Topol m rocket launcher technical characteristics. Intercontinental missile system "Topol-M"

RT-2PM2 "Topol-M" is a strategic missile system, work on the creation of which began in the Soviet period, but fine-tuning and mass production were already carried out by Russian enterprises. Topol-M is the first example of an ICBM created after the collapse of the USSR. Today, the Russian army is armed with silo-based (15P165) and mobile (15P155) missile systems.

"Topol-M" was the result of the modernization of the Soviet strategic missile system "Topol", surpassing its predecessor in almost all main characteristics. Currently, Topol-M forms the basis of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces. It was developed by designers from the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering (MIT).

Since 2011, the Russian Ministry of Defense has stopped purchasing new Topol-M systems; resources have been directed to the creation and deployment of Yars RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

From the very beginning, the creators of the Topol-M missile system were given quite serious restrictions concerning, first of all, the overall characteristics of the missile. Therefore, the main emphasis in its development was on increasing the survivability of the complex in the face of enemy nuclear strikes and on the ability of the warheads to overcome the enemy missile defense system. The maximum firing range of the complex is 11 thousand km.

According to a number of experts, the Topol-M missile system is not an ideal option for the Russian Strategic Missile Forces. It had to be created due to the lack of other alternatives. The disadvantages of ICBMs are largely related to the characteristics of the Topol complex, on the basis of which it was created. And although the designers managed to improve many parameters, they, of course, could not perform a miracle.

History of creation

Work on a new intercontinental ballistic missile with solid propellant engines began in the mid-80s. The project was carried out by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering and the Dnepropetrovsk Yuzhnoye Design Bureau. The designers were tasked with creating a universal rocket for stationary and mobile missile systems. The only difference between them was the engine of the warhead propagation stage: the designers planned to install a liquid engine on silo-based missiles, and a solid fuel engine on mobile systems.

In 1992, the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau ceased participation in the project, and the completion of development fell entirely on the shoulders of the Russian side. At the beginning of 1993, a presidential decree appeared that regulated further work on the missile system, and guarantees of further funding were also given. MIT was appointed as the lead enterprise for this project.

The designers needed to develop a universal missile, suitable for various types of deployment, with high accuracy, flight range, and capable of overcoming the enemy’s missile defense system.

Topol-M was created as a modernization of the Soviet Topol missile system. At the same time, the SVN-1 Treaty clearly defined what exactly was considered modernization and what characteristics of the complex should be changed. The new ballistic missile had to differ in one of the following characteristics:

• number of steps;
• type of fuel of at least one of the stages;
• the length of the rocket or the length of the first stage;
• diameter of the first stage;
• the mass that the rocket could throw;
• starting mass.

Based on the foregoing, it becomes clear that the designers of the missile system were initially very limited. Therefore, the tactical and technical characteristics (TTX) of the Topol-M missile could not differ significantly from its predecessor. The main differences were the missile's flight characteristics and its ability to overcome enemy missile defense.

Improved solid-fuel engines of the three stages of the rocket made it possible to significantly reduce the duration of the active phase of the rocket’s flight, which seriously reduced the likelihood of it being hit by anti-missile systems. The missile guidance system has become much more resistant to electromagnetic radiation and other factors of a nuclear explosion.

State tests of the new missile began in 1994. The Topol-M was successfully launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. Then several more launches were carried out, and in 1997 serial production of the Topol-M complex began. In 2000, the silo-based Topol-M missile system was put into service, and in the same year testing and launches of the mobile complex began.

The deployment of silo-based Topol-M began in 1997 in silos that were previously used for UR-100N missiles. At the end of 1998, the first missile regiment entered combat duty. The Topol-M mobile systems began to enter service en masse in 2005, at which time a new state rearmament program was adopted, according to which the Ministry of Defense planned to purchase 69 new ICBMs by 2019.

In 2005, the Topol-M missile with a maneuvering warhead was launched. It became part of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces program to create means to overcome the American missile defense system. A warhead with a ramjet hypersonic engine was also tested.

