RVK - Rocket-Helicopter Complex
On the eve of the "X" day, several dozens of Mi-6 and Mi-10 helicopters, moving at extremely low altitudes outside the radar sight of the enemy, reached several hard-to-reach places: islands, impenetrable swamps, inaccessible mountain plateaus. There, from the helicopters, launchers (PU) of tactical and operational-tactical ballistic and cruise missiles were unloaded. The PU went their own way to the hidden firing positions. And at the right moment, dozens of missiles start from areas where the enemy even theoretically did not expect their presence, and cause sudden nuclear strikes at a distance of 60 to 500 km.
This was one of the scenarios of a local nuclear war in the mid-1960s. Where did this semi-fantastic weapon come from: helicopters carrying missile launchers? As it was in most cases, in the 1950-80s, the development of such complexes began with the Yankees, and then the Russians turned out to get "ahead of the whole planet."
Since the 1950s, the armed forces of the Soviet Union mastered the latest helicopter technology, which could perform transport and some other tasks. During the search for new techniques for the use of new rotorcraft, the most original proposals appeared. Among other things, rocket-and-helicopter complexes were launched as part of a tactical missile with a launcher and a specially modified transport helicopter. The complex was not only the most original and bold technical solution, but also the equally bold but absurd idea of secretly delivering the wheeled rocket-launching vehicle through the air and landing it in the rear of the enemy or in hard-to-reach places for the production of a single sudden missile strike.
The appearance of helicopters with a sufficiently large payload seriously affected the development of the armed forces. There was a possibility of rapid transfer of personnel and equipment to one or another point. Among other things, there was a theoretical possibility of transporting tactical ballistic missiles.
Foreign Precedents
The German helicopter FA-223 had carried cannons, parts of bridges, V-2 missiles, other bulky goods that were not moved into the cabing, bur rather on the external suspension. For such operations, post-war multipurpose helicopters began to be equipped with an external suspension system that simplified the loading and unloading, allowing the lifting and lowering of cargo in hard-to-reach terrain, where there was no possibility of landing. This ability of a rotary-winged machine gave birth to the idea of ??creating a specialized crane helicopter. It should have been distinguished by the absence of a cargo cabin, which greatly facilitated and simplified the design. In addition, it did not need a large supply of fuel, since the goods were transported for short distances, and it was to work partly in ground effect. Another concept that gave rise to the construction of such aircraft was the idea of creating them in a single weight category, but with different fuselages optimized for each specific task. However, such a concept required the creation of a large variety of highly specialized helicopters and was economically difficult to implement.
In November 1951, the US Army published Field Manual 100–31, Tactical Use of Atomic Weapons, which incorporated many of the ideas advanced in the professional journals into the service’s first attempt at formulating a tactical nuclear doctrine. The manual expressed the service’s position that atomic weapons were not “absolute” weapons that could end conflicts all by themselves. Instead, they were powerful new weapons that had to be properly integrated into tactical operations. The American use of helicopters in Korea, not just for reconnaissance, but also to deliver supplies and to evacuate casualties from the battlefield had demonstrated the utility of that new technology in a wider range of roles.
In the United States, Sikorsky's HR2S-1 (since 1962 - H-37) Mojave first flight was made on December 18, 1953. This helicopter, which could transport the Honest John nuclear tipped rocket on a sling, continued for several years in the mid-1950s to be the largest and most commercially produced first-generation helicopters. In a record flight that took place in November 1956, the army helicopter H-37A was able to lift a cargo of 6 tons in weight to a height of 2000 meters. Before the Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe helicopter was introduced into service with the US Army, the CH-37 helicopter remained the most powerful army helicopter in the US Army.
Little John was the smallest battlefield delivery system for a nuclear warhead. The entire Little John weapon system, including the lightweight launcher, can be brought into a front-line firing position by an H-34 helicopter (an H-37 is needed to lift Honest John).
