In 1971, France adopted its first land-based medium-range ballistic missile, the S-2. By the time the construction of the silo launchers was completed and the first formations began to be on duty, the industry had time to start developing a new missile system for a similar purpose. The successful completion of these works later made it possible to replace the S-2 MRBM with S-3 products. New missiles remained on duty for a long time, until the reform of the strategic nuclear forces.
The decision to create land-based missile systems was made in 1962. Through the joint efforts of several enterprises, a new weapon project was created, later called the S-2. Early prototypes of this ballistic missile have been tested since 1966. The prototype, which became the standard for subsequent serial products, was tested at the end of 1968. Almost simultaneously with the beginning of this stage of testing, a decision appeared to develop the next project. The developed S-2 rocket no longer fully satisfied the customer. The main goal of the new project was to bring the characteristics to the required high level. First of all, it was required to increase the firing range and power of the warhead.
An S-3 rocket and a mock-up of a launcher at the Le Bourget Museum. Photo Wikimedia Commons
The authors of the existing project were involved in the development of a promising MRBM, designated S-3. Most of the work was entrusted to Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale (later Aérospatiale). In addition, some of the products were designed by employees of Nord Aviation and Sud Aviation. In accordance with the requirements of the customer, some ready-made components and assemblies should be used in the new project. In addition, the S-3 rocket was to be operated together with the already developed silo launchers. Due to the current economic situation, the French military department could no longer afford to order a large number of completely new missiles. At the same time, this approach simplified and accelerated the development of the project.
During the first few years, the contractor companies were studying the available capabilities and shaping the appearance of a promising rocket taking into account the requirements. These works were completed in 1972, after which there was an official order for the creation of the project, followed by testing and the deployment of mass production. It took several years to complete the design. Only in 1976 was the first prototype of a new ballistic missile built, which was soon planned to be presented for testing.
The first version of the S-3 project received the designation S-3V. In accordance with the project, additionally designated with the letter "V", an experimental rocket was built, intended for the first test launch. At the end of 1976, it was launched from the Biscarossus test site. Until March of the next year, French specialists performed seven more test launches, during which the operation of individual systems and the entire rocket complex as a whole was tested. According to the test results, the S-3 project underwent some minor modifications, which made it possible to begin preparations for the serial production and operation of new missiles.
Layout divided into main units. Photo Wikimedia Commons
The finalization of the project lasted only a few months. Already in July 1979, a test launch of the first batch of the S-3 rocket was carried out at the Biscarosse test site. The successful launch made it possible to recommend new weapons for adoption and the deployment of full-fledged mass production in order to supply missiles to the troops. In addition, the July launch was the last test of a promising MRBM. In the future, all launches of S-3 missiles were of a combat training nature and were intended to practice the skills of personnel of the strategic nuclear forces, as well as to test the performance of equipment.
Due to economic constraints, which to some extent hampered the development and production of promising weapons, the terms of reference for the S-3 project indicated the maximum possible unification with existing weapons. This requirement was implemented by improving several existing units of the MRBM S-2 with the simultaneous use of completely new components and products. To work with the new missile, the existing silo launchers had to undergo the minimum necessary changes.
Based on the results of the analysis of the requirements and capabilities, the developers of the new rocket decided to retain the overall product architecture used in the previous project. The S-3 was supposed to be a two-stage solid-propellant rocket with a detachable warhead carrying a special warhead. The main approaches to the development of control systems and other devices were retained. At the same time, it was planned to develop several new products, as well as modify existing ones.
The nose fairing of a rocket placed in the launch silo. Photo Rbase.new-factoria.ru
In combat readiness, the S-3 rocket was a weapon 13.8 m long with a cylindrical body 1.5 m in diameter. The head of the body had a conical fairing. In the tail, aerodynamic stabilizers with a span of 2.62 m were preserved. The launch mass of the rocket was 25.75 tons. Of these, 1 ton was accounted for by the warhead and means of countering the enemy's missile defense.
As the first stage of the S-3 rocket, it was proposed to use the upgraded and improved SEP 902 product, which performed the same functions as part of the S-2 rocket. Such a stage had a metal casing, which also served as an engine casing, with a length of 6.9 m and an outer diameter of 1.5 m. The casing of the stage was made of heat-resistant steel and had walls with a thickness of 8 to 18 mm. The tail section of the stage was equipped with trapezoidal stabilizers. In the tail bottom, windows were provided for the installation of four swinging nozzles. The outer surface of the case was covered with a layer of heat-shielding material.