From 1994 to 2014, sixteen launches of the Topol-M ICBM were carried out, of which only one launch was considered unsuccessful: the missile deviated from its course and was eliminated. Launches were carried out both from silo-based installations and from mobile missile systems.

In 2008, a decision was announced to install multiple warheads on the Topol-M ICBM. The first such missiles began to enter service with the troops in 2010. A year earlier, it was announced that the production of the Topol-M mobile complexes would be stopped and work would begin on a complex with higher characteristics.

Complex structure

The basis of the Topol-M mobile and stationary missile system is the 15Zh65 ICBM.

The missile has three stages and a warhead expansion stage, all of which are equipped with solid propellant engines. Each stage has a one-piece body made of composite materials (“cocoon” type). Rocket engine nozzles are also made of carbon-based composite materials and are used to control the flight of the rocket. Unlike its predecessors, the Topol-M2 ICBM does not have lattice rudders and stabilizers.

The missile is launched from both complexes by mortar launch. The launch weight of the projectile is 47 tons.

The missile warheads have a special coating that reduces their visibility on radar screens, and can also release special aerosols - sources of infrared radiation. The rocket's new propulsion engines make it possible to significantly reduce the active portion of the flight, where it is most vulnerable. In addition, in this part of the flight the missile can maneuver, which makes its destruction even more problematic.

A high level of resistance of the missile and warheads against the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion was achieved through a whole range of measures:

• coating the rocket body with a special composition;
• application in creating a control system of an elementary base that is more resistant to electromagnetic pulses;
• the control system equipment is placed in a separate sealed compartment, coated with a special composition of rare earth elements;
• the rocket's cable network is reliably shielded;
• When the cloud of a nuclear explosion passes, the rocket makes a so-called program maneuver.

The power of the solid propellant charges of all rocket engines is significantly higher than that of its predecessors, which allows it to gain speed much faster.

The probability of overcoming the American missile defense system for Topol-M ICBM warheads is 60-65%, work is underway to increase this value to 80%.

The missile control system is inertial, based on a digital computer and a gyro-stabilized platform. “Topol-M” can successfully launch and complete its mission even in the event of high-altitude blocking nuclear strikes on the area where the complex is deployed.

It should be noted that the Topol-M ICBM was created using developments and technologies obtained in the manufacture of the Topol ICBM; this significantly reduced the time it took to create the missile, and also reduced the cost of the project.

The re-equipment of the Strategic Missile Forces units was carried out using existing infrastructure, which also made it possible to significantly reduce economic costs. This was especially important for the late 90s, when the Russian economy was going through hard times.

To install silo-based Topol-M missiles, silos of missiles removed from combat duty were used. The silo installations of Soviet heavy ICBMs were converted to use Topol. At the same time, an additional five meters of concrete were poured into the base of the shaft, and some additional transformations were carried out. Most of the mine equipment was reused, which significantly reduced the cost of deploying the complex and also speeded up the work.

Each stationary Topol-M missile system consists of ten missiles in launchers and one high-security command post. It is located in a special shaft on shock absorbers, which makes it less vulnerable to enemy strikes. The missile is enclosed in a special metal transport and launch container.

The mobile-based Topol-M is mounted on an MZKT-79221 all-terrain chassis with 8 axles. The missile is housed in a high-strength fiberglass transport and launch container. Structurally, the missiles of the mobile and silo complexes are no different. The weight of one launcher is 120 tons, and its length is 22 meters. Six pairs of wheels can turn, which provides the mobile complex with a minimum turning radius.

The specific pressure of the mobile unit's wheels on the ground is less than that of a conventional truck, which provides it with high maneuverability. The unit is equipped with a 12-cylinder engine with an output of 800 hp. With. It can ford a depth of 1.1 meters.