In the early 1960s, the US airborne units received a launcher of "Little John" unguided missiles - carriers of nuclear warheads. The aunch unit with the Little John missiles was transported by UH-34 and CH-47 Chinook helicopters, both in the fuselage and on external suspension. The US Army worked on the transportation of helicopters and other missile systems.
Rocket-and-Helicopter Complexes (RVK)
The Soviet leadership closely followed these developments and responded to them with a truly Russian scale. On February 5, 1962, the Council of Ministers issued resolution 135-66 on the creation of three helicopter complexes: 9K53 Luna-MV, 9K73 with a ballistic missile R-17V and a cruise missile S-5V. The whole system of rocket-and-helicopter complexes (RVK) was planned as part of the Mi-6RVK and Mi-10RVK complexes, created on the basis of Mi-6 and Mi-10 helicopters.
By the time of the release of the decree, both helicopters were not only not accepted for service, but they had not passed the end of the flight tests. The Mi-6 helicopter was developed according to the decision of the Council of Ministers on June 11, 1954. The helicopter could transport two ACS-57 self-propelled artillery systems or other equipment weighing up to 12 tons. The first Mi-6 flights began in June 1957. By 1962, 50 MI-6 helicopters had already been built, but by February 1962 the machine was still at the state testing stage, which ended only in December of this year, and the helicopter entered service in 1963.
The resolution of the Council of Ministers on the full-scale development of an even more powerful Mi-10 helicopter came out on February 20, 1958. In June 1960, the first Mi-10 flights began. On September 23, 1961, the Mi-10 set an absolute world record of carrying capacity, lifting a cargo weighing 15.1 tons to a height of 2362 meters. In December 1961, the helicopter was presented for state tests, but was not admitted to them. In this state, Mi-6 and Mi-10 were located at the beginning of work on the missile and helicopter systems.
In the early 1960s the general view was that the basic mission of a rotorcraft of this kind would consist in ensuring the mobility of missile systems. However, several years later, when the Soviet military doctrine changed, this concept had to be abandoned. The Mil OKB had studied a number of heliborne missile systems and heliborne mobile missile servicing stations based on the Mi-10, but only one of them reached the flight test stage in 1965. It was the 9K74 (S-5V) system with the 9P116 launcher and the 4K95 missile, developed in response to the Government directive of 5th February 1965. The missile launcher weighing 12 tonnes (26,455 lb) could be airlifted to the distance of 200 km (124 miles) and could be prepared for launch within five minutes after the landing.
The Mi-6PRTBV could transport to the launch sites the warheads of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), or complete 8K11 and 8K14 intermediate range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) and R-9 and R-10 theater ballistic missiles without their launchers. This version differed from the baseline Mi-6 in having some changes in the equipment of the cargo hold and featuring additional means of concealment. It could deliver 8K11 and 8K14 intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs), or R-9 and R-10 short-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs), or intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) warheads to the launch sites. There was also a variant of the Mi-6PRTBV intended for transporting a cistern with rocket fuel. Bearing no tactical code, the Mi-6PRTBV prototype entered flight test in 1960. Two years later it was recommended for service, but did not enter production.
The Mi-6RVK (raketno-vertolyotnyy kompleks - heliborne missile system) emerged in 1963, when the Mil OKB together with several defence industry enterprises developed and built two heliborne missile systems which were allotted the designations 9K53 and 9K73 (R-17V; better known by its NATO code name SS-1 Scud). They comprised Mi-6 helicopters and light self-propelled launchers with missiles assigned to the Ground Forces: the 9M21 Luna-MV (Moon-MV) SRBM and the 8K114 IRBM respectively. After successful trials the two systems were delivered to the armed forces for operational testing. A small number of the combination 9K73 were produced and deployed in the Soviet Army.
In the 9K53 complex, the Luna-MB missile was mounted on a light self-propelled 9P114 launcher and the winch was dragged into the cargo cabin of the Mi-6 or B-10 helicopter.
