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RT-2PM - SS-25 SICKLE - Development

The development of a future missile system with an intercontinental ballistic missile, later called Topol, began in the mid-seventies. The work was carried out at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering (MIT) under the direction of A.D. Nadiradze. The designers studied the possibility of creating a new complex based on a three-stage solid-propellant ICBM. It was planned to be used with mobile launchers based on one of the promising chassis. In the new project, it was planned to use certain developments on existing complexes of a similar appearance.

Development of the RT-2PM was approved on July 19, 1977 and carried out by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology headed by A. D. Nadiradzye. Flight tests were conducted on the Plesetsk test site from February through December 1985. The main problem that had to be overcome during this period was the development of battle management system. After the first test series was successfully conducted in April 1985, with the first regiment with Topol missiles put on alert in July 1985. Throughout this time work continued on improving the battle management system. The first regiment of "Topol"-missiles employing a modernized mobile command center (in area the of Irkutsk) were put on alert on 27 May 1988. The test missile firings were finally completed in December 1987.

The Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, headed by General Designer A.D. Nadiradze, and later by B.N. Lagutin, was determined as the lead developer of the complex and the rocket. Rocket fuel was developed at the Lyubertsy Research and Production Center for Dual Technologies "Soyuz", headed by Chief Designer B.P. Zhukov. An autonomous, inertial control system was developed at the Research and Production Center for Automation and Instrumentation named after Academician N.A. Pilyugin. The aiming system was developed under the guidance of the chief designer of the Kiev plant "Arsenal" Parnyakov S.P. The nuclear warhead was created at the All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics under the leadership of Chief Designer S.G. Kocharyants. The autonomous launcher was developed at the Volgograd Central Design Bureau "Titan" under the guidance of chief designers. Soboleva V.M. (until 1990) and Shurygin V.A. (since 1992). Serial production of missiles was launched at the Votkinsk plant under the leadership of General Director Palyanov A.I. , and launchers - in the Volgograd software "Barricades".

Mobile ground missile system 15P158 "Topol" was developed based on the experience accumulated earlier in the development and operation of mobile ground systems with medium-range missiles which allowed the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering to create a new mobile ground missile system (PGRK) with an intercontinental ballistic missile RT-2PM (15ZH58) based on the RT-2P (8K98P) intercontinental solid-propellant ballistic missile.

The development of a new missile system (RK), called "Topol", was carried out on the basis of a resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated 07/19/1976, taking into account the requirements of the Soviet-American SALT-2 treaty in terms of the launch and throw weight of the rocket, its length and maximum diameter, number of stages, type of fuel, composition and characteristics of combat equipment.

In accordance with the decision of the Council of Ministers, the new project received the code "Poplar". Also, the project, the complex and the rocket received a number of other designations and names. So, the rocket was designated as RT-2PM. Despite the similarity of designations with the existing RT-2P, the new product was not directly related to the serial rocket. The complex as a whole was assigned the GRAU index 15P158, the rocket - 15ZH58. Later, under the START-I treaty, the designation RS-12M was introduced. NATO countries call the Russian Topol SS-25 Sickle.

Taking into account the results of the preliminary study, it was necessary to ensure the possibility of launching a rocket only from a wheeled self-propelled vehicle. Shaft-based was no longer planned. The missile itself was supposed to carry a monoblock warhead with a special charge and deliver it to a distance of more than 10 thousand km.

Particular attention in the new project was paid to the creation of a mobile launcher. It is this component of the complex, which distinguishes it from other operated systems, that was supposed to provide sufficient combat survivability in the event of a full-scale conflict. It should be noted that such requirements were directly related to foreign achievements in the field of missile weapons.

In the mid-seventies, a potential enemy put new intercontinental missiles on duty, which were distinguished by increased accuracy. Such a weapon, when delivering the first disarming strike, could show outstanding results. It was able to disable a significant part of the existing stationary launch mines of the Soviet Strategic Missile Forces. The transfer of missiles to mobile launchers, in turn, made it very difficult to strike at them, and therefore made it possible to maintain a sufficient grouping of missiles for a retaliatory attack.

Flight tests of the rocket were carried out at the 53 Research Test Site from February 1983 to December 1987. The first launch took place on February 8, 1983 at the Plesetsk training ground. This and two subsequent launches were made from converted silos of stationary RT-2P missiles. One launch failed. The tests were carried out in two stages. At the end of the first stage on July 23, 1985, the divisional version of the Topol PGRK with the RT-2PM intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was put on duty (regiment commander - Lieutenant Colonel Dremov V.V.), and after the second stage of testing by the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated 1.12.1988.

In the fall of 1982, specialists from MIT and other organizations arrived at the Kapustin Yar test site to organize the first test launch of a promising missile. According to some reports, in these tests it was planned to use a converted silo installation for the RT-2P missile. On October 27, the first prototype received a command to start, but the launch ended in an accident. Work on finalizing the project and preparing the tests continued.

Checks continued in the winter of the next 1983 at the Plesetsk training ground. On February 8, the combat crew of the 6th Scientific and Test Directorate launched the Topol rocket. This start took place in accordance with the established program and was recognized as successful. Soon joint flight tests were continued. Until the end of the summer, three more launches of an experimental ICBM were carried out. Two of them were completed using an already used launcher shaft, and in the third, an experimental mobile launcher was used for the first time.

On August 10, 1983, the fourth test launch of the RT-2PM rocket took place, during which a self-propelled machine of the 15U168 type was used for the first time. According to some reports, during this test, the launcher fulfilled its tasks, but the failure of one of the rocket systems did not allow the launch to be considered successful. Taking into account the available data, the authors of the project made the necessary changes and continued testing.