When creating the mobile complex, previous experience in creating similar machines was taken into account. High cross-country ability and maneuverability significantly increases the survivability of the complex, allowing it to leave the zone of a probable enemy strike in the shortest possible time.

The launch can be made from any ground, from any point of deployment of the complex, equipped with camouflage means against various detection means (optical, infrared, radar).

Serial production of launchers has been established at the Volgograd plant "Barricades".

In 2013, missile units armed with Topol-M mobile launchers received thirteen special camouflage and engineering support vehicles. Their main task is to destroy traces of missile systems, as well as create false positions that would be visible to the reconnaissance means of a potential enemy.

Performance characteristics

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At the end of 1993, Russia announced the development of the first domestic missile, designed to become the basis of a promising group of ICBMs. The development of the Topol-M rocket is carried out by a Russian cooperation of enterprises and design bureaus. The lead developer of the missile system is the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering under the leadership of General Designer B.N. Lagutin and Yuri Solomonov.

The Topol-M missile is being created as a modernization of the RS-12M ICBM. The conditions for modernization are determined by the START-1 Treaty, according to which a missile that differs from the existing one (analogue) in one of the following ways will be considered new:
number of steps;
type of fuel of any stage;
starting weight by more than 10%;
the length of either the assembled rocket without the warhead, or the length of the first stage of the rocket by more than 10%;
the diameter of the first stage by more than 5%;
throw weight of more than 21% combined with a change in first stage length of 5% or more.

Thus, the mass-dimensional characteristics and some design options of the Topol-M ICBM are strictly limited.

The stage of state flight tests of the Topol-M missile system took place at 1-GIK MO. In December 1994, the first launch took place from a silo launcher.

During combat duty, the Topol-M missile will be located in a transport and launch container. It is assumed that it will be operated as part of both stationary (in silo launchers) and mobile complexes. In this case, in a stationary version, it is advisable to use silo launchers of missiles that are removed from service or destroyed in accordance with the START-2 Treaty, for example, appropriately equipped silo launchers of RS-20 missiles (modernized by designer D.K. Dragun). This modification should ensure that it is impossible to install a “heavy” ICBM in the launcher of the Topol-M missile and includes pouring concrete at the bottom of the shaft and installing a restrictive ring at the top of the launcher. Placing Topol-M missiles in existing silos modified in this way will significantly reduce the costs of developing and deploying the complex.

The missiles are equipped with monoblock warheads, but, unlike all other strategic missiles, they can be quickly re-equipped with multiple warheads capable of carrying up to three charges. This makes them unattainable for all existing missile defense systems. “Moreover, Solomonov promised that, if necessary, several warheads with individually targetable multiple warheads (MIRVs) could be installed on this monoblock missile. “If the restrictions under the treaty (START-2) are lifted, and appropriate financial resources are allocated and the appropriate time, "Topol-M" can certainly be turned into a missile with MIRVs"

On April 28, 2000, the State Commission approved an act on the adoption of the Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile into service by the Strategic Missile Forces.

a brief description of

Design Bureau Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering
General designer Lagutin Boris Nikolaevich
Missile type intercontinental
The launch method is active-reactive (“mortar”)
Location method: stationary, mine launcher, and mobile
Start of development 1994
Start of flight tests December 1994

Basic performance characteristics

Maximum firing range, km 10000
Number of stages 3
Launch weight, tons 47.1
Throwing weight, tons 1.2
Rocket length without warhead, m 17.5 (17.9)
Maximum diameter, m 1.86
The warhead type is monoblock, nuclear, and has an inertial autonomous guidance system.
Number of MS 1
Solid fuel, mixed
Type of control system: autonomous, inertial based on on-line control system.
The warhead equivalent is 0.55 megatons of trinitrotoluene.
Deviation from the target - 0.9 km.

The manufacturer of Topol-M missiles is the Votkinsk Machine-Building Plant State Enterprise. The nuclear warhead was created under the leadership of Georgy Dmitriev at Arzamas-16.

