In March 1962, the 9K72 Elbrus operational-tactical missile system was adopted by the Soviet army. Over the past half a century, the complex, which received the NATO designation SS-1C Scud-B (Scud - "Gust of Wind", "Flurry"), managed to take part in a number of military conflicts, from the Yom Kippur War (1973) to the second Chechen campaign in 1999 -2000 years. Moreover, the R-17 missile, which is the basis of the Elbrus complex, for several decades abroad has been a kind of standard ballistic target for tactical anti-missile defense systems - almost always the ABM capabilities are evaluated precisely by the ability to intercept Scud-B missiles.
The history of the Elbrus complex began in 1957, when the Russian military wished to receive an upgraded version of the R-11 ballistic missile. Based on the results of working out the prospects for improvement, it was decided that it would be wiser to use the existing developments and create a completely new design based on them. This approach promised a twofold increase in the missile's flight range. At the end of February 58, the Military-Industrial Commission under the Council of Ministers and the Council of Ministers issued resolutions necessary to start work in this direction. The creation of a new rocket was entrusted to SKB-385 (now the State Missile Center, Miass), and V. P. Makeeva. In September of the same year, a preliminary design was ready, and by the end of November, all the design documentation was collected. By the end of 1958, preparations for the production of the first prototypes of missiles began at the Zlatoust Machine-Building Plant. In May 1959, the GAU of the Ministry of Defense approved the requirements for the new rocket and assigned it the 8K14 index, and the entire complex - 9K72.
The assembly of the first missiles began in mid-1959, and in December flight tests began at the Kapustin Yar test site. The first stage of testing ended on August 25, 1960. All seven launches were successful. Shortly thereafter, the second stage of testing began, during which 25 launches were made. Two of them ended in an accident: during the first flight, the R-17 rocket with the C5.2 engine flew in the opposite direction from the target, and the third ended in self-destruction of the rocket due to a short circuit in the active phase of the flight. The tests were recognized as successful and the operational-tactical missile system 9K72 "Elbrus" with the missile 8K14 (R-17) was recommended for adoption. On March 24, 1962, the recommendation was implemented by the corresponding resolution of the Council of Ministers.
Complex composition
The 9K72 complex is based on the 8K14 (R-17) single-stage ballistic missile with an integral warhead and a liquid engine. One of the measures to increase the range of the rocket was the introduction of a pump into the fuel system of the rocket to supply fuel and an oxidizer. Thanks to this, the pressure inside the tanks, required for optimal engine operation, has decreased more than six times, which, in turn, made it possible to lighten the structure due to the thinner walls of the fuel system units. With the help of separate pumps, the fuel (starting TG-02 "Samin" and the main one TM-185), as well as the oxidizer AK-27I "Melange" are fed into the single-chamber rocket engine S3.42T. To simplify the design of the engine, it is started using starting fuel, which ignites on its own upon contact with an oxidizer. The approximate thrust of the C3.42T engine is 13 tons. The first series of R-17 missiles were equipped with S3.42T LPRE, but from 1962 they began to receive a new power plant. The C5.2 single-chamber engine received a different design of the combustion chamber and nozzle, as well as a number of other systems. The engine upgrade entailed a slight (by about 300-400 kgf) increase in thrust and a weight gain of about 40 kg. The C5.2 rocket engine ran on the same fuel and oxidizer as the C3.42T.
The control system is responsible for the flight path of the R-17 rocket. Inertial automation stabilizes the position of the rocket, and also makes corrections in the direction of flight. The missile control system is conventionally divided into four subsystems: motion stabilization, range control, switching and additional equipment. The motion stabilization system is responsible for maintaining the programmed course; for this, the 1SB9 gyrohorizon and the 1SB10 gyro-vertikant collect information about the acceleration of the rocket along three axes and transmit it to the 1SB13 calculating device. The latter issues commands to the steering cars. In addition, the control automation can issue a command to the automatic missile detonation system if the flight parameters differ significantly from the specified ones, for example, the deviation from the required trajectory exceeds 10 °. To counter the drifts that arise, the rocket was equipped with four gas-dynamic rudders installed in the immediate vicinity of the engine nozzle. The range control system is based on the 1SB12 calculator. Its tasks include tracking the speed of the rocket and giving the command to turn off the engine when the desired one is reached. This command terminates the active flight mode, after which the missile reaches the target along a ballistic trajectory. The maximum range of the rocket is 300 kilometers, the maximum speed on the trajectory is about 1500 meters per second.
