home » For the New Year » Successful launch of the Barguzin missile launcher (4 photos). Russia's "nuclear trains" hit the road

Successful launch of the Barguzin missile launcher (4 photos). Russia's "nuclear trains" hit the road

At one time, the creation of a combat railway missile system (BZHRK) 15P961 “Molodets” with a solid-fuel three-stage intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) RT-23UTTH (according to NATO classification - SS-24 Sсalрel Mod 3) with a multiple warhead with 10 individually targetable warheads became a landmark event in domestic strategic nuclear forces and made it possible to significantly increase the combat potential of the Missile Forces strategic purpose(Strategic Missile Forces). But since then the situation has changed dramatically.

THE INVISIBLE “WELL DONE”

The development of a railway-based missile system based on the RT-23UTTH type ICBM was set in accordance with the Resolution of the CPSU Central Committee and the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated August 9, 1983. Moreover, at the same time, it was also asked to create stationary (mine) and mobile ground-based complexes on the basis of this missile. The latter was never created, but there is an option mine-based subsequently played a cruel joke on the BZHRK: by and large, its liquidation occurred not because it was necessary to destroy the missile train itself, but because it was necessary to liquidate the missile standing on it.

The Dnepropetrovsk Design Bureau (KB) Yuzhnoye was appointed the main developer of the BZHRK, and the Utkin brothers became its chief designers: Vladimir Fedorovich from the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau was responsible for creating the rocket, and Alexey Fedorovich, who worked at the Leningrad Design Bureau of Special Mechanical Engineering (KBSM), was responsible for the design of the launch complex and carriages for rocket train.

In November 1982, a preliminary design of the RT-23UTTKh missile and BZHRK with improved railway launchers was developed. The complex provided the ability to perform rocket firing from any point of the route, including electrified railways, for which it included a high-precision navigation system, and its launchers were equipped with special devices for short-circuiting and removing the contact network. At the same time, as indicated in the domestic literature on the history of the BZHRK, Alexey Utkin managed to find unique solution“problems of transferring large mass loads to the railway track during the operation of BZHRK complexes.”

The Molodets combat railway missile system was put into service on November 28, 1989, and the first complex began combat duty even earlier - on October 20, 1987. The production of intercontinental ballistic missiles of the RT-23UTTH type was carried out at the Pavlograd Mechanical Plant (PA Yuzhmash). In the period 1987–1991, 12 complexes were built, and the number of missiles fired was about 100.

The missile trains were stationed in three regions of the country, and, interestingly, due to the huge mass of cars - launchers of special trains - within a radius of 1500 km from the latter's base locations, it was necessary to strengthen the embankments of the railway track with denser crushed stone, lay heavier rails, and replace wooden sleepers for concrete, etc.

We can say that the creation of the BZHRK to a certain extent had a positive impact on the development of the country's railway network. However, the cost of creating a missile system and ensuring its operation was simply colossal. But the situation of that time - the Cold War - demanded it.

In light of the warming of relations between the USSR and the West, starting from 1991, missile trains began to carry out combat duty at permanent deployment points - patrols took place on a strictly limited route, without entering the country’s railway network. Then, according to the START-2 treaty, the country agreed to eliminate all RT-23UTTH missiles. Which is what was done. The trains were scrapped between 2003 and 2007 (the last BZHRK was removed from combat duty in 2005).

LIVING IDEA

Rocket trains are not a new topic. Moreover, the American military became the pioneers here, as in a number of other classes of weapons. They first attempted to acquire a combat railway complex back in the 1960s, during the implementation of an ambitious program to create a new solid-fuel ICBM, the Minuteman.

In the summer of 1960, as part of a theoretical study of this issue, the US Department of Defense conducted Operation Big Star, during which prototypes of future missile trains were secretly moved along American railroads. The experiment was considered successful, and next year prepared a project, as well as a prototype of the “American-style BZHRK” with five ICBMs. It was planned to put the first such train on duty already in 1962, and the Air Force intended to launch 30 trains with 150 missiles across the country. But in the summer of 1961, the project was closed due to its high cost - the mine “Minutemen” turned out to be cheaper, simpler, and more reliable (see the article “Well done, American style - unsuccessful debut” in this issue of HBO).

In 1986, the idea of a missile train again took hold of the Pentagon, but as part of the creation of a new heavy ICBM, the Peacekeeper, also known as the MX. The train, called the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison, was to carry two missiles, each with a multiple warhead with 10 individually targetable warheads. It was planned to put 25 such trains on combat duty since 1992. The prototype was tested in 1990, but a year later the main enemy, the Soviet Union, was gone, and therefore, in order to receive “peacetime dividends,” the United States put the program under the knife (this saved $2.16 billion on the purchase of the first seven trains alone). .

But the idea in America, as well as in Russia, turned out to be surprisingly tenacious. Thus, as part of the “Analysis of Alternatives” on the further development of the ground-based grouping of national strategic nuclear forces, completed in 2014, American experts considered, among others, the so-called “ mobile option", which provided for the development of a new ICBM as part of a ground- or railway-based mobile strategic missile system. Moreover, the “tunnel option” was also considered - the creation of a strategic missile system based underground in specially constructed tunnels and moving along them. However, the cost of creating such complexes was ultimately considered too expensive even for the huge military budget of the United States.