The deployment of units is a regiment in Tatishchevo (Saratov region) (since November 12, 1998), military unit in Altai (near the village of Sibirsky, Pervomaisky district, Atai Territory). The first two Topol-M /RS-12M2/ missiles were put on experimental combat duty in Tatishchevo in December 1997 after four test launches, and on December 30, 1998, the first regiment of 10 missiles of this type began combat duty.

5:06 / 24.04.16
Strategic Missile Forces: mobile ground-based missile system "Topol" with ICBM 15Zh58

RT-2PM "Topol" (GRAU complex/missile index - 15P158/15Zh58, according to the START treaty - RS-12M, according to NATO classification - SS-25 Sickle, translated - Serp) - Soviet/Russian mobile ground-based strategic missile system with three-stage solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile RT-2PM.

APU 15U168 of the 15P158 “Topol” complex / Photo: tvzvezda.ru, Konstantin Semenov

Development history

The development of the Topol strategic mobile complex (RS-12M) with a three-stage intercontinental ballistic missile suitable for placement on a self-propelled vehicle chassis (based on the 15Zh58 ICBM on solid mixed fuel weighing 45 tons with a monoblock nuclear warhead weighing 1 ton) was started on July 19, 1977 years at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering under the leadership of chief designer Alexander Nadiradze in 1975. After the death of A. Nadiradze (he was director and chief designer of MIT 1961 - 1987, died in 1977), work was continued under the leadership of Boris Lagutin (general designer of MIT 1987 - 1993). The mobile launcher on a wheeled chassis was developed by the Titan Central Design Bureau at the Volgograd Barikady plant.

Alexander Nadiradze / Photo: liveinternet.ru

Boris Lagutin / Photo: liveinternet.ru

Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 668-212 on the development of the Topol missile system was issued on July 19, 1977. The first flight test of the rocket took place on October 27, 1982 at the Kapustin Yar test site and ended unsuccessfully. The second (according to other sources, the first) launch was carried out on February 8, 1983 at the Plesetsk training ground by the combat crew of the 6th Research University and was successful. The first three test launches were carried out from a silo launcher of the RT-2P missile, converted specifically for this work.

Launch of the 15Zh58 / RS-12M Topol ICBM from the Plesetsk training ground / Photo: pressa-rvsn.livejournal.com

On August 10, 1983, the fourth launch of the RS-12M rocket was carried out, it became the first carried out from a self-propelled launcher 15U128. In total, at the stage of joint flight tests of the complex from February 1983 to December 23, 1987, 16 missile launches were carried out. The missile system was put into service on December 1, 1988.

From November 1984 to September 1994, during the period of serial production of elements of the complex and placing missile regiments on combat duty, 32 control and serial launches were carried out (in defense of the party). During the period of operation of the PGRK in the Strategic Missile Forces from April 1988 to November 2005, 33 combat training launches of the RT-2PM missile were carried out.

The RS-12M is a mobile ground-based intercontinental strategic missile, which significantly increases its survivability in combat conditions.

One of the most successful modern Russian complexes was considered to be the Topol mobile ground-based missile system (SS-25 “Sickle” according to NATO classification) with the RS-12M missile. It became the first mobile complex equipped with an intercontinental-range missile, put into service after almost two decades of unsuccessful attempts made by various design organizations.

Rocket 15Zh58 (RT-2PM)

The 15Zh58 rocket is designed according to a design with three sustainer stages. To ensure high energy-mass perfection and increase the firing range, a new, more advanced mixed fuel of increased density, with a specific impulse increased by several units compared to the fillers of previously created engines, was used in all sustainer stages.