Flight design tests of the Topol missile and the PGRK as a whole continued until the end of 1984. During this time, 12 launches were performed, and of these, no more than four did not end in success. In other cases, the ground and onboard equipment worked correctly, ensuring the fulfillment of the established task. The test start took place on November 24 and completed the checks. All test launches were carried out only at the Plesetsk test site. When flying at a distance close to the maximum, the training warhead was delivered to the Kamchatka Kura training ground.

In 1984, a few months before the completion of flight tests of a promising complex, the process of building facilities for the deployment of new equipment began. In future places of permanent deployment and on the proposed patrol routes, they began to build stationary-based structures and temporary shelters. Objects of this kind were built on the territory of the existing units, which were planned to be re-equipped. In the mid-eighties, another program was being implemented to replace obsolete missile systems with modern ones, and the Topol system was to become its key component.

In December 1984, the main test series was completed. However, there was a delay in the development of some elements of the complex that are not directly related to the rocket. The entire test program was successfully completed in December 1988.

At the end of December 1984, shortly after the completion of the tests, a resolution of the Council of Ministers appeared on the launch of mass production of a new mobile missile system. Shortly thereafter, the Votkinsk plant and other enterprises involved in the project began mass production of the required products. New missiles were assembled in Votkinsk, and the Volgograd enterprise built self-propelled launchers.

In mid-July 1985, the Strategic Missile Regiment of the Strategic Missile Forces, stationed in the city of Yoshkar-Ola, put the first division of a new type of mobile soil complexes on experimental combat duty. A few months later, another regiment of rocket troops received the same "novelties". It was assumed that the operation of new technology will allow in the shortest possible time to gain the necessary experience. From the moment the Topol was officially adopted, it was possible to begin full-fledged combat duty.

At the end of April 1987, the first missile regiment, fully equipped with 15P158 complexes, took up duty in the Sverdlovsk region. The control of this technique was carried out by a mobile command post of the "Barrier" type. About a year later, along with the new Topols, the Granit command posts began to be supplied to the troops, which had different characteristics and capabilities. The first such vehicle was handed over to the Irkutsk formation of the Strategic Missile Forces in May 1988.

In parallel with the supply of new serial equipment, not yet adopted for service, the personnel of the Strategic Missile Forces carried out the first combat training launches. The first launch of the Topol rocket of this kind took place on February 21, 1985. Until the end of 1988, the troops completed at least 23 more launches. All of them were carried out at the Plesetsk training ground and ended with the successful defeat of training targets.

Part of the new launches was carried out as part of joint tests. The last test launch took place on December 23, 1987. For all the time, 16 test launches were carried out, and the proportion of such launches decreased over time, giving way to combat training use of missiles. From the beginning of 1988, for obvious reasons, all launches were carried out only in order to train the personnel of the Strategic Missile Forces and check the available equipment.

After the completion of all tests, as well as the delivery of a significant number of serial combat vehicles and other equipment, an order appeared on the official adoption of the new system into service. The Topol PGRK with the 15Zh58 / RT-2PM missile was put into service on December 1, 1988. By this time, the missile forces had managed to obtain new weapons, as well as master them and carry out a significant number of training launches. However, a significant number of combat units still have not passed the required re-equipment, and the supply of serial equipment continued.

The Topol PGRK with the RT-2PM missile was put into service in the version with autonomous launchers (APU), a mobile command post (PKP) and a new generation automated combat control system (ASBU) (missile division near the city of Teikovo, commander regiment - lieutenant colonel Knyazev V.L.). By 1999, 360 APUs were put on combat duty in missile formations stationed near the cities of Barnaul, Bologoe (Vypolzovo), Chita (Drovyanaya), Yoshkar-Ola, Irkutsk, Kansk, Nizhny Tagil (Verkhnyaya Salda), Novosibirsk, Teikovo and Yurya. Another 81 ICBMs, which were on combat duty in missile formations stationed near the cities of Lida (36 units), Mozyr (36 units), Postavy (9 units), were withdrawn after the collapse of the USSR from Belarus to Russia.

The Topol missile system is the most massive mobile-based missile system on combat duty. Despite the planned withdrawal of missiles from the combat strength after the expiration of the warranty period of operation, it continued to form the basis of the mobile grouping of the Strategic Missile Forces.

On the basis of the ICBM RT-2PM "Topol" the cooperation of industrial enterprises, headed by the STC "Complex MIT" at the State Enterprise "Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering", developed a family of conversion space launch vehicles of the type "Start" ("Start", "Start-1") . LV "Start" and "Start-1" include, respectively, five and four booster propulsion systems (stages), as well as a finishing propulsion system. The three lower stages of the Start-1 launch vehicle are stages of the RT-2PM ICBM. Launches of these launch vehicles can be carried out from the Plesetsk and Svobodny cosmodromes.

At the end of 1990, missile systems with the Sirena product from the Perimeter-RC complex took up duty. On board such a missile, built on the basis of the RT-2PM, there is a set of special communications equipment. In the event of a failure of the regular means of communication of the missile forces, such missiles must ensure the transmission of control signals to combat systems of all available types.

An SS-25 with two MIRVs may have been tested in 1991, and the missile was tested at least once with four MIRV warheads, but there has apparently been no further development of a multiple warhead version. This became a point of contention during the conclusion of the 1991 START negotiations, at which time the US pressed for a definition of "downloading" (removing warheads from missiles) that would complicate any Soviet attempt suddenly to deploy multiple warheads on the SS-25.