NEW GHOST TRAIN

The Russian military-political leadership also did not remain indifferent to the idea of a missile train. Discussions about the need to create a replacement for the “Molodets” that was scrapped and sent to museums began almost from the day the last BZHRK was removed from combat duty.

The development of a new complex, called “Barguzin”, began in Russia in 2012, although back in June 2010 a patent issued by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise “Central Design Bureau “Titan” for an invention designated as “Launcher for transporting and launching a rocket” was published from a transport and launch container placed in a railway car or on a platform.” The lead contractor for the new BZHRK was the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, the creator of Topol, Yars and Bulava.

In December 2015, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel General Sergei Karakaev, said that “the preliminary design has now been completed, and working design documentation for the units and systems of the complex is being developed.” “Of course, when reviving the BZHRK, all the latest developments in the field of combat missiles will be taken into account,” emphasized Sergei Karakaev. – The Barguzin complex will significantly exceed its predecessor in accuracy, missile flight range and other characteristics, which will allow this complex to be in use for many years, at least until 2040. combat strength Strategic Missile Forces."

“Thus, the Strategic Missile Forces will recreate a grouping based on missile systems of three types: silo, mobile ground and railway, which proved to be highly effective in the Soviet years,” the Interfax agency quoted the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces as saying.

In November of the following year, 2016, the first throwing tests of ICBMs for a promising missile train were successfully completed. “The first throw tests took place at the Plesetsk cosmodrome two weeks ago. They were considered completely successful, which opens the way for the start of flight development tests,” the Interfax agency quoted the interlocutor as saying. Representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the military-industrial complex of the Russian Federation were very optimistic; they reported that a report to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the prospects for deploying the Barguzin complex and the start of flight tests of a missile intended for it were planned for 2017.

And suddenly - an unexpected message that “the topic is closed” at least for the near future. What is even more remarkable: if officially confirmed this decision this will be the first time that work in the field of strategic nuclear weapons, which, we recall, are considered by the Russian military-political leadership to be the main guarantor of the country’s security from the aggression of any enemy, and therefore resources are allocated to their development as a priority.

So what's the deal? Is it just a simple lack of funds in the current difficult economic situation, or has the very approach to the development of Russia's strategic nuclear forces changed? To answer this question, it is necessary to consider the main features of the BZHRK.

THE SITUATION HAS CHANGED

The main goal of creating the Molodets BZHRK was the desire of the Soviet military-political leadership to increase the power and efficiency of the retaliatory/reciprocal-counter grouping missile strike in conditions of tough confrontation with countries that are members of the military-political NATO bloc, and primarily the United States. Solving this problem became possible thanks to the high secrecy of the BZHRK action, which was ensured by the following circumstances:

– the actual closure of the country to foreigners, which significantly limited the possibilities for organizing constant monitoring of areas of possible deployment and patrolling of missile trains (and Soviet citizens were also significantly limited in visiting a number of regions and cities of the country);

– lack of opportunity for the armed forces and intelligence services probable enemy conduct aerial (aviation) reconnaissance of the territory of interest in the depths of the Soviet Union, which was due to the high efficiency of the air defense system created by that time;

– significant restrictions on the conduct of round-the-clock space reconnaissance of objects on the territory of the USSR, which, in turn, was due to the poor development of radar surveillance equipment earth's surface, placed on board spacecraft (satellites) for the corresponding purpose and the only ones capable of providing all-weather and round-the-clock control over areas of interest for reconnaissance of a potential enemy (the most widely used optical and infrared surveillance means did not provide such an opportunity);

– poor development of high-precision air attack weapons, primarily such as relatively small-sized, stealthy cruise missiles various types based, designed to strike ground targets located deep in enemy territory, and capable of flying in terrain-following mode (not to mention adjustable and controlled long-range aerial bombs and, even more so, hypersonic aircraft);

– the absence of such international treaties in the field of control of strategic offensive arms, which in one way or another limited the operation of such missile systems.

However, today the situation in this area has changed in the most radical way, significantly reducing or even completely eliminating many of the advantages of rocket trains, and primarily their stealth.

Firstly, the country has become open and free for movement throughout almost its entire territory for both its citizens and foreign guests (provided, of course, that the latter freely entered Russia).

Secondly, modern space reconnaissance means include spacecraft equipped with highly effective radar detection systems that are capable of conducting all-weather, round-the-clock monitoring of BZHRK deployment areas, known from the results of the exchange of relevant information within the framework of various international treaties or discovered as a result of reconnaissance activities various kinds(and once the classification characteristics of a missile train are established and its deployment area is known, control over it can be simply tight).

Thirdly, high-precision aerospace attack weapons have also made a qualitative leap, capable of, with appropriate target designation and guidance, easily disabling an object such as a BZHRK. You don’t even need to destroy him, the main thing is to prevent him from firing rockets.

And a 2014 study by the American RAND Corporation indicates that the rocket train also has the following significant disadvantages: more complex maintenance; the possibility of natural (snow, landslides) and artificial (sabotage, accident) blocking of the railway track; limited set of travel routes; lower survivability compared to mine complexes (if detected by the enemy, the BZHRK can be considered destroyed).