Layout diagram of the 15Zh58 rocket: 1 - warhead; 2- transition compartment; 3 - stage III sustainer solid propellant rocket engine; 4 - connecting compartment of stage II; 5 - second stage sustainer solid propellant rocket engine; 6 - connecting compartment of stage I; 7 - first stage sustainer solid propellant rocket engine; 8 - tail section of the first stage / Image: rvsn.ruzhany.info

Rocket 15Zh58 of the 15P158 “Topol” complex / Photo: rvsn.ruzhany.info

All three stages are equipped with solid propellant rocket engines with one fixed nozzle. On the outer surface of the tail section of the first stage there were folding rotary lattice aerodynamic rudders (4 pieces), used for flight control together with gas-jet rudders and 4 lattice aerodynamic stabilizers.

The spent first stage of the Topol ICBM after launch from the Plesetsk test site - the lattice aerodynamic rudders are clearly visible / Photo: www.edu.severodvinsk.ru

Nozzle block of the first stage of the 15Zh58 rocket of the 15P158 “Topol” complex / Photo: www.edu.severodvinsk.ru

The second stage structurally consists of a connecting compartment and a sustainer solid propellant rocket engine. The third stage has almost the same design, but it additionally includes a transition compartment to which the head part is attached.

The first stage of the 15Zh58 rocket of the 15P158 “Topol” complex / Photo: rvsn.ruzhany.info

The second stage of the 15Zh58 rocket of the 15P158 “Topol” complex / Photo: rvsn.ruzhany.info

The third stage of the 15Zh58 rocket of the 15P158 “Topol” complex / Photo: rvsn.ruzhany.info

Launch stage of the 15Zh58 missile warhead of the 15P158 “Topol” complex / Photo: rvsn.ruzhany.info

An autonomous, inertial control system was developed at NPO Automation and Instrumentation under the leadership of Vladimir Lapygin. The aiming system was developed under the leadership of the chief designer of the Kyiv Arsenal plant, Seraphim Parnyakov.

Vladimir Lapygin / Photo: faceruss.ru

Seraphim Parnyakov / Photo: space.com.ua

The inertial control system has its own digital computer, which made it possible to achieve high shooting accuracy. The control system provides missile flight control, routine maintenance on the missile and launcher, pre-launch preparation and launch of the missile. All pre-launch preparation and launch operations, as well as preparatory and routine work, are fully automated.

In the foreground is a mock-up of an ICBM warhead / Photo: militaryrussia.ru

The warhead is monoblock, nuclear, weighing about 1 ton. The warhead includes a propulsion system and a control system that provides a circular probable deviation (CPD) of 400 m (as our sources say; in the West, the accuracy is estimated at 150-200 m). “Topol” is equipped with a set of means to overcome the missile defense of a potential enemy. The nuclear warhead was created at the All-Union Research Institute of Experimental Physics under the leadership of chief designer Samvel Kocharyants.

Samvel Kocharyants / Photo: atomic-energy.ru

According to Western sources, the missile was tested at least once with four individually targetable warheads, but this option was not further developed.

The rocket's flight is controlled by rotary gas-jet and lattice aerodynamic rudders. New nozzle devices for solid fuel engines have been created. To ensure secrecy, camouflage, decoy systems, and camouflage means have been developed. Just like the previous mobile complexes of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering. The 15Zh58 rocket is produced in Votkinsk. The 15Zh58 (RT-2PM) rocket spends its entire service life in a sealed transport and launch container 22 m long and 2 m in diameter.

TPK with 15Zh58 missile / Photo: rvsn.ruzhany.info

Initially, the warranty period for the rocket's operation was set at 10 years. Later the warranty period was extended to 15 years.

Launcher and equipment

During operation, the missile is located in a transport and launch container installed on a mobile launcher. It is mounted on the basis of a seven-axle chassis of a MAZ heavy-duty vehicle. The rocket is launched from a vertical position using a powder pressure accumulator (PAA) placed in a transport and launch container (TPC).

The launcher was developed at the Volgograd Central Design Bureau "Titan" under the leadership of Viktor Shurygin.

Victor Shurygin / Photo: topwar.ru

The seven-axle MAZ-7912 (15U128.1) was used as the chassis of the mobile complex launcher, later - the MAZ-7917 (15U168) with a 14x12 wheel arrangement (Barricades plant in Volgograd).

