Ballistic missile "Sineva": characteristics, description

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Earlier in the 19th century, the first attempts were made to place missiles on submarines. The idea belongs to the Russian engineer K. A. Schilder. According to his project, a "rocket" submarine was built at the Alexander foundry in March 1834. But she was never adopted by the Russian Imperial Navy. However, the very idea of delivering missiles covertly in submarines was developed in the developments of other military engineers. The Sineva rocket is especially interesting from this point of view.

Underwater weapons of retaliation

III Reich also tried to put the idea of launching missiles from a submarine into practice. So, in the center of Peenemünd in the summer of 1942, the submarine U-511 was converted for this purpose. For this, the rockets - high-explosive mines of 280 mm and 210 mm caliber - were modified.

Tests were also carried out in whichshooting was carried out from depths of 9 to 15 meters. At the same time, the maximum range of the missile was within 4 km.

The results of the shooting were so successful that the test report indicated the possibility of a ste alth strike by German submarines on the American coast.

Project Wave

When solving the problems of launching missiles from submarines, it was necessary to take into account many components. These include:

• rocket technology;
• submarine shipbuilding;
• rocket launch;
• flight control.

The project to solve these problems received the code "Wave", and already in October 1948, engineer V. Ganin was awarded a copyright certificate for the invention. At the same time, the possibility of launching missiles from different positions was noted:

• horizontal,
• vertical,
• oblique.

The world's first operational-tactical R-11 became the basis for all missiles. She had a number of advantages:

• long stay in the filled state;
• small dimensions;
• application of nitric acid-based components as an oxidizing agent.

All this helped to simplify the operation of such weapons.

Underwater launch, in which the R-21 liquid rocket was used, occurred in the USSR. This was in the 1960s. At the same time, the launch of missiles from submarines became possible from underwater depths of 40 to 50 meters.

Blue

The R-29RM movement, which is better knownlike the Sineva ballistic missile.

It allowed to solve several problems:

• course correction based on satellite signals;
• flight path changed depending on range;
• the ability to randomly assign warheads to different targets;
• use of a rocket in the Arctic.

The possibility of firing from the North Pole was demonstrated in September 2006 by the Yekaterinburg missile carrier. During the launch, the Sineva missile was used.

Underwater "Tula"

The idea of placing long-range projectiles on submarines was fully implemented on the nuclear submarine "Tula".

In order for the Sineva missile (R-29 RMU2) to be installed, from June 2000 to April 21, 2004, Tula underwent a deep modernization, which helped to increase the ste alth of submarines. The radio equipment was improved. The ship's survivability system has also been improved, which includes nuclear safety.

Tula has a submerged speed of 24 knots (44 km/h) with a maximum diving depth of 650 meters. In autonomous navigation, it can be 90 days with a crew of 140 people.

The armament of the submarine is also solid. In addition to the Sineva ballistic missile (R-29 RMU2) and 16 launchers, the submarine is equipped with torpedo tubes. Also on board are MANPADS "Igla-1" (9K310).

ForIn order to have an idea about the dimensions of the Tula-class nuclear submarine, we can also mention the longest length (according to DWL) - 167.4 meters! The length of a football field, for example, is 120 meters.

After the modernization of the nuclear submarine "Tula" launched a missile "Sineva" in the Barents Sea at targets in the equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean. After covering 11,547 km, the targets were successfully hit.

Characteristics of "Blue"

The rocket is three-stage, made according to a compacted scheme, in which the stages are arranged in series. Marching engines "recessed" into the tanks of the rocket engine, united by a single assembly, in which the tank system is common.

With a rocket mass of 40.3 tons, the length is 14.8 meters. For placement in the submarine launch shaft, the diameter has been increased to 1.9 m, while the mass of only the main part is 2.8 tons.

One of the features of the rocket is its main warhead, which consists of four and ten blocks. Moreover, each of them has individual guidance.

If missiles are used in a non-nuclear conflict, then the warhead is equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead, the mass of which is about 2 tons. Such systems have an exceptional feature - ultra-precise target destruction.

The "Sineva" missile, the characteristics of which we are considering, can be equipped with a nuclear warhead of ultra-small calibers (in TNT equivalent of 50 tons). This allows you to deliver point strikes in a givenarea.

"Aimed" firing range

The Sineva intercontinental missile was included in the D-9RM missile systems. They are in service with nuclear submarines of project 667BRDM (according to the NATO classification Delta-IV).

The complex itself was put into industrial service in 1986. But already from 1996 to 1999, the production of missiles was stopped. And in 1999, their production was resumed again in a modernized version.

After the improvement, the range of the Sineva missile exceeded the performance of American systems of a similar class (Trident-2), which can overcome the barrier of 11,000 kilometers. Not a single missile in the world has such a range in terms of range.

At the same time, it is officially recognized that the flight range of the Sineva is 8,300 km. From which boats were Sinev missiles launched?

The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Vladimir Vysotsky, was informed that nuclear submarines on combat duty in the oceans are armed with missiles of this modification. In total, the Russian Navy received 7 missile carriers of this project.

Mace

The Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile is supposed to arm the Borey-class submarine, which has 12 missile silos.

This system was unified in terms of characteristics with the Topol-M ground-based missile systems. At the same time, the Bulava's flight radius reaches 8,000 km, with a rocket mass of 36.8 tons. The nuclear warhead has separablewarheads. Tilt start allows underwater launch on the move.

Bulava and Sineva missiles are very close in their characteristics and differ only in the type of propulsion engine. The Bulava has solid fuel, while the Sineva has liquid fuel. At the same time, it should be noted that in the final phase of the flight of the Bulava missiles, a liquid engine is used, which provides additional opportunities for increasing speed and maneuvering.

Peaceful use of ballistic missiles

Under the conversion program, submarine-launched ballistic missiles served as the basis for the design of such carriers as the Volna and Shtil.

Of course, they lose in terms of their capabilities to Soyuz and Proton, but they are very well suited for launching a spacecraft into low Earth orbit.

Such complexes as "Shtil" and "Volna" are widely known due to the fact that they were created on the basis of the R-29R ("Sineva" missile).

In 1991-1993, Russian submariners launched three such missiles into suborbital trajectories.

What else can be noted interesting? Sineva-type conversion rockets even got into the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest mail.

On June 7, 1995, with the help of the R-29R carrier, a rocket with a set of scientific equipment was launched by a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker"Ryazan". Postal correspondence was also placed on board. After 20 minutes, having flown 9,000 km, the capsule was successfully delivered to Kamchatka.