Moreover, according to the set of treaties in the field of strategic arms limitation, to which Russia is a party, the operation of BZHRK is literally clamped in the grip of numerous restrictions that do not allow them to fully realize their entire unique combat potential. And most importantly, it does not allow for stealth patrolling. If a rocket train must travel only along specific route or routes in the zone of their deployment, and even regularly demonstrate themselves to the air and space surveillance systems of foreign “controllers”, then what kind of secrecy can we talk about? And this is, perhaps, the most important advantage of the BZHRK, without which the very concept of a missile train loses its meaning (although, let us especially emphasize this, there is no ban on the creation of such missile systems).

Of course, you can remove all these “controllers” with one stroke of the pen - withdraw from these agreements, thereby removing any restrictions from yourself, but the two superpowers did not allow themselves to do this even during the hottest periods of the Cold War. Not to mention the fact that there is also human intelligence of our potential “friends”, and spy satellites are not going anywhere. Whether it will be possible to camouflage yourself from them is a big question.

Finally, we must not forget that the invisibility of a rocket train and the inability to distinguish it from ordinary freight trains is a myth. Don't believe me? In confirmation, we cite the words of the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel General Sergei Karakaev, which he said to journalists in December 2013. According to him, the first-generation BZHRK car was quite different from the refrigerator car it was disguised as. “It was longer, heavier, there were more wheel sets. No matter how they hid it, if the BZHRK was parked, any specialist could determine that it was not a national economy train,” RIA Novosti quoted the general as saying. The carriage of the new train, according to Sergei Karakaev, can be camouflaged more successfully, although experts in railway rolling stock have questioned this thesis. Moreover, even if this succeeds, it is not clear where to put such a revealing sign as several locomotives at the head of a short “special train”.

As a result, it appears that the creation of a BZHRK as a means of a retaliatory or retaliatory strike is becoming a very dubious undertaking. In this regard, it is noteworthy that back in February 2011, in an interview with the weekly magazine “VPK”, Yuri Solomonov, general designer The Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering Corporation said: “In fact, the survivability of mobile soil and railway complexes is almost the same. Just recently we won a competition on this topic, but I was in favor of making the decision not to launch full-scale work on the BZHRK. Firstly, here we are talking not so much about missiles, but about the type of deployment, which is associated with the necessary costs to recreate the military infrastructure, which today is completely destroyed. This is a lot of money, and it will potentially add nothing to the combat effectiveness of our strategic nuclear forces. Moreover, the BZHRK has a fundamental drawback in modern conditions: low anti-terrorist stability. This vulnerable spot railway complex, and it significantly reduces its combat capabilities.”

So, maybe it would be more expedient to allocate additional funds for mobile ground-based missile systems or for the new heavy intercontinental ballistic missile "Sarmat"?

Russia, “Beat of Life!”, - Dmitry Zherebtsov.

History of creation

This story dates back to the distant 60s. During this period, two powerful powers hostile to each other, the USA and the USSR, drove each other into the abyss of an arms race. The Americans tried, violating parity, to create a weapon capable of bringing the USSR to its knees. The Soviet leadership did not want to put up with this and thought about how this could be avoided and guarantee their country the possibility of a guaranteed missile strike nuclear arsenal in the country of a potential enemy.

The first and most obvious option for ensuring a retaliatory strike was associated with strengthening the security of nuclear launchers, which provided the ability to strike back in the event of a nuclear attack by the aggressive NATO bloc, as it was called then (and, admittedly, this was the most accurate description of it, containing the essence of this organization).

But it soon became clear that the coordinates of our launchers were well known to the United States. In 1961, the USSR shocked the whole world with its message that a new superweapon, the Hydrogen bomb, was tested on Novaya Zemlya, with a power of 50 million tons. The Soviet leadership was well aware that such a superweapon would soon appear in the United States. One blow of such a bomb at the location of the launch silos of the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces) left no one chance to retaliate.

In addition, the United States was armed with Trident-2 missiles, capable of penetrating deep into the ground and destroying the infrastructure of a grounded missile complex. And the missile systems located in Europe, equipped with Pershing-2 missiles, when launched, reached us in 6-8 minutes. This time was enough to deploy the launcher and open the mine hatch. But nothing more.

Thus, the Soviet Union was deprived of the opportunity to launch a guaranteed retaliatory nuclear missile strike against the aggressor countries. It became clear to everyone that parity needed to be restored as soon as possible. But, if it is impossible to reliably cover the launchers, then they can be made undetectable. This is how the idea of making them mobile was born.

On January 13, 1969, the order “On the creation of a mobile combat railway missile system (BZHRK) with the RT-23 missile” was signed. The Yuzhnoye design bureau was appointed as the lead developer. According to the developers, the BZHRK was supposed to form the basis of the retaliatory strike group, since it had increased survivability and could most likely survive after the enemy delivered the first strike.

It should be noted that this complex was an integral part of the guaranteed retaliatory strike of the Soviet Union, along with the 15P696 mobile missile system with the RT-15 missile, also known as object 815 from 1965. And, the R-11FM SLBM created on the basis of the R-11 ground-based operational-tactical missile.

Thus gave birth to one of the most powerful and elusive military nuclear launchers on a railway platform.

It was created by teams led by brothers Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Fedorovich Utkin and Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexey Fedorovich Utkin.