SPU 15U128.1 on a MAZ-7912 chassis with TPK - Topol complex (official photo from documents under SALT agreements) / Photo: www.fas.org

Serial APU 15U128.1 on the MAZ-7912 chassis, complex 15P158.1 / Photo: military.tomsk.ru/forum

APU 15U168 on a MAZ-7917 chassis with TPK - Topol complex (official photo from documents under SALT agreements / Photo: www.fas.org

SPU 15U168 of the 15P158 "Topol" complex. On the starboard side of the SPU there are some required structural elements missing. Exhibition "Patriot", Kubinka, 2015 / Photo: Vitaly Kuzmin

This car from the Minsk Automobile Plant is equipped with a 710 hp diesel engine. Yaroslavl Motor Plant. The vehicle contained a sealed transport and launch container with a diameter of 2 m and a length of 22 m. The mass of the launcher with the missile was about 100 tons. Despite this, the Topol complex had good mobility and maneuverability.

Solid propellant engine charges were developed at the Lyubertsy NPO Soyuz under the leadership of Boris Zhukov (later the association was headed by Zinovy ​​Pak).

Boris Zhukov / Photo: liveinternet.ru

Zinovy ​​Pak / Photo: minpromtorg.gov.ru

Viktor Protasov / Photo: liveinternet.ru

Some sources reported that the launch could have been carried out from any point on the patrol route, but according to more precise information: “Upon receiving an order to launch via ASBU, the APU crew is obliged to occupy the nearest route point suitable for launch and deploy the APU.” In the field (i.e., at field infantry fighting stations and infantry fighting vehicles, Topol regiments are on combat duty, as a rule, for 1.5 months in winter and the same amount in summer).

The RS-12M could also be launched directly from the 15U135 Krona special unit, in which the Topols are on combat duty on stationary BSPs. For this purpose, the hangar roof is made retractable.

Unit 15U135 "Krona" (official photo from documents under SALT agreements) / Photo: www.fas.org

Combat readiness (time to prepare for launch) from the moment the order was received until the missile was launched was brought to two minutes.

SPU exit from structure 15U135 (Krona) / Photo: rvsn.ruzhany.info

Missile division, on combat duty / Photo: rvsn.ruzhany.info

The type of launch is artillery: after installing the TPK in a vertical position and shooting off its upper protective cap, the first TPK PAD is triggered first - to extend the movable bottom of the TPK in order to “rest” on the ground for greater stability, and then the second PAD pushes the rocket to a height of several meters , after which the first stage propulsion engine is started.

The APU is controlled by PKP "Zenit" (divisional link) and "Granit" (regimental link).

A mobile regimental command post (PKP RP) was developed for the Topol complex. PKP RP units were placed on the MAZ-543 chassis.

Combat duty support vehicle (MOBD) of the Topol complex on the MAZ-543M chassis / Photo: www.fas.org

• Unit 15B168 - combat control vehicle
• Unit 15B179 - communication machine 1
• Unit 15B75 - communication machine 2

One MOBD included the functions of 4 units of the Pioneer complex: MDES, canteen, dormitory, MDSO). Those. had diesel units, a utility compartment, a control unit. () The Topol RK APUs were equipped with a modernized RBU system, which made it possible to receive launch commands via the Perimeter system in 3 ranges.

Testing and deployment

In February 1983, the Topol PGRK entered testing. The first flight test of the missile was carried out at the 53rd NIIP MO (now the 1st GIK MO) Plesetsk on February 8, 1983. This and two subsequent launches were made from converted silos of stationary RT-2P missiles. One of the launches was unsuccessful. The series of tests continued until December 23, 1987. In total, more than 70 launches of this missile were carried out.