A warhead was mounted in the bow of the rocket. Depending on the tactical need, one of several options could be applied. The list of the main warheads for the R-17 looks like this:
- 8F44. high-explosive warhead weighing 987 kg, about 700 of which were explosive TGAG-5. The high-explosive warhead for the R-17 is equipped with three fuses at once: a bow contact fuse, a bottom barometric fuse for detonating at a certain height, as well as a self-destruction fuse;
- 8F14. Nuclear warhead with an RDS-4 charge with a capacity of ten kilotons. A training version of 8F14UT was produced without a nuclear warhead;
- chemical warheads. They differed from each other in the amount and type of the poisonous substance. So, 3H8 carried about 750-800 kg of mustard-lewisite mixture, and 8F44G and 8F44G1 each carried 555 kg of gas V and VX, respectively. In addition, it was planned to create an ammunition with a viscous soman, but the lack of production facilities did not allow the development to be completed;
- 9N33-1. A thermonuclear warhead with a charge of RA104-02 with a capacity of 500 kilotons.
The main element of the ground equipment of the Elbrus complex is the launch unit (launcher) 9P117, developed at the Central Design Bureau of Transport Engineering (TsKB TM). The wheeled vehicle is designed for transportation, pre-launch check, refueling with starting fuel and directly launching the R-17 rocket. All units of the launcher are mounted on the MAZ-543 four-axle chassis. The launching equipment of the 9P117 machine consisted of a launch pad and a lifting boom. These assemblies are fixed on an axis and can be rotated 90 °, transferring the rocket from a horizontal transport to a vertical launch position. The rocket is lifted using a hydraulic cylinder, other boom and table mechanics are driven by electromechanical drives. After lifting to a vertical position, the R-17 rocket rests on the rear part of the launch pad, after which the boom is lowered back. The launch pad has a frame structure and is equipped with a gas shield, which prevents damage to the structure of the chassis of the 9P117 machine by the hot gases of the rocket engine. In addition, the table can be rotated horizontally. In the middle part of the 9P117 launch unit, a wheelhouse is installed with additional equipment and workplaces for three people at the rate of the complex. The equipment in the wheelhouse is mainly intended to ensure the start-up and control over the operation of various systems.
1 balancer; 2 grips; 3 hydraulic tank; 4 arrow; 5 DK-4; 6 two measuring tanks with starting fuel; 7 launch pad; 8 control panel for boom, jacks and stops; 9 stops; 10 supports; 11 panel SPO 9V46M; 12 4 high pressure air cylinders; 13 operator's cabin with console equipment RN, SHCHUG, PA, 2V12M-1, 2V26, P61502-1, 9V362M1, 4A11-E2, POG-6; 14 batteries; 15 box of the remote control 9V344; 16 in the cockpit 2 cylinders of air starting the main engine; 17 under the cabin of the GDL-10; 18 in the cockpit APD-8-P / 28-2 and devices from the 8Sh18 set; 19 equivalent to SU 2V34; 20 CAD equivalent 2В27; 21 devices from the 8Sh18 set
In addition to the rocket and the launcher, the Elbrus complex included several other vehicles for various purposes. Because of this, the composition of the missile division looked like this:
- 2 launchers 9P117;
- 5 command and staff vehicles based on GAZ-66;
- 2 topographic surveyors 1T12-2M on the GAZ-66 chassis;
- 3 washing and neutralizing machines 8Т311 based on ZIL trucks;
- 2 tankers 9G29 (based on ZIL-157) with two main fuel fillings and four starting ones on each;
- 4 tank trucks for the AKTs-4-255B oxidizer based on the KrAZ-255 truck, each carrying two Melange refueling stations;
- 2 truck cranes 9Т31М1 with a set of appropriate equipment;
- 4 earthen carts 2T3 for transporting a stock of missiles and 2 containers 2Sh3 for warheads;
- 2 special vehicles based on "Ural-4320" for transportation of warheads;
- 2 maintenance vehicles MTO-V or MTO-AT;
- 2 mobile control centers 9С436-1;
- Logistics platoon: tankers for cars, field kitchens, utility trucks, etc.