The Kremlin understood: fundamentally new technical solutions. In 1979, the USSR Minister of General Mechanical Engineering Sergei Aleksandrovich Afanasyev set a fantastic task for the Utkins designers. This is what Vladimir Fedorovich Utkin said shortly before his death: “The task that the Soviet government set before us was striking in its enormity. In domestic and world practice, no one has ever encountered so many problems. We had to place an intercontinental ballistic missile in a railway car, but the missile with its launcher weighs more than 150 tons. How to do it? After all, a train with such a huge load must travel along the national tracks of the Ministry of Railways. How to transport strategic missile With nuclear warhead, how to ensure absolute safety on the road, because we were given an estimated train speed of up to 120 km/h. Will the bridges hold up, will the track not collapse, and the launch itself, how to transfer the load to the railway track during a rocket launch, will the train stand on the rails during the launch, how to raise the rocket as quickly as possible after the train stops? vertical position?»

Yes, there were many questions, but they had to be resolved. Alexey Utkin took over the launch train, and the elder Utkin took over the rocket itself and the rocket complex as a whole. Returning to Dnepropetrovsk, he thought painfully: “Is this task feasible? Weight up to 150 tons, almost instantaneous launch, 10 nuclear warheads, a system for overcoming missile defense, how can it fit into the dimensions of a regular carriage, and there are three missiles in each train?!” But as often happens, complex tasks always find brilliant performers. So in the late 70s, Vladimir and Alexei Utkin found themselves at the very epicenter of the Cold War, and not only found themselves, but became its commanders in chief. In Dnepropetrovsk, at the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, Vladimir Utkin forced himself to forget about his doubts: such a rocket can and should be built!

The device of the BZHRK "Molodets"

The BZHRK includes: three diesel locomotives DM62, a command post consisting of 7 cars, a tank car with reserves of fuel and lubricants and three launchers (PU) with missiles. The rolling stock for the BZHRK was assembled at the Kalinin Freight Car Building Plant.

The BZHRK looks like an ordinary train consisting of refrigerated, mail, luggage and passenger cars. Fourteen cars have eight wheel pairs, and three have four. Three cars are disguised as passenger fleet cars, the rest, eight-axle, are “refrigerated” cars. Thanks to the available supplies on board, the complex could operate autonomously for up to 28 days.

The launch car is equipped with an opening roof and a device for discharging the contact network. The weight of the rocket was about 104 tons, with a launch container - 126 tons. Firing range - 10,100 km, rocket length - 23.0 m, launch container length - 21 m, maximum missile body diameter - 2.4 m. To solve the problem of launcher overload Each carriage uses special unloading devices that redistribute part of the weight to adjacent carriages.

The rocket has an original folding fairing of the head section. This solution was used to reduce the length of the rocket and place it in the carriage. The length of the rocket is 22.6 meters.

The missiles could be launched from any point along the route. The launch algorithm is as follows: the train stops, a special device moves to the side and short-circuits the contact network to the ground, the launch container assumes a vertical position. After this, a mortar launch of the rocket can be carried out. Already in the air, the rocket is deflected with the help of a powder accelerator and only after that the main engine is started. Deflection of the rocket made it possible to divert the main engine jet away from launch complex and the railway track, avoiding their damage. The time for all these operations, from receiving a command from the General Staff to launching the rocket, was up to three minutes.

The cost of one RT-23 UTTH “Molodets” missile in 1985 prices was about 22 million rubles. In total, about 100 products were produced at the Pavlograd Mechanical Plant.

The complex was adopted for service on November 28, 1989. A total of 56 missiles of this type were deployed in positional areas on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR and the RSFSR. However, due to changes in the defense doctrine of the USSR and political and economic difficulties, further deployment of missiles was stopped. After the collapse of the USSR, the missiles located on the territory of Ukraine were removed from combat duty and disposed of (including a backlog of at least 8 missiles) in the period 1993-2002. The launchers were blown up. In Russia, the missiles were taken off duty and sent for disposal after the warranty storage period expired in 2001. The launchers were modernized to use RT-2PM2 Topol-M missiles.

The 15Zh61 rocket is exhibited at the branch of the Central Museum of the Strategic Missile Forces in Training center Military Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces named after. Peter the Great in Balabanovo, Kaluga region.

New ghost train

In December 2015, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel General Sergei Karakaev, said that “the preliminary design has now been completed, and working design documentation for the units and systems of the complex is being developed.” “Of course, when reviving the BZHRK, all the latest developments in the field of combat missiles will be taken into account,” emphasized Sergei Karakaev. “The Barguzin complex will significantly exceed its predecessor in accuracy, missile flight range and other characteristics, which will allow this complex to be in combat service of the Strategic Missile Forces for many years, at least until 2040.”

Myth or reality?

Not long ago, information appeared about the suspension of further tests of the Barguzin BZHRK. What's the matter? Is it a simple lack of funds or something else? Let's figure it out.

Initially, when creating “Well done,” the emphasis was placed on the elusiveness and increased survivability of the object. According to the plan, it should be indistinguishable from compounds for general economic use. But was he really invisible? The BZHRK train standing on the sidings could not be distinguished from general utility trains except by the average person. Any specialist could easily establish his affiliation with the Strategic Missile Forces. This includes an increased number of wheel pairs and a built-in locomotive, used only in mountainous areas or when transporting BZHRK. In general, there were enough differences that any specialist could easily notice them.

