RSS-40 Kuryer
In October of 1991 the USSR rejected development of a new small, mobile ICBM undertaken by the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering (MIT) State Enterprise. The Kuryer was not inferior to its American counterpart, the small, mobile Midgetman missile complex. This system could have taken the place of Topol-M.
By another account, this missile would not have been a small-medium size ICBM, such as the Midgetman or the Topol-M, but rather would have been a heavy ICBM, such as the Peacekeeper or the Russian SS-24.
In any event, flight tests were ready to begin, but by some accounts the Soviet political leadership yielded to US pressure and the tests were not performed. However, the basic components of the system were tested. This missile was designed to incorporate new materials, for example, new fuel and control system as well as other new design and technological solutions.
The SS-X-26 heritage comes from the former Soviet Unions, Ukrainian solid propellant works branch of the Yuzhnoy Yangel design bureau. Research was cancelled on the development of the SS-X-26, Kuryer large solid propellant super ICBM. The logistic mass handling issues of this large SS-X-26 ICBM concept had always brought into question whether this design was truly viable. With the collapse of the former Soviet Union one of the first Western desired actions was for the Ukraine to destroy both the facilities and the capability to produce the SS-X-26. This was in fact done.
In any event, the R-500, SS-26 NATO designation was eventually applied to the completely unrealted and much smaller Iskander SPIDER B. The SS-X-28 designation was applied to the 15Zh53 SS-20 Mod 3.
