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RT-22 complex + 15Zh43 solid ICBM

By decision of the military-industrial commission on 27 December 1968, the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau was entrusted with the development of a preliminary design for the RT-22 Combat Railway Missile Complex [BZhRK] with a solid-fuel rocket 15Zh43. At the same time, the launch mass of the developed missile was to be determined on the basis of the dimensions of the silo launchers of the RT-2 and UR-100 missiles in service, as well as the possibility of creating a mobile railway-based complex.

Proceeding from this requirement, the starting mass of the rocket 15Zh43 at the intercontinental range was 70 tons. In the conclusions of the NII-4 of the Ministry of Defense, the NTC of the Missile Forces, the NTS of the Ministry of General Machine Building and TsNIIMash, a positive assessment was made of the materials developed. In the period of 1969-1973, the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, under chief designer M.K.Yangel, together with the KBCM and the cooperative, initiated the work on the creation of a 15P943 combat railway missile system with a rocket-22 (15Zh43) with a launch weight of up to 75 tons. This was preceded by a series of studies, design studies and research on the development of BZHRK for medium-range liquid-fueled missile R-12, solid-propellant ICBMs RT-20P and RT-21.

The project of the mobile railway strategic missile complex 15P943 with the placement of the solid-fuel ICBM RT-22 was carried out in 1969. The RT-22 rocket was developed in two versions with a starting weight of 69.4 and 75 tons. In both versions, the ICBM had three solid-fuel stages. For the first stage of the rocket, the RDTT 15D122 weighing 43 tons was developed. The weight of the missile in the TPK reached 80 tons. With a maximum shell diameter of 2.0 meters, the length of the ICBM could be 20.7 meters.

The ICBM worked with an inertial control system. For the rocket several variants of combat equipment were worked out, including a monoblock and divided head of individual guidance (MIRVs). In the last configuration on the rocket, there were three combat blocks weighing 300 kg with a nuclear charge of about 200 Kt. In the monoblock variant, the charge power could be 1 Mt, the weight of the unit being 610 kg.

During work on RT-22 in KB-5 KB "Yuzhnoye" a large-size solid-fuel engine 15D122 was created. When it was tested, 16 test fireings were conducted. The rocket was cold-launched from the tube with a "powder pressure accumulator" (PAD), after the exit of the container, the first stage engine of the ICBM was ignited. The maximum range of ICBM firing could be up to 10,000 km, while the estimated accuracy of the firing (CEP) was of the order of 2000 to 3000 m. The minimum range was 2,000 km.

The launch complex, including a railway launcher, and a set of ground equipment for this missile complex were developed in the Leningrad KBCM (formerly TsKB-34). In the structure of one train [BZHRK], it was proposed to have 15 wagons of various purposes: six starting cars-SM-SP-35 launchers, four special-purpose wagons (control command post, communication point, etc.), five general wagons (ensuring the functioning of the BZHRK, composition, etc.). To provide the movement of the train of the BZHRK there was to be one locomotive of the type 2Te10L. Each CM-SP-35 launch car provided transportation and launch of one RT-22 ICBM.

It turned out that in each BZHRK (missile regiment) there were six ICBMs. The Central Design Bureau of Transport Engineering of the Ministry of Heavy and Transport Mechanical Engineering of the USSR, Kalinin, was involved in the works. This design bureau in 1971 and 1972 developed the design documentation for the wagons for the command post of control and the transmitting radio station of the combat railway complex 15P943. Within the framework of the work, an explanatory note was prepared for the sketch designs of these cars, working drawings, the program and testing procedure for Lazur wagons.

In addition to the mobile basing of RT-22 ICBMs, other variants of its deployment were also considered. One of them was a single silo. The silo ["mine"] launch unit [PU] SM-SP27 for RT-22, developed by KB-4 KBMC as part of a draft design in 1966, was a prototype for the subsequent missiles developed by the missile complex 15A15, 15A16, 15A11, 15ZH44, 15ZH60, since in this project for the first time the main ideas that were put into the future projects of the PU were realized: a rotary protective device driven by a powder gas generator; pendulum suspension scheme TPK with a rocket in the cradle with the placement of horizontal depreciation devices on it.

The results of the work on the RT-22 complex with a 15Z43 missile were reported to the country's leadership and received approval. In the development of this decision, the military-industrial commission on December 31, 1969 entrusted with the creation of a railway complex with a rocket 15J43 with the aim of verifying its operational and combat qualities. Accordingly, by order of the Ministry of General Mechanical Engineering of the USSR of January 13, 1970, the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau was first tasked with the full-scale development of a combat railway complex with a solid-propellant rocket weighing about 80 tons.

In the conclusions of the preliminary design of the complex with the RT-22 missile, the head institute of the Ministry of Defense - NII-4 MO and the head institute of the USSR Ministry of Defense - TsNIIMash - gave positive assessment to the developed projects.

But it was not possible to move to the next stage of the development of BZHRK. The customer was not satisfied with the effectiveness of the missile, the high cost and duration of the complex. As a result, in 1973, work on this program was discontinued. But the executed design works have shown the possibility of a significant increase in the energy of the rocket due to the use of new fuels.

The work on the RT-22 ICBMs was officially stopped in 1973. Further work in this direction was continued with another solid-fuel ICBM RT-23. Under the leadership of Chief Designer M.K. Yangelya, and since October 1970 the acting president. Chief Designer, since October 29, 1971 Chief Designer V.F. Utkin, on the basis of developments on solid-fuel rockets RT-21 (15Zh41) and RT-22 (15Zh43), the design of a new complex with the RT-23 ICBM began.