The new "Barguzin", despite its maximum camouflage, also had its own distinctive features. Therefore, it is very difficult to talk about the elusiveness of these compounds. IN this moment, information has appeared about the latest developments Military-industrial complex capable of overcoming enemy air defense and missile defense and guaranteeing the delivery of the warhead to its destination. And their speed does not give the enemy a chance to intercept them. The modern military doctrine of Russia is based on qualitatively different principles. Such developments, which are faster than enemy air defense and missile defense interceptor missiles and their relative independence in overcoming air defense and missile defense, provide qualitatively new opportunities not only for delivering a retaliatory strike, but also for permanently suppressing the possibility of a primary strike by a potential enemy.

Maybe in the future the Russian military-industrial complex will return to this issue, having behind them a lot of modern military developments. And, the issue of reviving the Barguzin project will be resolved at a qualitatively different scientific and technical level.

At the moment, modern military developments are capable of cooling even the hottest heads of the aggressive NATO bloc. They will have to think many times before getting involved in a new military adventure against our country. Modern military developments in Russia are capable of neutralizing any aggression against our country and guaranteeing our peaceful and sweet sleep.

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DATA FOR 2017 (standard update)

BZHRK OKR "Barguzin"

Intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) / combat railway missile system (BZHRK). The R&D work on the creation of the BZHRK began in 2012 and is being carried out by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering (MIT). Until December 2014, it was discussed that the creation of the complex was possible either on the basis of ICBMs or on the basis of ICBMs or using developments on an intercontinental SLBM. But in December 2014, information appeared in the media that the complex would include ICBMs of the Yars or Yars-M type ().

It is unlikely that the chief designer of the complex could be because in his speeches in the media, he repeatedly spoke out against the BZHRK as a class of missile systems. By 2020, it is planned to complete R&D, create and test prototypes of BZHRK (according to 2012 plans). After 2020, the complexes will begin to enter service with the Strategic Missile Forces ().

On April 23, 2013, Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia Yuri Borisov stated that the preliminary design of the BZHRK is currently underway, work in progress for technical projects (). On December 18, 2013, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel General Sergei Karakaev, announced that the preliminary design will be completed in the first half of 2014, but the final decision on the design of the BZHRK has not yet been made (). As a result, the preliminary design of the complex was completed at the end of 2014 (). The media reported that as of mid-2015, the first stage of R&D to create the complex was underway.

In December 2014, in the media, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces stated that the development of the BZHRK could soon begin, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces stated a day later that new complex is called "Barguzin". The development of design documentation began in 2015 and is planned to be completed in mid-2016 (). Although later in December 2015, a source in the Russian defense industry told the media that due to the difficult financial situation, the time frame for the creation of Barguzin had been postponed by more than one year and would not be completed before 2020. On May 12, 2016, information appeared in the media that “the design documentation has been worked out, individual elements of the complex are being created, but there are no exact dates for its creation and adoption into service,” clarity on the timing will come in 2018 ().

The start of deployment of the new BZHRK is expected no earlier than 2018, but most likely in 2019 (). at the end of 2015, the start date for the deployment of the complex was clarified - 2020 ().

On December 2, 2017, information appeared in the media about the closure of the BZHRK creation program (). Probably for financial reasons, as well as due to inexpediency.

Illustrations for the patent of the Central Design Bureau "Titan" for a railway launcher (via http://www.findpatent.ru).
The numbers in the diagram indicate: 1 - railway car or platform, 2 - fixed pinned beam, 3 - lifting boom, 4 - boom lifting mechanism, 5 - movable frame mounted on the boom with the possibility of longitudinal movement, 6 - TPK with a rocket , 7 - telescopic supports, 8 - support plates, 9 - rotary rods for “aiming” the supports on the rails of the railway track.

Launcher- BZHRK - combat railway missile system. The launch is carried out from a TPK, brought into the starting position at the starting point from a special railway car with a drop-down roof. Technically, the BZHRK may include several cars with ICBMs, as well as combat duty support cars and, probably, Maintenance complex.

There is a possibility that the development of the BZHRK launcher is being carried out by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Central Design Bureau "Titan" (Volgograd) - this company has registered a patent for "Launcher for transporting and launching a missile from a transport-launch container located in a railway car or on a platform" (RU 2392573). Designers (authors of the patent) - V.A. Shurygin, B.M. Abramovich, D.N. Biryukov and I.V. Shapkin.

The development of launch equipment is most likely being carried out by KBSM within the framework of the Barguzin theme. In 2013, KBSM developed a preliminary design of system units and the complex as a whole, formed cooperation between co-executing enterprises, and developed technical specifications for contractors ().

In addition, on the topic "Barguzin-RV" in 2013, the development of preliminary designs for special railway formations was carried out at the Central Design Bureau of Transport Engineering.

According to media reports, as of 2014, a variant of the Barguzin BZHRK train with 6 launchers is being considered - which is equal to a regiment of the Strategic Missile Forces. The missile division will include 5 regiments of the Barguzin BZHRK.

Rocket- it is likely to use a missile similar to previously created intercontinental missile systems with a minimum time of the active part of the trajectory and with a MIRV. As options, basic and ICBM types and ICBMs and SLBMs can be considered. With a high probability, the degree of unification among missiles will be high, but less than 100%.