Modifications
Without waiting for the adoption of the complex for service, TsKB TM began to develop an alternative 2P20 launcher based on the MAZ-535 chassis. Due to the lack of structural strength, this project was closed - no one saw the point in strengthening one chassis in order to replace another, which had sufficient strength and rigidity. Slightly more successful was the "Object 816" on the tracked chassis of the design bureau of the Leningrad Kirov plant. However, the production of this self-propelled launcher was limited to only an experimental batch of several units. Another original design of an alternative launcher reached the stage of trial operation, but was never accepted into service. The 9K73 unit was a lightweight four-wheeled platform with a lifting boom and a launching table. It was understood that such a launcher could be delivered by plane or helicopter of the appropriate carrying capacity to the desired area and from there launch the rocket. During the tests, the experimental platform showed the fundamental possibility of rapid landing and ballistic missile firing. However, in the case of the R-17, it was not possible to use the full potential of the platform. The fact is that in order to launch and guide the rocket, the calculation needs to know a number of parameters, such as the coordinates of the launcher and the target, the meteorological situation, etc. In the mid-sixties, the determination of these parameters required the participation of specialized complexes on an automobile chassis. In addition, such preparation significantly increased the time required for launch. As a result, the 9K73 was not put into service and the idea of a "cut down" light airborne launcher was not returned.
Rocket 8K14 of the 9K72 complex with SPU 9P117 (photo of the Design Bureau named after V. P. Makeev)
The situation was similar with new modifications of the R-17 rocket. Its first modernized version was supposed to be the R-17M (9M77) with tanks of increased capacity and, as a result, a longer range. The latter, according to initial calculations, was supposed to reach 500 kilometers. In 1963, at the Design Bureau of the Votkinsk Machine-Building Plant under the leadership of E. D. Rakov began designing this rocket. The original R-17 was taken as a basis. To increase the range, it was proposed to replace the engine and the type of fuel, as well as to carry out a number of alterations to the design of the rocket itself. Calculations have shown that while maintaining the existing principle of flight to the target and further increasing the range, the angle between the vertical and the missile trajectory on the approach to the target decreases. At the same time, the conical nose cone of the rocket created a tangible moment for pitching, because of which the rocket could deviate significantly from the target. To avoid such a phenomenon, a new warhead was designed with a perforated fairing and a cylindrical casing of equipment and a warhead inside. Such a system made it possible to combine both good aerodynamics in flight and almost completely eliminate the rocket's tendency to pitch up. At the same time, I had to tinker a lot with the selection of the type of metal for the fairings - the previously used ones could not withstand the temperature loads in the final flight segment, and the fairing perforation did not give a protective coating. Under the name 9K77 "Record" the updated operational-tactical missile system in 1964 was sent to the Kapustin Yar training ground. Test launches were generally successful, but there were still enough problems. The tests were completed only in 1967, when the R-17M project was closed. The reason for this was the appearance of the Temp-S missile system, capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 900 kilometers.
In 1972, the design bureau of the Votkinsk machine-building plant was tasked with making a target on the basis of the R-17 missile for testing new anti-aircraft missile systems with limited anti-missile defense capabilities. The main difference between the target and the original missile was the absence of a warhead and the presence of a number of specialized systems for collecting and transmitting information about flight parameters and the course of interception to the ground. It is noteworthy that in order to avoid premature destruction, the main equipment of the target missile was placed in an armored box. Thus, the target, even for some time after the defeat, could maintain communication with ground equipment. Until 1977, the R-17 target missiles were mass-produced; later, probably, they began to be converted from serial missiles with an expiring warranty period.
Complexes 9K72 with SPU 9P117M on the march (photo of the Design Bureau named after V. P., Makeev)
Since 1967, specialists from the Central Research Institute of Automation and Hydraulics (TsNIIAG) and NPO Gidravlika have been working on the creation of photo reference guidance systems. The essence of this idea is that an aerial photograph of the target is loaded into the homing head and that, having entered a given area, is guided using an appropriate computer and a built-in video system. Based on the results of the research, the Aerophone GOS was created. Due to the complexity of the project, the first test launch of the R-17 rocket with such a system took place only in 1977. The first three test launches at a distance of 300 kilometers were completed successfully, the conditional targets were hit with a deviation of several meters. From 1983 to 1986, the second stage of testing took place - eight more launches. At the end of the second stage, state tests began. 22 launches, most of which ended in the defeat of the conditional target, became the reason for the recommendation to accept the Aerofon complex for trial operation. In 1990, servicemen of the 22nd missile brigade of the Belarusian Military District went to Kapustin Yar to familiarize themselves with the new complex, called 9K72O. A little later, several copies were sent to units of the brigade. There is no information about trial operation, moreover, according to various sources, the 22nd brigade was disbanded earlier than the expected date for the transfer of missile systems. According to reports, all unused missiles and equipment of the complexes are in storage.