The modernization of the SEP 902 stage consisted of some changes in its design in order to increase the internal volumes. This made it possible to increase the stock of solid mixed fuel to 16, 94 tons. Consuming an increased charge, the upgraded P16 engine could run for 72 seconds, showing more thrust compared to the original modification. The reactive gases were removed through four conical nozzles. To control the thrust vector during engine operation, the first stage used drives that were responsible for moving the nozzles in several planes. Similar management principles have already been used in a previous project.
Head fairing and warhead. Photo Rbase.new-factoria.ru
As part of the S-3 project, a new second stage was developed, which received its own designation Rita-2. When creating this product, French designers abandoned the use of a relatively heavy metal case. A cylindrical body with a diameter of 1.5 m, containing a charge of solid fuel, was proposed to be made of fiberglass using winding technology. The outer surface of such a case received a new heat-shielding coating with improved characteristics. It was proposed to place an instrument compartment on the upper bottom of the body, and a single stationary nozzle was placed on the lower one.
The second stage received a solid propellant engine with a fuel charge weighing 6015 kg, which was enough for 58 hours of work. Unlike the SEP 902 product and the second stage of the S-2 rocket, the Rita-2 product did not have a control system for the movement of the nozzle. For pitch and yaw control, equipment was proposed that is responsible for injecting freon into the supercritical part of the nozzle. By changing the nature of the outflow of reactive gases, this equipment influenced the thrust vector. Roll control was carried out using additional small-sized oblique nozzles and associated gas generators. To reset the head and brake on a given section of the trajectory, the second stage received counter-thrust nozzles.
A special compartment of the second stage housed containers for means of overcoming missile defense. False targets and dipole reflectors were transported there. The missile defense penetration means were dropped together with the separation of the warhead, which reduced the likelihood of a successful interception of a real warhead.
The head part, a view of the tail section. Photo Wikimedia Commons
Between themselves, the two stages, as in the previous rocket, were connected using a cylindrical adapter. An elongated charge passed along the wall and power elements of the adapter. At the command of the missile control system, it was detonated with the destruction of the adapter. The separation of the stages was also facilitated by the preliminary pressurization of the interstage compartment.
An autonomous inertial navigation system was located in the instrument compartment, connected to the second stage. With the help of gyroscopes, she had to track the position of the rocket in space and determine whether the current trajectory corresponds to the required one. In the event of a deviation, the calculator had to generate commands for the steering gears of the first stage or gas-dynamic systems of the second. Also, the control automation was responsible for the separation of the stages and the reset of the head.
An important innovation of the project was the use of a more advanced computer complex. It was possible to enter data on several targets into his memory. In preparation for launch, the calculation of the complex had to select a specific target, after which the automation independently brought the rocket to the specified coordinates.
Instrument compartment of the second stage. Photo Wikimedia Commons
The S-3 MRBM received a conical head fairing, which remained in place until the warhead was dropped. Under the fairing, which improves the flight performance of the rocket, there was a warhead with a complex-shaped body formed by cylindrical and conical aggregates with ablation protection. Used monoblock warhead TN 61 with a thermonuclear charge with a capacity of 1.2 Mt. The warhead was equipped with a fuse providing air and contact detonation.
The use of more powerful engines and a reduction in the launch mass, as well as the improvement of control systems, led to a noticeable increase in the main characteristics of the rocket complex in comparison with the previous S-2. The maximum range of the S-3 missile was increased to 3700 km. The circular probable deviation was declared at 700 m. During the flight, the rocket rose to an altitude of 1000 km.
The S-3 medium-range missile was slightly smaller and lighter than its predecessor. At the same time, it was possible to operate with existing launchers. Since the late sixties, France has been building special underground complexes, as well as various auxiliary facilities for various purposes. As part of the deployment of the S-2 complex, 18 launch silos were built, controlled by two command posts - nine missiles for each.
A gyroscopic device from the inertial navigation system. Photo Wikimedia Commons
The silo launcher for the S-2 and S-3 missiles was a large reinforced concrete structure buried 24 meters deep. On the surface of the earth there was only the head of the structure, surrounded by a platform of the required dimensions. In the central part of the complex there was a vertical shaft required to accommodate the rocket. It housed a ring-shaped launch pad suspended from a system of cables and hydraulic jacks to level the rocket. Also provided are sites for servicing the rocket. Next to the missile silo were an elevator well and a number of auxiliary rooms used when working with the rocket. From above, the launcher was closed with a 140-ton reinforced concrete cover. During routine maintenance, the cover was opened hydraulically, during combat use - with a powder pressure accumulator.
In the design of the launcher, some measures were used to protect the rocket engines from jet gases. The launch was to be carried out by the gas-dynamic method: due to the operation of the main engine, launched directly at the launch pad.