According to media reports, as of 2014, the option of a railway composition of the Barguzin BZHRK with 6 launchers with Yars or Yars-M missiles is being considered.

Rocket design- a three-stage rocket of a classical layout with a sequential arrangement of stages. With a high probability, the missile will be equipped with a complex of means for overcoming missile defense (KSP ABM).

Control system and guidance - inertial autonomous.

Engines- Solid propellant rocket motor at all stages.

Warhead types- MIRV IN (). It is possible to use advanced maneuvering combat equipment.

Status: Russia
- 2012 - The Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering began R&D to create a BZHRK.

2013 - development of preliminary designs for the complex components.

Sources:
Russia plans to create a new BZHRK by 2020 - VPK. 12/26/2012 ().

Combat railway missile system "Barguzin"- promising mobile complex missile weapons of the strategic missile forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Abbreviation - BZHRK "Barguzin". The international treaty START-3 does not prohibit the creation of this type of weapon.

Story

Until the end of 2014, it was unclear which rocket would become the basis for the design. Options such as the PC-24 Yars or RS-26 (Rubezh, Avangard) or the 3M30 Bulava were discussed. In December 2014, TASS published information that the basis of the complex would be Yars. It is expected that such missile systems will be delivered into service by 2020 or earlier. As of December 2014, preliminary design has already been completed.

One train with missile weapons will contain six missiles. One diesel locomotive will be used for traction (instead of three DM62).

We should probably expect assignments from the defense industry to develop a diesel locomotive with two diesel generator sets. In addition, many refrigerated cars and sections should appear in the railway network; their task is to transport cargo and serve as extras, in which the BZHRK will be easier to get lost when going on combat duty.

Formations

According to media reports, the formation of one composition BZHRK "Barguzin", carrying six intercontinental ballistic missiles, will be equated to a missile regiment, and as part of a missile division of the Strategic Missile Forces, having as its main armament "Barguzin", should include control and five missile regiments.

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Notes

Literature

An excerpt characterizing Barguzin (BZHRK)

The prisoners at this halt were treated even worse by the guards than during the march. At this halt, for the first time, the meat food of the prisoners was given out as horse meat.
From the officers to the last soldier, it was noticeable in everyone what seemed like a personal bitterness against each of the prisoners, which had so unexpectedly replaced previously friendly relations.
This anger intensified even more when, when counting the prisoners, it turned out that during the bustle, leaving Moscow, one Russian soldier, pretending to be sick from the stomach, fled. Pierre saw how a Frenchman beat a Russian soldier for moving far from the road, and heard how the captain, his friend, reprimanded the non-commissioned officer for the escape of the Russian soldier and threatened him with justice. In response to the non-commissioned officer's excuse that the soldier was sick and could not walk, the officer said that he had been ordered to shoot those who lag behind. Pierre felt that the fatal force that had crushed him during his execution and which had been invisible during his captivity had now again taken possession of his existence. He was scared; but he felt how, as the fatal force made efforts to crush him, a life force independent of it grew and strengthened in his soul.
Pierre dined on a soup made from rye flour with horse meat and talked with his comrades.
Neither Pierre nor any of his comrades talked about what they saw in Moscow, nor about the rudeness of the French, nor about the order to shoot that was announced to them: everyone was, as if in rebuff to the worsening situation, especially animated and cheerful . They talked about personal memories, about funny scenes seen during the campaign, and hushed up conversations about the present situation.
The sun has long since set. Bright stars lit up here and there in the sky; The red, fire-like glow of the rising full moon spread across the edge of the sky, and a huge red ball swayed amazingly in the grayish haze. It was getting light. The evening was already over, but the night had not yet begun. Pierre got up from his new comrades and walked between the fires to the other side of the road, where, he was told, the captured soldiers were standing. He wanted to talk to them. On the road, a French guard stopped him and ordered him to turn back.
Pierre returned, but not to the fire, to his comrades, but to the unharnessed cart, which had no one. He crossed his legs and lowered his head, sat down on the cold ground near the wheel of the cart and sat motionless for a long time, thinking. More than an hour passed. Nobody bothered Pierre. Suddenly he laughed his fat, good-natured laugh so loudly that people from different directions looked back in surprise at this strange, obviously lonely laugh.
- Ha, ha, ha! – Pierre laughed. And he said out loud to himself: “The soldier didn’t let me in.” They caught me, they locked me up. They are holding me captive. Who me? Me! Me - my immortal soul! Ha, ha, ha!.. Ha, ha, ha!.. - he laughed with tears welling up in his eyes.
Some man stood up and came up to see what this strange big man was laughing about. Pierre stopped laughing, stood up, moved away from the curious man and looked around him.
Previously loudly noisy with the crackling of fires and the chatter of people, the huge, endless bivouac fell silent; the red lights of the fires went out and turned pale. A full moon stood high in the bright sky. Forests and fields, previously invisible outside the camp, now opened up in the distance. And even further away from these forests and fields one could see a bright, wavering, endless distance calling into itself. Pierre looked into the sky, into the depths of the receding, playing stars. “And all this is mine, and all this is in me, and all this is me! - thought Pierre. “And they caught all this and put it in a booth fenced off with boards!” He smiled and went to bed with his comrades.