The head of a silo of type 15P765 / 15P765M at the Plesetsk training ground, footage of the launch of the Topol ICBM / Photo: militaryrussia.ru

In 1984, the construction of stationary structures and the equipment of combat patrol routes for Topol mobile missile systems began in the positional areas of the RT-2P and UR-100 ICBMs being removed from duty and located in the OS silos. Later, the positioning areas of medium-range complexes removed from service under the INF Treaty were arranged.

The development of the elements of the complex proceeded in stages, and apparently the greatest difficulties were associated with the combat control system. After the successful completion of the first series of tests, completed by mid-1985 (15 test launches took place during April 1985), on July 23, 1985, the RT-2PM entered service and was put on combat duty in the Yoshkar-Ola area first regiment of the PGRK. At the same time, development of the combat control system obviously continued.

Test launches of the Topol rocket / Photo: rvsn.ruzhany.info

Serial production of missiles has been located at the plant in Votkinsk (Udmurtia) since 1985, and the mobile launcher was manufactured at the Volgograd plant "Barricades".

In parallel, in 1986, on the basis of the second and third stages of the 15Zh58 rocket, a medium-range mobile soil complex “Speed” was developed with a maximum firing range greater than that of the front-line “Temp-S” complex and shorter than that of the “Pioneer” complex. Such a range, with powerful combat equipment, made it possible to squeeze into the launch weight of the missile, which ensured acceptable total weight and dimensions of the self-propelled launcher. Acceptable for “riding” around the territory of Eastern European countries. Thus, the question of flight time for London, Rome, Bonn was removed.

The first regiment, equipped with a mobile regimental command post, was put on combat duty only on April 28, 1987 (in the area of ​​Nizhny Tagil).

Part of the Topol PGRK was deployed in newly created position areas. After the signing of the INF Treaty in 1987, some position areas of the dismantled Pioneer medium-range PGRK began to be re-equipped for the deployment of the Topol complexes.

Test launches of missiles, as already mentioned, ended on December 23, 1987, but the full testing of the mobile complex, and not just the missile, ended only in December 1988, so the final decision on the adoption of the Topol complex for service dates back to December 1, 1988 g., i.e. more than three years after the start of trial operation.

On May 27, 1988, the first missile regiment with a modernized mobile regimental command post (near Irkutsk) was put on combat duty.

Example of the location of structures at the starting position / Image: rvsn.ruzhany.info

On May 27, 1988, the first regiment entered the database, the divisions of which included an improved mobile command post (PKP) equipped with a new automated control system.

As of the end of 1996, the Strategic Missile Forces had 360 Topol PGRKs.

Each year, one control launch of the Topol rocket is carried out from the Plesetsk test site. The high reliability of the complex is evidenced by the fact that during its testing and operation, about fifty control and test launches of missiles were carried out. All of them went without a hitch. On November 29, 2005, a mobile-based combat training launch of the RS-12M Topol ICBM was carried out from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the direction of the Kura training ground in Kamchatka. A training missile warhead hit a simulated target at a training ground on the Kamchatka Peninsula with specified accuracy. The main purpose of the launch is to check the reliability of the equipment. The missile remained on combat duty for 20 years. This is the first time in the practice of not only domestic, but also global rocket science - a solid-fuel rocket that has been in operation for so many years has been successfully launched. Based on the Topol PGRK with the 15Zh58 missile, the following were created:

1. Complex "Perimeter-RC", missile "Sirena"- a complex with a command missile - a missile system to ensure the delivery of information about the need for a retaliatory strike in the conditions of the cessation of normal communications. The regiment of the Perimeter-RTs ICBM, created on the basis of the 15Zh58 Topol ICBM, took up combat duty in December 1990 in the 8th Missile Division of the Strategic Missile Forces (Yurya, regiment commander - Colonel S.I. Arzamastsev). In December 2011, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Lieutenant General Sergei Karakaev, stated that the Perimeter system exists and is on combat duty. The command missile of the Perimeter-RC complex was tested with five ICBM launches from the Plesetsk test site from August 8 to December 25, 1990.

2. rocket 15Zh58E "Topol-E"- experimental launch vehicle for testing new types of combat equipment for ICBMs, tentative name 15Zh58E.