RVK 2K52 "Luna-M", developed under the resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 247-104 of March 16, 1961, like the helicopters, had not yet passed state tests. The weight of the Luna-M rocket was 2400-2500 kg, depending on the modification, and the weight of the standard PU 9P113 without a rocket was about 15 tons. Naturally, it was necessary to create a new ultralight launch unit [PU].
The developers of Luna-MV were NII-1 (for the complex) and OKB-329 GKAT (for the adaptation of Mi-6 and V-10 helicopters as launch vehicles 9P114). The helicopter launcher was designed in the design office of the Barrikady plant (now TsKB Titan). As the engine VPU was used carburetor engine M-407 power of 45 hp. from the car "Moskvich". With the Luna-MV, it was possible to shoot 9MB and 9MB1 missiles with special AA-22 and AA-31 combat units, as well as a 9M1F missile with a high-explosive warhead. The maximum range of fire was 68 km, the minimum about 12 km.
During the development of the project, the VPU was modernized and received the Br-257-1 index. The Barricade plant produced two samples of Br-257-1. Factory tests of the first sample took place from September 29 to October 6, 1964, the second from March 12 to March 17, 1965. In 1964, all three launchers of the Luna complex: the Br-231 wheel (GRAU 9P113 index), the track Br-237 (9P112) and the Br-257 helicopter (9P114) - were tested at Rzhevka, near Leningrad. According to the test results of the 9P114 launcher, it was decided to modify it. Ln 1965 the Mi-6RVK (9K53 and 9K74) complex entered the army for experimental operation.
The second RVK was the R-17V complex based on the R-17 guided ballistic missile (GRAU-8K14 index), adopted in 1962. The starting weight of the standard missile 8K14 was 5864 kg, the range of fire was from 50 to 240 km.
For the new 9K73 complex, a simplified and lightweight launcher was developed, capable of transporting the missile over short distances. Such an installation with a missile was to be secretly carried by a heavy Mi-6RVK helicopter to any area, including one where neither wheeled nor tracked vehicles could pass. In 1963, several 9K73 missile and helicopter complexes were built on the basis of Mi-6 helicopters. After factory tests in 1965, the complexes entered the troops for trial operation.
The Mi-10RVK (RVK - raketno-vertolyotnyy kompleks - heliborne missile system) "flying crane" helicopter derived from a Council of Ministers directive of 20 February 1958 tasked OKB-329 (OKB Mil) with the development of a dedicated flying crane helicopter for carrying bulky loads unable to be carried in the hold of a Mi-6. According to the original project, the load under the helicopter was to be hooked up and hoisted into the space under the fuselage and between the undercarriage legs by an LPG-7 winch, whereupon it would be secured by bracing wires. After this the helicopter could take off in ground effect or even with a take-off run. In the course of project development the customer made some changes and additions to the specification. In particular, it was stipulated that provision should be made for airlifting cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.
The third 9K74 missile and helicopter complex was created on the basis of the S-5 cruise missile developed at OKB-52 under the leadership of VN Chelomey. With a launch weight of 5.4 tons, the S-5 missile flew to a range of up to 500 km with a circular probable deviation of 3 km at such a distance.
A ZIL-135V helicopter launcher (GRAU-9P116) was designed at the ZIL plant under the leadership of V.A.Grachev . It had a very original design. The carrying structure was a container with a S-5 missile 1.8 m in diameter, to which the cabin, a gas turbine engine, wheels and so on were fixed. All four wheels had drives from electric motors of the DT-15 type with the power of 22 kW, placed together with the reducing gear reducers in the wheels themselves. The rear wheels were fixed rigidly (without springs) to the body of the launcher. The front, steerable wheels were mounted on vertically arranged pivots and also rigidly fixed to the body.
