In many Russian media, information has appeared about the next successful test of the R-29RMU-2 Sineva ballistic intercontinental missile. The test launch was carried out on May 20 from the Yekaterinburg nuclear submarine, which is part of the Russian Northern Fleet. As indicated in messages with reference to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the launched missile successfully hit the target located in the Kura battlefield in Kamchatka. It should be admitted that it is impossible to classify such a message as sensational, given the fact that the Sineva missile has been in service with the Russian Navy since 2007 and all test launches were carried out with invariably positive results. However, the situation changed dramatically on May 23, when a message came from Miass of the Chelyabinsk Region, which, firstly, no one expected, and, secondly, the information turned out to be really sensational. As indicated in the message, on May 20, a test launch of a ballistic intercontinental missile was actually made from the Yekaterinburg nuclear submarine, but not the Sineva, but a completely new secret Liner missile, created by the engineers of the State Missile Center. Makeeva (Miass). In fact, we are talking about the first test of a completely new strategic weapon of Russia.
If this message is not just another "duck" or just a mistake for the purpose of deception, then we can congratulate the Russian defense industry on its new success. In recent years, the Russian army has been increasingly on a starvation diet in terms of obtaining new types of weapons, and even more so in such a section as strategic weapons. But the question arises why the upcoming tests were not reported earlier? If we recall the story with the Bulava, then everyone was well aware long before the start of the tests, but at the same time, many remember how unsuccessfully the first launches ended. In this situation, there are three possible explanations. First, the military and designers were afraid to find themselves in a pool of criticism. Secondly, it is possible that the mysterious Liner missile is not a new generation weapon, but just an improved Sineva line. Thirdly, the military and the creators of the rocket are also people, and they are not alien to such a concept as omens, and they reinsured themselves so as not to "jinx" the upcoming tests. Of course, the third option is nothing more than a joke, but the first two are quite acceptable. So what is the mysterious weapon of the future called - "Liner".
Many experts are inclined to think that Liner is nothing more than a deeply modernized Sineva. As confirmation of their opinions, they cite the fact that both the Sineva and the new Liner rocket are being assembled at the Machine-Building Plant in Krasnoyarsk. Given this, it is doubtful that the factory workers could have installed a new production line for the manufacture of completely new weapons. The fact that "Liner" is possible and is only an improved continuation of the proven line of strategic weapons does not detract from the merits of the designers. The new missile is essential for our army. First of all, this is due to the fact that, despite all the efforts of the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering, their brainchild, the creation of which began in 1997, has not justified itself. We are talking about a promising solid-propellant missile "Bulava".
The main initiators of the creation of a new ballistic intercontinental missile Bulava on the basis of the Topol solid-propellant missile in 1997 were the then Defense Minister Igor Sergeev and the already former MIT general director Academician Yuri Solomonov. In that version, as it was proposed to implement it, it really was an attractive and, one might say, an excellent project from the economic point of view. At a minimum cost, the armed forces of the Russian Federation were to receive a completely new type of strategic weapon. However, the main difficulty in bringing the project to life was that all previous generations of missiles, and there were three of them, were liquid-propellant for submarines. And they designed them just in the SRC them. Makeeva. For some unknown reason, the staff of the SRC were suspended from further development of the Bulava, and the work on the project was transferred to Academician Solomonov. But along with the transfer of developments to MIT, huge amounts of state defense orders were also transferred.
After obtaining the right to continue the development of the Bulava, there was a period of active theoretical work with advertising speeches in the media, during which the Bulava was presented as something new and perfect. And what is the bottom line? Behind beautiful words hides 14 test launches, of which only 7 were recognized as more or less successful. Beautiful theory and loud statements in fact turned out to be just another chatter. The first nuclear-powered cruiser of Project 955 Borey, named Yuri Dolgoruky, was even built for the Bulava missile. As a result, he remains practically unarmed, and, accordingly, his main fate is to stand at the pier. Realizing the complexity of the situation and, obviously, anticipating a possible question about the funds spent on the creation of the Bulava, Academician Solomonov resigned from the post of MIT CEO. At the same time, he did not withdraw from the design of the rocket and continues to work as one of the designers.
At the same time, the Miass GRTs them. Makeeva, deprived of the right to continue work on the development of the Bulava, was able to prove his scientific and technical power. In particular, it was the designers of this center that in 2007 donated the Sineva missile to the Russian Navy, which, of course, works not on solid, but on liquid fuel, but at the same time allows us to talk about the modernization of sea-based nuclear missile weapons. The test launches of Sineva ended successfully, and this made it possible to install missiles on missile carriers of Project 667BDRM, which include the Yekaterinburg nuclear submarine.
But here's the question, since 2007, when the Miassians handed over the Sineva missile to the Navy, there is not a single message about what the designers have been working on all this time. Some time ago, the media flashed information that in the SRC them. Makeyev began the design development of their own weapons for installation on cruisers of Project 955. The idea of creating a solid-propellant rocket was discarded, a new product is being created on the basis of the same well-proven Sineva. The future ballistic intercontinental missile seems to have received the code name R-29RMU3 (code "Sineva-2").
At the same time, if further development of the Bulava is abandoned, the Yury Dolgoruky will have no destiny, the silos of which are designed for missiles of a smaller size than the liquid-propellant Sineva. In fact, it was built under the solid-propellant Bulava. Now there are two options: the first, least of all realistic - the continuation of work on the Bulava, and the second, more realistic, but at the same time associated with colossal financial costs option - the re-equipment of the existing silos for larger missiles.
Proceeding from the fact that there were problems with the armament of the cruiser "Yuri Dolgoruky", perhaps the new missile "Liner" is the most realistic way out of the situation. According to unconfirmed information, the following option was proposed in Miass: slightly increase the diameter of the first and second stages and at the same time reduce the length. The proposed version also indicates that the engines of the first and second stages can be borrowed from the R-29RMU2, and the onboard control complex - from the R-29RMU2 (from the Bulava). It is possible that the new rocket, assembled from the best that is in Sinev and Bulava, is the mysterious Liner rocket, which was launched on May 20 from Yekaterinburg.
