New details of the planned development of the strategic nuclear forces have become known. The development of means of delivery of nuclear weapons continues, for which this time it is proposed to modernize one of the recently adopted models. According to the latest reports of domestic media, an updated version of the R-30 Bulava ballistic missile should appear in the foreseeable future, which differs from the basic version by a significant increase in basic characteristics.
Assumptions about the possible modernization of the latest domestic ballistic missile of submarines appeared earlier, but this time the press revealed the possible technical features of the future improvement of weapons. New information was published on January 23 by the Internet edition "Lenta.ru". From an unnamed source in the domestic defense industry, journalists at the news portal were able to obtain some information about current plans to modernize missiles.
According to "Lenta.ru", the main requirements for the new project relate to an increase in flight range and payload mass. To solve both of these problems, it will be necessary to redesign the product body upward. As a result, the upgraded Bulava will be larger and heavier than the base missile. The D-30 missile system has a certain potential to fulfill such requirements. In particular, the issue of some change in the architecture of the complex is being considered in order to increase the space available for placing missiles.
The source of "Lenta.ru" noted that the possibility of increasing the rocket without the need to reprocess the carrier submarine can be realized by refusing to use the transport and launch container. In the existing complex, the rocket is transported in a special container that takes up part of the volume of the silo launcher. Abandoning this item, in turn, will increase the size of the available shaft.
The increase in the size of the rocket will make it possible to increase the solid fuel charges of its engines accordingly. Changing the energy parameters of the product will make it possible to increase the flight range up to 12 thousand km. At the same time, the payload of the upgraded Bulava will be more than twice the corresponding parameter of the base missile.
"Lenta.ru", referring to its source, writes that the modernized version of the D-30 missile system in the future may become the main weapon of promising submarine cruisers. At the end of the twenties, the construction and development of strategic submarines of new projects may begin, the main task of which will be to replace outdated ships. In particular, these submarines will be able to replace the boats of the 667BRDM project, which by that time, due to moral and physical obsolescence, will have to lose their potential.
Recall that the D-30 strategic missile system with the R-30 Bulava ballistic missile has been developed since the late nineties and was intended to update the naval component of the strategic nuclear forces. Project 955 Borey submarines were considered as the carrier of promising missiles. Since the middle of the last decade, missiles of a new type have been used in tests carried out using the modernized submarine TK-208 "Dmitry Donskoy". After a significant number of test launches, the D-30 missile complex with the R-30 missile was put into service. At present, the mass production of missiles is underway and the construction of their carriers continues.
According to the known data, the R-30 product has a length of about 12 m with a maximum diameter of 2 m. The launch mass is at 38.6 tons. The rocket is built according to a three-stage scheme and is equipped with solid-propellant engines. The throw weight is determined at the level of 1, 15 tons, which allows installing up to ten warheads and means of overcoming missile defense on the warhead. The flight range, according to available information, exceeds 8 thousand km.
The standard carriers of the D-30 missile system are submarines of the Borey projects. To date, the domestic shipbuilding industry has built and handed over to the fleet three ships of the base project 955. The construction of five more submarines of the modernized project 955A is underway. The most recent ceremony of laying down the Borey-class submarine took place at the end of December last year. This year, one of the Boreyev-A is to be launched, which is planned to be handed over to the fleet in 2018. The series of submarines under construction will be fully handed over to the customer no later than the beginning of the next decade.
The D-30 missile system with the Bulava missile was put into service about three years ago, but, according to some reports, improvements to its various components are still ongoing. In addition, it is planned to create a modernized complex with higher technical and combat characteristics. The possibility of creating an improved version of the R-30 rocket was discussed earlier, even before the completion of work on the basic product, but only now some information about the goals and objectives of such a project has become freely available.
It should be noted that the appearance of requirements to increase the flight range and throw weight was to be expected earlier. Since the publication of the first characteristics of the future missile, the Bulava project has been criticized, the main reasons for which were precisely the insufficient level of such characteristics. The use of solid propellant engines in combination with size restrictions led to a noticeable lag in basic characteristics from other domestic weapons of a similar purpose. At the same time, it should be taken into account that, for example, the R-29RMU2 Sineva missile, capable of flying at a range of up to 11.5 thousand km, differs from the R-30 in its longer length (14.8 m versus 12 m) and other starting weight (40 tons versus 38 tons).
According to the latest data, the modernized "Bulava" will have to get better performance due to the redesign of the structure in the direction of increase. It is known that the R-30 rocket in the existing configuration is supplied in a transport and launch container with a length of more than 12 m and a diameter of more than 2 m. Such a product is installed in the shaft of the carrier submarine and acts as a launcher. Obviously, the abandonment of the TPK will allow to increase the dimensions of the rocket itself without the need to alter the launch shaft installed on the submarine. This, in turn, will provide a less complicated upgrade of the carrier, as well as increase the internal volumes of the rocket, allowing them to accommodate all the required equipment.
Nevertheless, it can be assumed that such a modernization of the D-30 complex will not be an easy task for designers. Launching a rocket from a silo without a transport and launch container will require a major redesign of the existing submarine-carrier units, providing the required strength and operational characteristics. At the same time, due to the desire to preserve the overall dimensions of the complex as a whole, the project will face significant limitations.
The need to create an enlarged rocket with new principles of launch, as well as a launcher of a different design, actually leads to the emergence of a completely new project. Indeed, such a missile system, actively using the components and assemblies of the existing one, will be a direct development of the serial D-30, but at the same time it can be considered a completely new development. In addition, the complexity of creating such a project can lead to a corresponding investment of time, effort and money.
It should be noted that the source of "Lenta.ru" noted the rejection of the TPK as a considered option for the future modernization of the missile system. This may mean that the development of the Bulava project can be carried out in other ways. Some of them allow you to provide an increase in characteristics without changing the dimensions of the products. In particular, solid propellant engines with higher thrust parameters, more advanced controls, etc. can be used for this. With the successful modernization of the rocket using this method, it will be possible to do without a serious upgrade of the carriers, which, in particular, will ensure the compatibility of the improved missiles and existing or under construction carriers.
It should be borne in mind that the latest news about the possible modernization of the D-30 submarine missile system with the R-30 Bulava missile can only speak with a certain degree of certainty about the very fact of the existence of plans to upgrade the submarine weapons. Only fragmentary information is provided on the methods and methods of modernization of equipment, and in addition, the development paths of the complex are indicated as being considered by specialists. Thus, as the modernization project develops, current news may completely lose its relevance due to changes in approaches and methods.
However, recent reports reveal another important issue. They show that the defense industry and the military department, having created a new model of strategic weapons, do not intend to stop there. It is planned to continue work in the field of submarine missile systems, which in the foreseeable future may result in an improved version of the Bulava missile. Most of the details of the new project, as well as the timing of its implementation, have not yet been specified. However, even in conditions of such a lack of information, it is clear that the development of the strategic nuclear forces will continue.