Electromotors, as well as vertical start-up drives, were powered by a generator connected to a gas turbine GTD-350 engine with a power of 350 hp. 9P116 was intended for movement on small distances - about 20-30 km from the landing point. The height of the launcher was 3263 mm. The weight of the installation (without a rocket) is about 5.5 tons. There were two people in the cabin.
The Mi-10RVK carried complete missiles on launchers were with tractor units to be deployed on landing. Numerous variations of heliborne missile systems were envisaged, but only the 9K74 (aka S-5V) system reached the flight test stage. If in the early 1960s it was assumed that the main purpose of this rotorcraft was to provide mobile basing of missile systems, then several years later, with the change of the military doctrine of the country, this concept had to be abandoned. Of the many ML Mil developed in the Design Bureau on the basis of Mi-10 variants of missile-helicopter systems and mobile missile and technical bases, only the 9K74 (C-5V) with the 9P116 launcher and the rocket was brought to the stage of flight tests in 1965 4K95, created by government decree of February 5, 1965, its take-off mass reached 44.6 tons. A missile system with a mass of 12 tons could be delivered to a range of 200 kilometers and after landing prepared for launch within 5 minutes. Due to the increased take-off weight of 44.6 t (44,600 kg)), the VRK was fitted with low-pressure tyres. Development was abandoned when the 4K95 cruise missile element was discontinued. The missiles of this type were phased out, and work on the Mi-10RVK (raketno-vertolyotnyy kompleks - heliborne missile system), as the variant came to be known, was discontinued.
In 1963, on four such chassis at the plant No. 475, launch containers were mounted. In the Mil Moscow Design Bureau, a 9K74 missile helicopter complex was created on the basis of the Mi-10 helicopter. The helicopter itself received the Mi-10RVK index. Its take-off weight reached 44.6 tons. The 9P116 launcher could be delivered by helicopter to a range of up to 200 kilometers and after landing was prepared for launch within five minutes.
During the tests with the helicopter gunship in Faustovo, several S-5B missiles were launched. The tests revealed a number of significant disadvantages of the 9K74 complex. Among them was a large "sail" helicopter with 9P116 and its demolition by the wind, the range of the helicopter was less than calculated. By decision of the Council of Ministers of November 11, 1965, work on the helicopter launcher was stopped.
The 9K53 and 9K73 rocket-and-helicopter complexes became the first and last developments of their class. After the unsuccessful completion of the two projects, it was decided to abandon the further development of this direction. All subsequent domestic tactical missile systems were created without taking into account the possible joint operation with helicopters of different classes. This allowed the development of projects with reasonable limitations in size and weight, not interfering with the achievement of the required combat characteristics.
The creation of rocket-and-helicopter complexes became a unique phenomenon in the history of military equipment. Why then they were not accepted for service? According to a popular version, Khrushchev became the culprit of this. It seems that in 1964 Leonid Brezhnev was very interested in a miniature 9P114 installation at a show to the government of new equipment in Kubinka. Ilyich was told that Marshal VI Chuikov was already on it and he liked the installation very much. Khrushchev got angry and spoke briefly about the "Luna-MV": "I do not need it." Indeed, Khrushchev did not like Chuikov and in June 1964 he removed him from the post of Deputy Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Land Force. But this story of 911 is just an anecdote.
In fact, the work was stopped not only on the "Luna-MV" but also on other complexes. And that complex was lobbied not only by Chelomey himself, but also by his subordinate Sergei Nikitich Khrushchev. And indeed later in his memoirs Sergei Khrushchev wrote: "The S-5 rocket existed only thanks to my father's invisible support."
Work on the missile and helicopter complex was discontinued in 1965, when the pensioner Nikita Sergeevich was engaged in solely dacha affairs. The rocket-and-helicopter complexes in the mid -1960s were a masterpiece of engineering and design thought, but their application would be effective only in extremely rare cases. Apparently, this was the reason for the termination of work in the RVC.
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