New details of one of the promising projects developed in the interests of the strategic missile forces have become known. It is reported that the assembly of a prototype of one of the new missiles has been completed, which in the future should take over duty and replace the existing weapons of its class. In addition, some information has been published on the approximate timing of the subsequent stages of the project.
On November 17, the TASS news agency, citing an unnamed source in the defense industry, reported some details of the work on the RS-28 Sarmat project. The source said that employees of the Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant have completed the construction of the first prototype of a promising ICBM. 100% of the required structural elements have already been manufactured. Some components and assemblies are tested at the factory. Thus, the manufactured prototype of the "Sarmat" rocket can be submitted for testing in the very near future, but the timing of their start depends on the performance of other works.
According to the source, tests of the new missile system will be carried out at the Plesetsk test site. Especially for the tests of the new RS-28 missile, one of the silo launchers must undergo re-equipment and receive a set of new equipment that will enable it to launch new ICBMs. The re-equipment of the launcher will continue for several more months. The installation will be ready for testing only in March next year.
An early version of the PC-28 layout. Drawing by Wikimedia Commons
In early spring 2016, it is planned to complete the re-equipment of the silo launcher, which will allow for the first tests. The first throw-in launch of the Sarmat rocket prototype may take place as early as March. The source claims these may be the only throwing trials. If the first launch of this kind is successfully completed, subsequent ones will not be needed, which will allow you to move on to other tests.
The source of the TASS agency notes that when working on such projects, about three to four months pass between the throwing and flight design tests. Thus, the first full-fledged launch of a new type of ICBM may take place in July or August next year. In the future, several other launches will be carried out, which will allow you to check and modify the missile system before being put into service.
It is reported that the plans for the timing of the tests of the new missile have been adjusted. They were shifted to the right due to a change in the site on which test launches are to be carried out. Initially, the Baikonur cosmodrome, which has the necessary equipment, was considered as a testing ground. In the future, it was decided to transfer the tests to the Plesetsk test site, which required some additional work. A TASS source said that a fairly old silo launcher, which was previously used to test the R-36M2 Voevoda missiles, will be used for testing the Sarmat.
The source said that not only the timing of the start of the tests has changed. For certain reasons, the production of the first prototype of the rocket was also delayed. The assembly of this product was completed several months after the original work schedule. However, it is argued that this fact will not affect the overall timing of the project. The new intercontinental ballistic missile, as previously planned, will be adopted by the Strategic Missile Forces in the last months of 2018.
It should be noted that the postponement of the completion of the assembly of the first prototype of the RS-28 rocket is not news. So, at the end of February this year, TASS reported that about 30% of the rocket's structural elements had been manufactured. An unnamed source in the defense industry then argued that it would take no more than two to three months to complete the assembly of a new product, thanks to which the rocket would be submitted for testing in May or June, which, it was then claimed, would take place at the Baikonur cosmodrome.
In February, some details of the project were also clarified. In particular, it was argued that the first prototype would be a mock-up with a set of systems, having the same dimensions and weight as a full-fledged rocket. The task of this prototype will be to exit the launcher using a powder pressure accumulator. No prototype engine launch is planned. Instead of a warhead, it was supposed to install an appropriate load.
At the end of June, TASS again reported on the progress of the assembly of the first "Sarmat". According to updated data, the construction of the prototype was delayed, due to which the work schedule was changed. By this time, 60% of the structural elements had been manufactured, but further work required additional time. It was claimed that the assembly of the rocket would be completed in September or October. The deadline for an unnamed source was the end of October. In June, it was again stated that the throw tests would take place at Baikonur.
More than two weeks after the “red line” at the end of June, new progress reports emerged. As of mid-November, the RS-28 prototype is said to be ready for testing, which will take place only next spring. In addition, it has now become known about the transfer of tests to another site. For unnamed reasons, the promising missile will be tested at the Plesetsk test site.
It is noteworthy that the change of the test site also affected the timing of the start of the tests. Thus, in February, Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said that tests of the Sarmat missile would start before the end of this year. Now, their start dates have shifted by at least three months - until the spring of 2016. Thus, the military department and various defense industry organizations seem to have had to change the schedule twice in accordance with the current state of affairs and production problems.
It should be noted that the shifts in the timing of certain stages of the project are not something special or unexpected. The development of any new project is associated with serious difficulties, some of which are quite capable of leading to the delay in various works. The available data on the Sarmat project suggest that the developers and builders of the new missile faced relatively minor problems that affected the timing of the prototype assembly and the start date of tests, but have not yet led to a change in plans for the adoption of the missile into service. As before, it is planned that the corresponding document will appear at the end of 2018. By this time, all major work should be completed.
According to available data, the development of the RS-28 "Sarmat" project is being carried out by the State Missile Center. Makeeva (Miass) with the participation of some related organizations. The goal of the project is to create a new heavy-class intercontinental ballistic missile, which will replace the outdated UR-100N UTTKh and R-36M in the troops. At present, the strategic missile forces have several dozen old types of ICBMs, which can be operated no more than until the second half of the next decade.
With the help of the creation and mass production of the new Sarmat missile, it is planned to provide the Strategic Missile Forces with the necessary number of new heavy-class ICBMs, which will preserve or even increase the strike potential of the troops. According to previously announced data, deliveries of serial "Sarmats" will begin in 2018-20, which will allow the start of the timely replacement of old missiles.
The technical details of the Sarmat project are still a mystery. It was previously mentioned that the RS-28 product will have a launch weight of about 100 tons and will receive liquid-propellant rocket engines. The cast weight, according to various sources, will be at the level of 4.5-5 tons, however, some estimates suggest a double value of this parameter. The combat load will consist of several maneuvering warheads of individual guidance. The types and power of the warheads were not specified. The flight range is estimated at 10-11 thousand km.
Through the efforts of specialists from several organizations, the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile project has reached the stage of assembling a prototype and preparing for the first tests. The first jump launch is scheduled for next spring. Flight design tests can start in the summer of 2016. Thus, plans to put the missile into service by the end of 2018 look quite realistic. By the beginning of the next decade, the Strategic Missile Forces will definitely receive new missiles with improved characteristics.
