At the end of 1976, according to a decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the design bureau under the leadership of V. Chelomey begins to develop a project of a universal long-range missile system. The rocket was immediately developed in 3 versions:
- sea-based for submarines of the PLARK 949M / 675 / K-420 type;
- airborne for strategic aircraft of the Tu-160/95 type;
- ground-based for installation on mobile launchers.
The design sketches were defended at the end of 1978, a naval version, at the beginning of 1979, an aircraft-based one. The creation and assembly of cruise missiles took place at the facilities of the Khrunichev plant, the development and creation of engines for the booster stage was carried out by the Khrunichev design bureau.
Sea version - complex "Meteorite-M"
In May 1980, the first tests of the naval modification of the rocket began. The tests were carried out from a ground test stand. The tests were unsuccessful - UKR "Meteorite" was unable to leave the launcher. The next three test launches were also unsuccessful. On the fifth launch, the cruise missile successfully left the launcher and flew to a range of about 50 kilometers. There is information that launches from a submersible stand were carried out in the Black Sea. Subsequently, launches were carried out from the K-420 submarine of project 667M. Until 1988, at least 30 launches of the KR 3M25 were made.
The main problems identified by the tests:
- operation of the correction system for the RK radar image of the territory;
- work of the plasma formation system (protection complex);
- the work of the main engine.
Since 1988, state tests of the "Meteorite-M" begin with the UKR BD 3M-25 together with the main carrier of the K-420 SSGN. Nuclear submarines K-420 are re-equipped SSBNs of Project 667A. The submarine was equipped with inclined launchers SM-290. Initially, it was planned to install launchers unified with Granit missiles, but when the submarine was refurbished, it became obvious that such a solution was not possible to implement. The slope of the launchers was 45 degrees. The missiles were launched from submerged launchers. The missiles were launched from depths of up to 40 meters at a speed of less than 10 knots.
The main characteristics of the SSGN K-420:
- displacement - 13.6 thousand tons;
- dimensions - 152 / 14.7 / 8.7 meters;
- diving slave / max - 380/450 meters;
- speed over / under water - 15/23 knots;
- armament: 12 launchers with missiles 3M25, 4 TA caliber 533mm, 2 TA caliber 400mm.
The launches were carried out both from the ground test stand and from the submarine. A total of 50 launches of 3M-25 were made. The ratio of unsuccessful and successful launches is 50:50. At the end of 1989, the development of the Meteorite-M marine complex was stopped based on the results of state tests. Launchers and missiles are removed from the nuclear submarine, and it, like a torpedo submarine in 1990, is put into operation by the Navy.
Aviation option - complex "Meteorite-A"
Since the ground tests of the missiles were carried out for the naval complex, the aviation complex was immediately tested from the aircraft carrier. All launches were made from Tu-95MA (approximately 20 launches).
Initially, the KR for the Meteorite-A complex was called Product 255. The rocket was suspended on a wing pylon, from where it was launched. It was first launched in early 1984 - the launch was unsuccessful. The next launch was also unsuccessful. Subsequently, the 3M-25A missiles were almost completely finalized and tested at the Kapustin Yar test site. Due to the short length of the test site, the tests were carried out with a turn of 180 degrees, which was a non-standard solution for missiles with speeds of about 3M. However, although the complex was already ready, in 1992 its development also stopped.
Ground option - complex "Meteorite-N"
The Meteorite-N ground complex with a 3M-25N missile was developed, built, and tested, presumably, in 1981. Structurally, it resembled a naval version of the complex with the UKR BD 3M-25. To create the complex, stealth technologies were developed, which were later used for other projects. The likely reason for the termination of the creation of "Meteorite-N" - the Treaty on the reduction of the INF Treaty.
KR BD 3M-25 "Thunder"
The peculiarity of the missile is a unique complex for overcoming enemy air defenses. It was called a protection complex with a plasma formation system. The plasma generator, working forward, provided masking of the air intake of the main engine. However, flaws in the high-voltage equipment of the system very often led to accidents. In addition, to ensure the protection of the missile, an electronic warfare complex was installed, which independently released false towed targets.
