In about 6 years, the Strategic Missile Forces of Russia should receive a new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which will be able to overcome the American missile defense system. This was announced in early September by the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces of Russia, Colonel-General Sergei Karakaev. According to him, the development of a new rocket, which will be liquid, will end in 2018. The new missile will replace the world's heaviest ballistic missile, the R-36M2 Voyevoda, known in the west as the SS-18 Satan. Like the Voevoda, the new missile, which does not yet have a name, will use a mine-based method.
The development of a new ICBM is Moscow's reaction to US plans to deploy components of its global missile defense system in Europe, in close proximity to Russia's borders. According to Moscow, such plans of Washington violate the existing global balance of nuclear forces in the world. At the same time, Washington insists that the missile defense system being deployed in Europe is directed against the threat posed by unpredictable countries, which include Iran and the DPRK.
According to the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces of Russia, Sergei Karakaev, the Topol and Yars class solid-propellant missiles currently in service are not enough to overcome the missile defense of a potential enemy. Liquid-propellant rockets are best suited for these purposes. Another reason for the development of such missiles is the development of the resource of the still Soviet ICBMs R-36M2 Voevoda and UR-100N UTTH, which cannot be extended beyond 2020. According to information for 2012, the Strategic Missile Forces includes 388 deployed strategic carriers, on which there are 1290 warheads. At the same time, the Strategic Missile Forces are still armed with 58 R-36M Voevoda missiles (580 charges) and 70 UR-100N UTTH missiles (420 charges). That is, the vast majority of Russian nuclear warheads are deployed on missiles whose service life will expire in the very near future.
Last Friday, September 7, the military revealed some details about a new Russian liquid-fueled ICBM, which is being developed to replace the R-36M2 Voevoda missiles. Details about the new missile were revealed by the adviser to the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces of Russia, Colonel-General Viktor Esin. According to him, development work on the creation of a new rocket has already begun, and the task for its development was approved in 2011. The State Center (GRTs) named after Makeev (the city of Miass) is the main developer of the rocket, and the Reutov NPO Mashinostroyenia also participates in the creation of the rocket. These two enterprises constitute a first-level cooperation. The Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant will have to act as a manufacturer of missiles.
The new rocket will carry up to 10 false blocks and bring up to 5 tons of payload to the calculated trajectory. While modern solid-propellant ground missiles "Yars" carry 4-6 such blocks, Yesin said. According to him, an increase in the number of false blocks will make it possible to more effectively disorient the missile defense system of a potential enemy. At the same time, the payload of the new liquid-propellant rocket will 4 times exceed the payload of the Yars rocket. The payload of the RS-24 Yars ICBM is 1.2 tons, while the new rocket will be able to put 5 tons of payload into orbit. Payload is the number of warheads, various sets of means for overcoming enemy missile defense, as well as active jamming. According to the general, the new missile will have much greater capabilities to overcome the missile defense system created by the Americans. But it will also have its disadvantages, to which he attributed the presence of "aggressive" components in its composition.
According to the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, one should not rule out the possible deployment by the Americans of the space echelon of missile defense strike weapons, since the states are conducting experimental design and research work in this direction. Given these factors, the potential of Russian small-sized solid-propellant missiles may not be enough to overcome a promising missile defense system. For these purposes, heavy liquid-propellant ICBMs with a launch mass of about 100 tons would be best suited, which surpass similar solid-propellant missiles in such an important quality as the ratio of the launch mass to the payload. This kind of missiles can only be used mine-based.
Earlier it was reported that the new missiles will be placed in the same silos that are now used to house the R-36M2 Voevoda missiles. At the same time, a deep modernization of missile silos is envisaged, within the framework of which it is planned to re-equip them technologically, as well as to create a qualitatively new level of fortification protection using elements of active and passive anti-missile defense. These measures are designed to significantly increase the survivability of silo launchers from the impact of means of destruction of a potential enemy, both conventional and nuclear.
The new liquid-propellant ICBM will have to replace the R-36M2 Voevoda rocket, which was put into service in 1988, which is capable of throwing up to 10 tons of payload into orbit. At present, it is the Voevoda missile that forms the basis of the ground component of the strategic nuclear forces (SNF) for deterring Russia. There are still 58 such missiles on constant alert, each carrying 10 warheads. In total, this gives a third of all nuclear warheads allowed by Russia under the latest Russian-American START treaty.
At the same time, the service life of these missiles is slowly but inexorably coming to an end and has already been extended several times. After 2020, in any case, they should be completely removed from service. With the help of modern Russian solid-propellant ICBMs Topol-M and Yars, Russia will not be able to achieve a balance with the Americans in 1550 deployed nuclear warheads. The Topol-M missiles have only one nuclear charge, the RS-24 Yars missiles have 3 such charges, but the rate of commissioning of such missiles does not exceed 10-15 units per year.
According to Colonel General Sergei Karakaev, after the Voevoda ICBM is removed from service, the new missile will become the heaviest of all the remaining ones. Its weight of 100 tons will be quite enough, the general noted. Today it is not necessary to have a rocket weighing 211 tons, as was the case with Voevoda, today new technologies have been created, which, with a significantly smaller mass, allow to achieve an even greater effect. At the same time, Voevoda possesses an outdated anti-missile defense system, which is not as perfect as it is now. On this missile, passive means of jamming were mainly used, while in the new complexes active ones are used, their radio emitters dazzle the guidance heads of anti-missiles. Currently, such a system is used on the latest domestic solid-propellant missiles: land-based - "Yars" and sea-based - "Bulava". According to Viktor Yesin, effective means of combating such false targets have not yet been developed.
Andrei Frolov, editor-in-chief of the Arms Export magazine, believes that a modern medium-weight ICBM is necessary for Russia. Light "Topols" and "Yarsami" will not completely close all existing problems, moreover, liquid-propellant missiles with a large payload mass will have more opportunities and reserves to modernize and equip the missile with more complex, maneuvering warheads, as well as new systems to overcome systems missile defense. At the same time, both the USSR and Russia have always been strong in liquid engines, while in solid fuels we have always lagged behind the United States. Taking into account the entire current situation, it can hardly be said that the situation in the domestic chemical industry has improved.
The expert also drew attention to the fact that it is much more difficult for solid-propellant rockets to extend their service life. While liquid-propellant rockets can simply drain the fuel, then disinfect the tanks and pump in new fuel, with solid-fuel rockets, if the fuel cracks, the rocket has to be removed from service.
At the same time, not everyone is optimistic about the development of new missiles. In particular, Yuri Solomonov, the general designer of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, who created the Bulava rocket, believes that the creation of a new large liquid-propellant ballistic missile is an unnecessary waste of money and sabotage. From his point of view, creating a new heavy rocket, for which it will be necessary to redeploy production capacities, is not entirely expedient. Formally speaking, solid-propellant rockets gain speed faster and are more convenient to operate. At the same time, a liquid-propellant rocket can, due to more powerful engines, throw a higher weight.
Vice-President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems Vladimir Anokhin believes that the new ICBM will be an effective means of overcoming the missile defense system. According to him, any breakthrough in rocketry immediately creates a lot of headaches. At one time, the fate of Japan was decided by 2 bombs. If potentially 1, 2 or 4 missiles can reach the territory of the United States, with their modern psychology, panic will begin there. Today in Russia there are gigantic intellectual opportunities and the main problem with the hands that will translate ideas into reality. Vocational schools have been dispersed, there is no continuity in industry, the military-industrial complex is largely based on old people. According to Vladimir Anokhin, diplomatically and politically, everything looks very nice, but technically, there is a gap.
