site russianarms.ru
R-5M at the entrance to the Central Museum of the USSR Armed Forces. Photo from the site militaryrussia.ru
The R-5M missiles remained in service for a long time - until 1966. In total, the plant in Dnepropetrovsk (the future Yuzhnoye Design Bureau) produced 48 missiles of this modification, of which the largest number - 36 - were on alert in 1960-1964. Gradually, in units armed with R-5M, they were replaced by R-12, and the first Soviet ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads began to take places on pedestals in different parts of the country. For a long time, one of them towered over the entrance to the capital's Museum of the Armed Forces, others were part of the exposition of the Sergei Korolyov Museum in Zhitomir, a monument in Mirny and in the Branch of the Strategic Missile Forces Museum in the city of Balobanov … But whatever fate was prepared for them, they forever occupied their place in the history of not only domestic missile forces, but also in the history of all mankind - as a symbol of the beginning of the nuclear missile era.
Using materials:
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