The rocket is made according to the aerodynamic design of the "duck" type with a triangular folding wing, as well as a folding lower tail. The engine air intake is made under the fuselage. An autonomous system of inertial type was installed in the rocket with correction of the readout data of the radar RK image of the territories. A powerful on-board computer was used to process the information of the radar. To carry out combat flights of the Kyrgyz Republic in the fleet, a computer center was created for the development of digital maps with an accurate correction system. The tests of the rocket revealed big problems in the use of the correction system, but by the beginning of 1981, a solution was found in the form of recognizing the contours of the contrast image. This solution is later recognized as promising and recommended for use on the UBB 15F178 and Albatross intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The stage of the launch acceleration for the sea and land missiles were the same. It was installed under a rocket with two liquid-propellant rocket engines, developed by the Voronezh KBKhA. RD-0242 provided a total thrust of 24 tons and had controllable rotary nozzles. For the withdrawal from under the water 3M-25 were used 2 starting solid propellants. Stage engines - modernized first stage engines from the 15A20 / UR-100K intercontinental. The pneumohydraulics system is very similar to that of the R-29 (4K75) underwater ballistic missile. The developer (KBKhA) carried out 48 tests - 96 engines. The combat time of the stage is 32 seconds. For the aviation 3M-25A, it was first planned to install an accelerating solid propellant engine, but in the final version it was absent.
Main engine - turbojet KR-23 (KR-93). Developed at the Ufa moto-building association "Motor". It was assumed that the SRS would accelerate the missiles to a super speed of more than Mach one, at which the main engine was supposed to start working. However, this was never achieved in trials. The engine produced a thrust of 10 tons (ground) and 8 tons (height 24 kilometers).
To launch the MD, it was necessary to use the SRS compartment at speeds less than Mach one. This resulted in a loss in flight range. New high-energy fuel is used to compensate. Although it was more expensive, it provided the rocket with a flight to the required range. A stabilization compartment was installed in the tail of the KR, after dropping which a turbo starter or a spinning solid propellant engine of a disk design with tangential nozzles was launched. It was installed at the rear end of the turbine shaft. Having started the turbine, it was disconnected and thrown out through the nozzle. The turbine went into afterburner mode, in which, after working for a couple of tens of seconds, it went into normal operation.
In total, about 100 units of the KR 3M25 / 3M25A were created, 70 units were used in tests. In 1993, when the development of the UKR BD Thunder was completely stopped, 15 units of finished products 3M-25 remained at the plant's facilities.
Missile carriers:
- for the "Monolit-M" complex, it was originally planned to use the Project 949M SSGN, but unification with the "Granit" complex was not carried out. After it was planned to install the complex on the SSGN of project 675, but this project was not implemented. The next step was the proposed re-equipment of the Project 667M SSGN to the K-420 SSGN. The submarine with the number 432 was refitted at the Sevmash association for two years. The K420 SSGN was launched on 1982-15-10. Installed 12 launchers "Monolit-M", which is why the total length of the submarine has increased by 20 meters. The missile compartment was expanded to 15 meters. The following systems and complexes have been installed: Klever, Korshun-44, Andromeda, Tobol-AT, Molniya-LM1, Rubicon, Bor.
- Tu-95MS strategic bomber was re-equipped for the Monolit-A complex. The aircraft number 04 was converted at the Taganrog aircraft plant. The launch vehicle was installed on the SU RK "Lira" and two pylons under the wing.
Today
In August 2007, at the MAKS-2007 airshow, a rocket of the maritime complex without an SRS was presented, on which was the inscription "Meteorite-A".
Main characteristics of 3M-25 / 3M-25A:
- length - 12.5 / 12.8 meters;
- diameter - 0.9 meters;
- wing - 5.1 meters;
- starting weight - 12.6 tons;
- weight of KR without CPC - 6380/6300 kilograms;
- range - 5 thousand kilometers;
- cruising speed - up to 3 M (3500 km / h);
- cruising altitude - 20-24 kilometers;
- warhead weight - one ton (nuclear charge);
- flight time - more than 60 minutes.