Service
The first batches of 9K72 Elbrus complexes entered service with the Soviet army. After completing the domestic armed forces, "Elbrus" was modified for deliveries abroad. The R-17 rocket went abroad under the designation R-300. Despite the large number of 9K72 in the Warsaw Pact countries, Egypt was the first to use it in practice. In 1973, during the so-called. During the Yom Kippur War, the Egyptian armed forces fired several R-300 missiles at Israeli targets in the Sinai Peninsula. Most of the missiles fired hit the target without exceeding the calculated deviation. However, the war ended with Israel's victory.
SPU 9P117 from the 112th GSVG missile brigade (Genzrode, 1970-1980s, photo
The following facts of the combat use of R-17 missiles occurred during the war in Afghanistan. Operational-tactical missiles proved to be useful when attacking dushman fortifications or camps. According to various sources, Soviet missilemen made from one to two thousand launches, while several characteristic features of the operation were revealed. So, the deviation from the target, reaching up to one hundred meters in the 8K14 rocket, sometimes did not allow reliably hitting targets with a blast wave and fragments. For this reason, already in combat units, a new method of using ballistic missiles was invented. Its essence was to launch a rocket at a relatively short range. The engine was turned off relatively early, and some fuel remained in the tanks. As a result, hitting the target, the rocket sprayed around itself a mixture of TM-185 fuel and AI-27K oxidizer. Scattering of liquids with subsequent ignition significantly increased the area of damage. At the same time, in a number of cases, residues of fuel and oxidizer caused a prolonged fire in the area under fire. This original method of using a rocket with a standard high-explosive warhead has caused rumors of the existence of a certain volumetric explosion warhead. However, the existence of such a charge for the Elbrus complex has no documentary evidence.
Soon after the first use of "Elbrus" in Afghanistan, he took part in the Iran-Iraq war. It is worth noting that the R-300 missiles were launched by both sides of the conflict, albeit in different numbers. The fact is that Iraq bought export versions of the 9K72 complex directly from the USSR, and Iran acquired them through Libya. According to various sources, Iraq made from 300 to 500 launches of R-300 missiles at targets in Iran. In 1987, tests began on the Al Hussein missile, an Iraqi upgrade of the R-300. The Iraqi development had a lightweight warhead weighing 250 kg and an increased launch range - up to 500 kilometers. The total number of Al-Hussein missiles launched is estimated at 150-200. The response to the Iraqi shelling was the purchase by Iran from Libya of a number of similar Elbrus complexes, but their use was on a much smaller scale. In total, about 30-40 missiles were fired. Just a few years after the end of the Iran-Iraq war, export R-300 missiles again took part in hostilities. During Operation Desert Storm, the Iraqi military launched attacks on targets in Israel and Saudi Arabia, and also fired on advancing US forces. During this conflict, the US armed forces were able to test in practice the new Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, which have limited anti-missile defense capabilities. The result of the interception attempts is still a matter of controversy. Various sources give figures from 20% to 100% of the destroyed missiles. At the same time, only two or three missiles inflicted significant damage to the enemy.
Reloading an 8K14 rocket from a 2T3M1 transport vehicle to a 9P117M SPU using a KS2573 truck crane, 22nd RBR of the Belarusian army, Tsel settlement, 1994-1996 (photo from Dmitry Shipuli's archive, In the nineties of the last century, the 9K72 "Elbrus" complexes were almost never used in battle. No more than two dozen missiles were fired during several local conflicts. One of the most recent uses of the R-17 missiles dates back to the second Chechen campaign. There is information about the formation in 1999 of a special unit armed with "Elbrus". Over the next year and a half, Russian missile engineers made two and a half hundred launches, including missiles with an expired warranty period. No major problems were reported. According to reports, in the spring of 2001, the 9K72 complexes were transferred for storage.
Except for the former Soviet republics, which got the Elbrus complexes after the collapse of the USSR, the R-17 and R-300 operational-tactical missiles were in service with 16 countries, including Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Vietnam, East Germany, North Korea, Libya, etc..d. After the termination of the existence of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Treaty Organization, some of the missiles produced ended up in the newly independent countries. In addition, the loss by Russia of its former positions in the international arena led to the fact that, with the direct assistance of NATO countries, some operators of the Elbrus complexes removed them from service and disposed of. The reasons for this were the missiles' service life coming to an end, as well as pressure from Western states, which still consider 9K72 an object of increased threat: the possibility of installing even outdated nuclear warheads on the missile affects. Nevertheless, in some countries the Elbrus complexes are still in service and are in operation. Their number is small and constantly decreasing. It looks like in the coming years one of the oldest operational-tactical missile systems will be completely decommissioned around the world.