In the first days of October, another envoy came to Kutuzov with a letter from Napoleon and a peace proposal, deceptively indicated from Moscow, while Napoleon was already not far ahead of Kutuzov, on the old Kaluga road. Kutuzov responded to this letter in the same way as to the first one sent with Lauriston: he said that there could be no talk of peace.
Soon after this, from the partisan detachment of Dorokhov, who went to the left of Tarutin, a report was received that troops had appeared in Fominskoye, that these troops consisted of the Broussier division and that this division, separated from other troops, could easily be exterminated. The soldiers and officers again demanded action. The staff generals, excited by the memory of the ease of victory at Tarutin, insisted on Kutuzov to implement Dorokhov’s proposal. Kutuzov did not consider any offensive necessary. What happened was the mean, what had to happen; A small detachment was sent to Fominskoye, which was supposed to attack Brusier.

BZHRK, or the Barguzin combat railway missile system, is a new generation of trains armed with ballistic missiles. Developed in the Russian Federation. It is planned to be put into service in 2020.

What is a nuclear train? What were the first generation of USSR rocket trains like? Why didn't the US manage to create a ghost train? You will get answers to these and many other questions in this article.

What is "BZHRK"?

BZHRK (or ghost train) is a military railway missile system for strategic purposes. The complex is located on the base of a railway train consisting of a diesel locomotive and freight cars. From the outside, it is no different from ordinary freight trains that run in thousands across Russia. However, it has a very complicated filling. Inside are placed intercontinental missiles, command posts, technical systems services, technological modules that ensure the functioning of the complex and the livelihoods of personnel. At the same time, the train is autonomous.

The BZHRK was created primarily as the main strike force for retaliating nuclear strike against a potential enemy, therefore it had the qualities of mobility and survivability. According to the plans of the command, it was supposed to survive after being hit by an intercontinental ballistic missile by a potential enemy.

BZHRK "Scalpel" - previous generation of nuclear trains

The development of nuclear trains first began in the 60s of the twentieth century. Work was carried out in the USSR and the USA approximately in parallel.

Moreover, the idea of creation, according to legend, was planted by the Americans. After unsuccessful attempts The decision of the United States to create the complex was to spread misinformation that such trains are being actively created and will soon hit the rails. The purpose of the false information was one - to force the Soviet Union to invest huge amounts of money in an unrealizable idea. As a result, the result exceeded all expectations.

On January 13, 1969, the Order of the Commander-in-Chief “On the creation of a mobile combat railway missile system (BZHRK) with the RT-23 missile” was signed, in pursuance of which by the 1980s in the USSR, for the first time in the world, it was put into production and tested in conditions close to combat, a missile carrier on a railway platform, which had no analogues in the whole world. As experts said, there is no more formidable and mobile weapon on the planet than a mobile railway combat train with a continental missile on board.

A team worked on the creation of the complex Russian Academy Sciences, led by brothers Alexei and Vladimir Utkin. During its creation, the designers faced several serious difficulties.

Firstly, the mass of the train - the huge weight could deform the railway track. The smallest ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) weighed 100 tons.
Secondly, the direct flame from the rocket launch melted the train and the rails on which it stood.
Thirdly, the contact network above the car, naturally, was an obstacle to launching a rocket. And this is not the entire list of problems that Soviet specialists faced.

The BZHRK used RT-23U missiles (NATO classification SS-24 "Scalpel"). Special rockets with a retractable nozzle and fairing were manufactured for the composition. One missile carries a multiple missile head part"MIRV" type with 10 warheads with a yield of 500 kilotons each.

An original solution was made to distribute the load on the track. The three cars were connected by a rigid coupling, which ensured that the weight of the rocket was distributed over a longer section of the railway track. In combat mode, special hydraulic paws extended.

To remove the catenary system that interfered with the launch, a special device was invented that carefully removed the wires from the complex’s operating area. The network was de-energized before launch.

An ingenious solution was also invented to launch the rocket - a mortar launch. A powder charge ejected the rocket 20 meters above the ground, after which another charge adjusted the tilt of the rocket nozzle away from the train, and after that the first stage engine turned on. Thus, the column of flame of enormous temperature did not cause damage to the cars and tracks, but was directed in the right direction.

The autonomy of the rocket train was more than 20 days.

On October 20, 1987, after tests carried out at the Semipalatinsk test site, the RT-23UTTH "Molodets" missile regiment went on combat duty. And by 1989, 3 divisions of the BZHRK were deployed on the territory of the USSR, dispersed over a distance of many thousands of kilometers: in the Kostroma region, in the Perm and Krasnoyarsk territories.

The BZHRK device includes railway modules for various purposes, namely: 3 ICBM launch modules RT-23UTTH, 7 cars as part of the command module, a module with fuel reserves in a railway tank and 2 diesel locomotives of the DM-62 modification. Work on improving the equipment did not stop even after entering the troops, and its combat potential grew steadily.

BZHRK "Molodets" were a nightmare for the Americans. Huge amounts of money have been allocated to track ghost trains. Reconnaissance satellites searched for 12 ghost trains across the country and could not distinguish the combat complex from a train with refrigerators (refrigerated cars) carrying food.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, everything changed in Russia. On January 3, 1993, the START-2 treaty was signed in Moscow, according to which the Russian Federation must destroy part of its missile potential, including the RT-23U missiles, therefore by 2005, according to the official version, all BZHRKs are removed from combat duty and destroyed, and the few survivors are sent to storage for further disposal.

