In May 2005, the duty of the 15P961 Molodets military railway missile systems (BZHRK), armed with RT-23 UTTH intercontinental missiles, was terminated. The reason for this was some international agreements concerning the reduction of offensive potentials, as well as the entry into service of the Topol-M mobile ground complex. Since then, the topic of creating new systems of this class has repeatedly become the subject of discussions, but the matter has not yet reached any specific solutions. Until now, all official statements about the possibility of resuming the construction of the BZHRK had only the most general formulations like "we are considering the issue" or "a return is possible in the future."
Unexpected news came just yesterday. According to the RIA Novosti agency, design work is already in full swing, the purpose of which is to create a new combat railway missile system. A certain unknown source in the Russian military-industrial complex also told Novosti journalists about the approximate deadline for the completion of the work. According to him, the first prototypes of the new BZHRK can be assembled by 2020. As a result, the adoption of this complex, if it takes place, will occur in the early twenties. Other details of the project are still unknown.
The removal from duty of 15P961 missile systems occurred due to the terms of the START II treaty. Despite all the difficulties with the ratification of this agreement, as a result, the BZHRKs were nevertheless taken off duty and disposed of. As for the newest START III treaty, its terms do not prohibit the creation and operation of railway-based missile systems. For this reason, over the past years, proposals have been regularly heard regarding the restoration of old BZHRK or the construction of new ones, including those for new projects. In favor of the revival of the old idea, the same fact is always cited: Russia has a developed railway network that can be used for the constant movement of special trains with missiles. At the same time, missiles can be launched from almost any section of the path. At one time, it was the mobility of railway complexes that became the reason for the start of full-scale research and design work.
It is worth noting that when developing the 15P961 BZHRK, the designers of the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau and several related organizations had to solve a whole range of problems necessary for the successful integration of the missile system with the train. First of all, it was necessary to ensure the correct distribution of weight so that the BZHRK did not damage the tracks. The launch weight of the RT-23 UTTKh rocket was 104 tons, and about 45-50 tons more accounted for the launch system. Because of this, several interesting solutions had to be applied to unload the undercarriage of the cars. In addition, all the special equipment of the complex had to be placed in the dimensions of standard cars, which, moreover, had to have an unremarkable appearance. Finally, the launch of the rocket from the railway launch complex caused a lot of different questions: the car with the launcher eventually had to be equipped with a special system to divert the contact wires aside, and after the mortar launch, the rocket itself was deflected to the side so that the engine gases did not damage the cars, tracks, etc.. NS.
The creation of a new analogue of the old 15P961 will be associated with exactly the same problems. Probably, the development of rocket and electronic technology will somewhat facilitate the task, but not so much that it would be possible to create a new BZHRK in a short time. For example, it is possible to use missiles that have a lower launch mass compared to the RT-23 UTTH, for example, Topol-M or Yars missiles. However, some features of launching from a railway installation will require certain modifications. It should also be noted that all work on the topic of the new BZHRK will have to be done anew, without using the old Soviet experience. The fact is that the main design research, including on the topic of ground elements of the Molodets complex, was carried out by the Yuzhnoye design bureau, now located on the territory of independent Ukraine. There are well-founded doubts about the possibility of this organization participating in the development of a new BZHRK. So Russian designers will have to independently develop all the systems of the new railway complex, using only the documentation that has been preserved in our country.
All technical problems, if desired and with the right approach, can be solved. If a new combat railroad missile system is created, then it, first of all, will affect international relations. At one time, the United States, by hook or by crook, tried to achieve, at least, the termination of the departure of the BZHRK to the railway network of the Soviet Union, and then Russia. Despite certain external differences from conventional trains - first of all, as many as three DM62 diesel locomotives - the railway complexes remained a rather difficult target for detection and attack. All the cars of Molodets, including the launchers, were disguised as “civilian” passenger, freight or refrigerator cars. Because of this, reliable detection of the BZHRK by means of satellite reconnaissance was possible only after the train entered the position for rocket firing, during preparation for the launch of the rocket. As a result, the Americans managed to achieve first the cancellation of the departure of trains with missiles outside their bases, and then the removal of the complexes from service. It is noteworthy that the Russian leadership delayed removing the 15P961 complexes from service until the production of Topol-M soil mobile complexes was launched.
Taking into account the foreign reaction to the old railway-based missile systems, it is not difficult to guess how NATO countries, and above all the United States, will react to a new similar project. It is worth waiting for rhetoric of different kinds, but of the same meaning: Russia will again be accused of bad intentions, the topic of the “unfinished” Cold War will again be raised, and so on and so forth. In general, such a reaction will be more than understandable. BZHRK pose a great danger to a potential enemy, and their mobility can greatly interfere with anti-missile systems. Back in the eighties of the last century, American engineers calculated that with a nuclear missile strike by one and a half hundred R-36M missiles aimed at destroying 25 railway complexes, the probability of hitting the latter is no more than ten percent. Thus, railroad missile systems are becoming one of the most elusive components of nuclear forces, along with submarines.
With all the advantages of a technical and tactical nature, combat railway missile systems are not without drawbacks. First of all, it is the complexity of creation and operation. In addition, the travel of rocket trains on public railways can be the subject of criticism of various kinds, from political and international to environmental and moral. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of such systems in the aspect of deterrence has already been proven in practice and confirmed by the reaction of foreign countries. So, before starting the development of new railway missile systems, the political and military leadership of the country needs to decide which is more important: the security of the state or its international image. It is worth noting that the persistence and systematic advancement of their ideas, including those concerning the BZHRK, as a result, can stop foreign indignations, showing their uselessness.
Unfortunately, so far there is no official data on the development of a new combat railway missile system. Moreover, the very existence of such works is still known only from incomprehensible anonymous sources. Therefore, at first it would not hurt to wait for the official statements of the Ministry of Defense. Moreover, these statements can become a starting point for a specific foreign reaction. The main thing after that is not to forget that your own safety is much more important than the next accusations of unfriendly intentions.
