To restore justice and remind everyone about the greatness of the Soviet Union, about the forgotten victory of domestic designers, who outstripped their project of an intercontinental cruise missile, time itself is devoted …
The history of the Tempest project
1953 year. The USSR conducts successful tests of a hydrogen bomb. The Soviet Union becomes a nuclear power.
But the presence of a nuclear bomb does not mean that the country possesses nuclear weapons. Weapons must be able to be used against the enemy, and this requires a means of delivering a nuclear bomb to the enemy's territory. The delivery of the bomb by strategic planes was almost immediately rejected - the former allies in World War II tightly surrounded the Soviet Union with dozens of NATO military bases.
The only option remained was to create a nuclear bomb carrier rocket capable of flying at a supersonic speed, significantly exceeding the speed of sound, and deliver the bomb to enemy territory.
First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee N. S. Khrushchev gives instructions to create an aircraft capable of delivering nuclear weapons to the United States. At the end of 1953, the government instructs the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers Malyshev, in whose department the entire atomic and nuclear energy was located, to begin work on the development of this project. Malyshev instructs the aircraft designer Lavochkin and his deputy Chernyakov to deal with this project. The project is named "The Tempest".
Lavochkin appoints Chernyakov as the chief designer of the project in his OKB-301.
The latest technologies used in the Tempest project:
- the aircraft had an incredible flight speed of more than 3M for that time;
- the range of the world's first launch vehicle is about 8,000 kilometers;
- for the first time astronavigation is used for flights;
- for the first time developed and created a ramjet engine;
- for the first time a vertical launch is used to launch an aircraft;
- Titanium is used for the first time in the construction of an aircraft.
- for the first time, the newest technology of titanium welding production is being introduced.
Design work on the KRMD is fully ready by the end of 1954. The rocket was two-stage. The USSR Ministry of Defense practically approves the project, however, making minor changes. The revised sketch is ready in 1955. The project has been approved. Prototype work begins.
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b] Main devices and equipment of the Tempest project.
The enormous production capacity of the Soviet Union was used to create the world's first supersonic intercontinental missile as a means of delivering nuclear weapons to enemy territory.
The basis of the launch vehicle is an aircraft designed according to an aircraft scheme with a mid-position delta wing with a 70-degree sweep along the leading edge. "The Tempest" had a thin supersonic profile and a cylindrical body, tapering on both sides.
Inside, along the hull, there was an air intake for the "RD-12" propulsion ramjet engine, developed by the designers of OKB-670. The ramjet engine produced almost 8 tons of thrust.
The head of the rocket body was made as a supersonic diffuser equipped with a three-stage cone.
The nuclear munition was located in the diffuser, in its head. The fuel tanks were made in the form of rings, which were located around the circumference of the air channel.
The tail unit was equipped with aerodynamic rudders. Aerodynamics control was located in a special forward fuselage compartment. The compartment had its own cooling. It housed astronavigation equipment. Additionally, this equipment was protected by refractory quartz plates.
The inertial navigation system - the work of designers under Tolstousov, astronavigation equipment - the work of OKB-165 designers - is called "Earth". The Volkhov instrument complex is the work of the designers of the NII-49.
In the final section, "Tempest", according to the commands of the autopilot and guidance system, being at an altitude of about 25,000 meters, began to dive at the target, gaining a fantastic speed at that time.
In 1955, the project was submitted for consideration, after which the weight of the nuclear weapon was increased, which led to an overall increase in the mass of the "Tempest".
The first stage was developed by the designer Isaev, for her in 1954, the development of the C2.1000 four-chamber rocket engine with a turbo pump began. The accelerators created a thrust of 65 tons at the start. The weight of the 1st stage ready for start was 54 tons. Jet engines delivered the Tempest to an altitude of about 18 kilometers. At this altitude, the separation of the first stage and the launch of the second stage took place. The accelerators were created at the plant # 207.
By the beginning of the tests, the RD-012U ramjet engine had undergone several major changes. As a result, the engine turned out with a slightly reduced combustion chamber with a diameter of 17 centimeters, had a THA and a control system.
In total SPVRD passed 18 different tests, including as part of a rocket.
The engine has shown its reliability in the new conditions of high temperatures and speeds. RD-012U showed fantastic speed at high altitudes, reaching Mach 3.3. Reliability of work for a time equal to 6 hours has not been achieved by similar projects for quite a long time.
The Tempest could not overcome the distance of 8 thousand kilometers, but this was not the fault of the RD-012U engine.
Tempest tests.
Until the end of 1958, "The Tempest" was pursued by a streak of failures. Eight launches were declared unsuccessful. On December 28, the 9th launch of the Buri was completed. The rocket flight time is just over 5 minutes. 10 and 11 launches brought success to the designers - more than 1300 kilometers at a speed of 3.3 thousand km / h and more than 1750 kilometers at a speed of 3.5 thousand km / h. This was the first success.
On the 12th launch, astronavigation equipment is installed in the rocket, but the launch was unsuccessful.
On the 13th flight, the rocket was lifted by modernized boosters and a shortened RD-012U SPVRD, the flight lasted more than 360 seconds.
14th launch. The rocket covered 4 thousand kilometers. It was a record for almost all flight performance of that time.
The tests were completed on the so-called short route - a distance of 2 thousand kilometers.
Long range trials have begun.
The next four launches took place in the direction from the Caspian Sea to Kamchatka. In the last, 18th launch, the rocket covered a distance of 6.5 thousand kilometers. The 18th launch took place in mid-December 1960.
The ramjet engine worked fine, the fuel consumption exceeded the expected calculations. Deviation from the target at this distance turned out to be 5-6 kilometers. And although the rocket did not reach 8 thousand kilometers, but the last launches gave confidence about the possible overcoming of this figure.
The documentation preparation of the rocket for serial production began.
The fate of the Tempest.
In addition to the Tempest project, the Soviet Union had several similar projects for nuclear warhead carrier rockets. All but one have been closed or discontinued. This one is the project of the R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile, which was carried out by the aircraft designer Korolev. It was this rocket that became the basis of the first satellite of the Earth launched into orbit, a manned flight into space.
The rocket met all the requirements set for the launch vehicle project, and it went into mass production.
The leadership of the Soviet Union decides to reduce developments in this area and focus on modernizing and improving the launch vehicle that has gone into serial production.
Aircraft designer Lavochkin, head of the Tempest design bureau, tried to save the project under any pretext, for example, as a target missile or UAV.
But Lavochkin dies. The Tempest no longer finds support, and the development of a unique project stops.
There are 5 Tempest prototypes left. Four of them were used and launched for the design development of the UAV-photo reconnaissance aircraft and target development for the Dal air defense complex.
A total of 19 prototypes of the Tempest project were created.
Interesting.
At about the same time, 56-58, the United States was developing and testing the NAVAHO G-26 supersonic missile and the G-38 intercontinental missile. 11 missile launches were made. All ended unsuccessfully. The program for their creation has been completely discontinued.
Main technical data:
- length - 19.9 meters;
- diameter - 1.5 meters;
- interblock length - 5.2 meters;
- height - 6.65 meters;
- wingspan - 7.7 meters;
- weight - 97 tons, after modifications - 130 tons;
- warhead weight - 2.2 tons, after modifications - 2.35 tons;
- oxidizing agent - nitric acid;
- fuel amines kerosene.
And the last thing.
If Korolev had not created and successfully tested the R-7 launch vehicle, then the unique Tempest would have taken its place in history.
