In the summer of last year, it was reported that already in 2015, the strategic missile forces will begin to receive a new intercontinental ballistic missile, which is intended to replace existing weapons with an expiring service life. The RS-26 "Rubezh" complex is proposed as a replacement for some aging missiles. Recently there were new messages about the progress of this project.
On March 26, Kommersant, citing its sources in the Ministry of Defense, announced the completion of tests of a new ICBM. Over the past few years, the military and specialists from the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering (MIT), which developed the RS-26 project, conducted four test launches of the new missile. The last test launch took place just a few days ago - on March 18. The recent launch was considered a success and was the fourth in a series of successful tests. The rocket was launched from a mobile launcher at the Kapustin Yar range and hit a training target at the Sary-Shagan range. All stages of the launch and flight of the rocket, according to the source of the Kommersant publication, passed normally. The correct operation of all systems, components and assemblies is confirmed by the received telemetry.
The fourth successful test launch in a row opens the door for the new missile system to the troops. According to an unnamed source in the Ministry of Defense, the military is ready to take the new missile into service. The deliveries of serial products and their deployment in combat units of the Strategic Missile Forces should begin as early as next year. Thus, within the next few months, Russian strategic missile forces will begin implementing a new program to upgrade their weapons.
Unfortunately, the data on the new test launch of the Rubezh missile, as well as on its imminent acceptance into service, have not yet been confirmed by officials. According to Kommersant, the press service of the military department and representatives of the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering declined to comment on such news. Perhaps the first official information about the successful completion of the development and testing of the Rubezh ICBM will appear in the very near future, but so far it is necessary to rely only on unnamed media sources.
According to reports, the development of the RS-26 "Rubezh" missile system started no later than the middle of the last decade. During the first years, the project was classified and its existence was not announced. The first mention of the new rocket took place in an interview with MIT General Designer Yuri Solomonov, published in March 2011. At the same time, it was reported that the first test launch of a new product should take place in the near future, and the completion of the development of the project is scheduled for 2013. Previously, in parallel with the name "Frontier" there was the designation "Vanguard", but by now the latter has gone out of use.
The first launch of the new rocket took place on September 27, 2011 at the Plesetsk test site. These tests ended in failure - an experimental rocket fell 8 km from the launcher. According to some reports, during the exit from the transport and launch container, the rocket damaged the first stage, according to others, it was not a full-fledged launch, but throw tests in order to test the missile launch systems. The first full-fledged launch took place only on May 23, 2012. The rocket, which took off from the Plesetsk training range, successfully delivered a training warhead to the Kura training ground in Kamchatka. The third launch (October 24, 2012) was carried out at a new site, which became the Kapustin Yar test site. To date, taking into account the first unsuccessful one, five test launches have been carried out, the last of which took place on March 18.
According to the available fragmentary data, the Rubezh missile system will be used with mobile launchers. In addition, some sources mention the possibility of a mine based. There is still no exact information about the architecture of the rocket and the composition of the equipment used, which is why various assumptions have to be made based on information about other projects and common sense.
Probably, the RS-26 rocket has a three-stage layout and is equipped with solid-propellant engines. The launch weight of the product is estimated at 40-50 tons. According to various estimates, the maximum range of the Rubezh missile should be at least 6-8 thousand km. Taking into account the need to replace existing weapons, we can talk about large values of this parameter. Combat equipment, apparently, should be made in the form of a split warhead with individual guidance.
The launches of experimental Rubezh missiles from the Kapustin Yar test site against targets at the Sary-Shagan test site have become a pretext for claims from foreign states. The fact is that the distance between these test sites is much less than 5500 km, which is a conditional border between medium-range missiles and intercontinental missiles. Thus, the RS-26 project began to be accused of inconsistency with the existing Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, according to which Russia and the United States are not allowed to develop, produce and operate ballistic missiles with a range of 500 to 5500 km.
Nevertheless, the "Rubezh" rocket confirmed the possibility of an intercontinental flight. It is being developed and planned to be adopted as an ICBM. In addition, it is in this capacity that the new product is declared in existing international agreements. Thus, all claims are far-fetched and should not entail any political consequences.
Currently, the Strategic Missile Forces are armed with missile systems of several types: these are systems of the R-36M family, missiles UR-100UTTKh, RT-2PM "Topol", RT-2PM2 "Topol-M" in mine and mobile versions, as well as mobile complexes RS -24 Yars. The new RS-26 "Rubezh" complex is designed to complement the latest systems of the Strategic Missile Forces, as well as gradually replace obsolete missiles with similar characteristics. Probably, over time, "Rubezh" will replace the "Topol" complexes. The start of deliveries and combat duty of the RS-26 missiles is scheduled for 2016.