The complex was officially on combat duty in the Soviet Union for about 20 years, until 2005.

US attempts to create a ghost train

The United States has also made attempts to create missile systems on a railway platform. Their development began in the 1960s, since around the same time Pentagon scientists first created a solid-fuel Minuteman ballistic missile, which, according to its technical parameters, could be launched from small sites and in railway shaking conditions. The development was given the name "Minitman Rail Garrison".

Initially, it was planned that a ghost train filled with missiles would run along predetermined positions, for which work would be carried out at the specified locations to create conditions in order to simplify the launch and adjust the missile’s navigation system to the specified launch points.

The first mobile Minuteman missiles on a railway platform were supposed to enter the US Army by mid-1962. But the American administration did not allocate the necessary amount to prepare the infrastructure and launch the production of prototypes, and the program was shelved. And the created transport cars were used to deliver the “Minitman” to the place of combat deployment - launch silos.

However, after the success of the Soviet Union in developing similar projects, the United States remembered the technology that had been gathering dust since the 60s and in 1986 created new project using old developments. The then existing LGM-118A “Peacekeeper” missile was chosen for the prototype. It was planned that its traction would be provided by four-axle diesel locomotives, and each train would be provided with two security cars. 2 cars will be allocated to the launcher with an already charged missile in the launch container, another one will house the control center, and the remaining cars will take fuel and parts for routine repairs.

But the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison was never destined to get on the rails. After the official end Cold War US authorities abandoned the development of missile systems on a railway platform and redirected cash flows to other military industry projects.

In the United States, the railway-based missile system was never put into operation - its history ended after unsuccessful tests in 1989.

New railway missile system of the Russian Federation

Currently, for various reasons, none of the armies in the world have railway launchers in service. Russian Federation the only one who has been working on the creation since 2012 specified type weapons, and has now developed preliminary designs for a railway launcher that meets all modern requirements for strategic weapons.

It is known that the design name of the new BZHRK is “Barguzin”. Project documentation indicates that the Barguzin will be assembled from two main parts: a railway launcher and a combat missile.

The railway launcher will be located on a railway platform, to which a special beam with a lifting boom and a control mechanism is attached. A lifting frame with the possibility of longitudinal movement is attached to the railway boom. The TPK (torpedo hull perforator) with the missile will be supported by supports that are mounted on support plates and equipped with rotating rods.

The rocket is launched from the TPK, commands for which are given from a special car as part of the BZHRK with control systems attached to it. When a rocket is launched, the roof of the car opens (reclines), thereby creating the distance necessary for the launch.

Comparative characteristics

Parameter	BZHRK "Barguzin"	BZHRK "Well done"
Date of adoption	2009	1989
Rocket length, m	22,7	22,6
Launch weight, t	47,1	104,5
Maximum range, km	11000	10 100
Number and power of warheads, Mt	3-4 X 0.15; 3-4 X 0.3	10×0.55
Number of locomotives	1	3
Number of missiles	6	3
Autonomy, days	28	28

Advantages of the new BZHRK:

Less train weight
Modern navigation systems
Greater missile accuracy

Rockets

Under development project documentation, the developers and the command had a choice - which one modern missiles, which are in service with the Russian army, can be used as a projectile on the Barguzin BZHRK. After numerous discussions, the Yars and Yars-M missiles were chosen. This missile is a silo-based and mobile-based solid-fuel ballistic missile with a detachable warhead, maximum range the flight range of which is 11,000 kilometers, and the charge power is TNT equivalent ranges from 150 to 300 kilograms. This ballistic missile performed excellently during preliminary tests.

Does BZHRK exist now?

After signing international treaty START-2 in January 1993, Russia lost its combat railway missile systems. Now most of them have been destroyed, and the rest have turned into exhibits standing on the sidings of railway depots. Therefore, in fact, until 2006, our state was left without a strike force to deliver a retaliatory strike with colossal mobile capabilities. But in 2002, Russia refused to ratify the START II treaty, which meant the possibility of restoring ballistic missile capabilities.

As mentioned above, none of the world powers currently has a single BZHRK worker in combat service. The only country taking steps to create a BZHRK is Russia, and several stages have already passed in the process of creating the complex.

Current situation

In 2006, the troops began to receive Topol-M ground-based mobile missile systems armed with Yars missiles instead of the BZHRK. Currently, the Russian army is armed with more than a hundred Topol-M combat systems, which can partially fill the gap left after the decommissioning of the BZHRK.

The current situation gives reasons for optimism - we all hope that by 2020 the Barguzin BZHRK will go into mass production, which will equip our army.

Experimental design work (R&D) on the Barguzin project began at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering in 2012. The completion of the research and development work is planned for 2020, and funds for their implementation are already being allocated. In 2014, the preliminary design of the complex was completed, and by the beginning of 2015, designers began the first stage of experimental design work to create a railway launcher. The development of design documentation has been in full swing since 2015. The timing of the creation of individual elements of Barguzin, its assembly and preliminary tests will become known by 2018. The deployment of the complex and its entry into the army is planned for 2020.

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