A group of nine missile launchers was controlled from a common command post. This structure was located at great depths at some distance from the missile silos and was equipped with means of protection against enemy strikes. The duty shift of the command post consisted of two people. As part of the S-3 project, some revision of the complex control systems was proposed, providing the ability to use new functions. In particular, the officers on duty were supposed to be able to select targets from the missiles pre-memorized.
Second stage engine nozzle. Photo Wikimedia Commons
As in the case of the S-2 missiles, the S-3 products were proposed to be stored disassembled. The first and second stages, as well as warheads, had to be in sealed containers. When preparing the rocket for deployment in a special workshop, two stages were docked, after which the resulting product was delivered to the launcher and loaded into it. Further, the warhead was brought up by a separate transport.
In April 1978, the first group of the 05.200 missile brigade, stationed on the Albion plateau, received an order to prepare for the receipt of the S-3 MRBM, which in the near future should replace the S-2 in service. About a month later, the industry delivered the first missiles of the new type. Combat units for them were ready only in the middle of 1980. While the combat units were preparing for the operation of the new equipment, the first combat training launch was carried out from the Biscarossus training ground. The first launch of a rocket with the participation of calculations of strategic nuclear forces took place at the end of 1980. Shortly thereafter, the first group of the brigade went on duty using the latest weapons.
At the very end of the seventies, it was decided to develop an improved modification of the existing missile system. The technical characteristics of the S-3 product and launchers were completely satisfactory to the military, but resistance to enemy nuclear missile strikes was already considered insufficient. In this regard, the development of the S-3D missile system (Durcir - "Strengthened") began. Through various modifications to the design of the rocket and the silo, the complex's resistance to the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion was increased. The probability of retaining missiles after an enemy strike has been increased to the required level.
First stage. Photo Wikimedia Commons
The full design of the S-3D complex started in mid-1980. At the end of 81st, the first missile of a new type was handed over to the customer. Until the end of 1982, the second group of brigade 05.200 underwent a complete modernization according to the "reinforced" project and began combat duty. At the same time, the operation of the S-2 missiles was completed. After that, the renewal of the first group began, which ended in the fall of the following year. In mid-1985, brigade 05.200 received a new name - the 95th squadron of strategic missiles of the French Air Force.
According to various sources, by the end of the eighties, the French defense industry produced about four dozen S-3 and S-3D missiles. Some of these products were constantly on duty. 13 missiles were used during combat training launches. Also, a certain number of products were constantly present in the warehouses of the missile compound.
Even during the deployment of the S-3 / S-3D complex, the French military department began to make plans for the further development of the strategic nuclear forces. It was obvious that the IRBM of existing types in the foreseeable future will no longer meet the current requirements. In this regard, already in the mid-eighties, the program for the development of a new missile system was launched. As part of the S-X or S-4 project, it was proposed to create a system with increased characteristics. The possibility of developing a mobile missile system was also considered.
First stage engine. Photo Wikimedia Commons
However, in the early nineties, the military-political situation in Europe changed, which, among other things, led to a reduction in defense costs. Reducing the military budget did not allow France to continue developing promising missile systems. By the mid-nineties, all work on the S-X / S-4 project was discontinued. At the same time, the development of missiles for submarines was planned to continue.
In February 1996, French President Jacques Chirac announced the beginning of a radical restructuring of the strategic nuclear forces. It was now planned to use submarine missiles and airborne complexes as deterrents. In the new look of the nuclear forces, there was no room for mobile ground or silo missile systems. In fact, the history of the S-3 missiles was put to an end.
Already in September 1996, the 95th squadron stopped the operation of existing ballistic missiles and began to decommission them. The following year, the first group of the squadron completely ceased service, in 1998 - the second. Due to the decommissioning of weapons and the demolition of existing structures, the compound was disbanded as unnecessary. The same fate befell some other units, which were armed with mobile missile systems of the operational-tactical class.
Diagram of a silo launcher for S-2 and S-3 missiles. Figure Capcomespace.net
By the time the reform of the strategic nuclear forces began, France had less than three dozen S-3 / S-3D missiles. Two-thirds of these weapons were on duty. After decommissioning, almost all of the remaining missiles were scrapped. Only a few items were deactivated and made museum pieces. The state of the exhibition samples allows you to study the design of the missiles in all details. So, in the Paris Museum of Aviation and Cosmonautics, the rocket is shown disassembled into separate units.
After the decommissioning of the S-3 missiles and the disbandment of the 95th squadron, the ground component of the French strategic nuclear forces ceased to exist. Deterrence missions are now assigned to combat aircraft and ballistic missile submarines. New projects of land-based systems are not being developed and, as far as is known, are not even planned.