Launch of the Topol-E ICBM, Kapustin Yar training ground, site 107, 2009 / Photo: militaryphotos.net.

Projections of the Topol and Topol-E missiles (15Zh58 and 15Zh58E) - SS-25 SICKLE / Image: militaryrussia.ru

3. "Start-1" - satellite launch vehicle. The development of the launch vehicle began in 1989. The first launch was made on March 25, 1993. The design is a 5-stage launch vehicle. Payload mass for low orbit - 500 kg

Launch vehicle "Start-1" in the workshop of the Votkinsk Machine-Building Plant / Photo: www.iz-article.ru

Reduction

According to the START-2 treaty, 360 units of the Topol missile system were reduced by 2007.

After the collapse of the USSR, some of the Topols remained on the territory of Belarus. On August 13, 1993, the withdrawal of the Topol Strategic Missile Forces group from Belarus began, and on November 27, 1996 it was completed.

As of July 2006, 243 Topol missile systems were still on combat duty (Teykovo, Yoshkar-Ola, Yurya, Nizhny Tagil, Novosibirsk, Kansk, Irkutsk, Barnaul, Vypolzovo.

An interesting fact is that the Topol complex is the first Soviet strategic missile system, the name of which was declassified in the Soviet press in an article refuting accusations from the American side that Russia was allegedly testing a new missile system in violation of the current arms reduction treaty .

Tactical and technical indicators

At the end of the 1980s, on a competitive basis, the development of a universal dual-based ICBM began - silo-based and on a mobile installation. At MIT, which traditionally dealt with soil complexes, they began to develop a mobile complex, and at the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in Ukraine (Dnepropetrovsk) - a mine complex. But in 1991, all work was completely transferred to the Moscow Institute of Heat Engineering. The design was headed by Boris Lagutin, and after his retirement in 1997, academician Yuri Solomonov, appointed general designer of MIT.

But that is another story...

Complex RT-2PM2 "Topol-M"(code RS-12M2, according to NATO classification - SS-27 Sickle "Sickle") - a Russian strategic missile system with an intercontinental ballistic missile, developed in the late 1980s - early 1990s on the basis of the RT-2PM "Topol" complex .

The first intercontinental ballistic missile developed in Russia after the collapse of the USSR. Adopted into service in 1997. The lead developer of the missile system is the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering (MIT).

Rocket of the Topol-M complex is solid fuel, three-stage. Maximum range - 11,000 km. Carries one thermonuclear warhead with a power of 550 kt. The missile is based both in silo launchers (silos) and on mobile launchers. The silo-based version was put into service in 2000.

Stationary complex "Topol-M" includes 10 intercontinental ballistic missiles mounted in silo launchers, as well as a command post.

Main characteristics:

Number of steps - 3
Length (with warhead) - 22.55 m
Length (without warhead) - 17.5 m
Diameter - 1.81 m
Launch weight - 46.5 t
Throwing weight 1.2 t
Type of fuel - solid mixed
Maximum range - 11000 km
Head type - monoblock, nuclear, detachable
Number of combat units - 1 + about 20 dummies
Charge power - 550 Kt
Control system - autonomous, inertial based on BTsVK
Method of basing - mine and mobile

Mobile complex "Topol-M" is a single missile placed in a high-strength fiberglass transport and launch container (TPK), mounted on an eight-axle MZKT-79221 cross-country chassis and is structurally practically no different from the silo version. The weight of the launcher is 120 tons. Six pairs of eight wheels are swivel, providing a turning radius of 18 meters.

The ground pressure of the installation is half that of a conventional truck. Engine V-shaped 12-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine YaMZ-847 with a power of 800 hp. The depth of the ford is up to 1.1 meters.

When creating systems and units of the mobile Topol-M, a number of fundamentally new technical solutions were used in comparison with the Topol complex. Thus, the partial suspension system makes it possible to deploy the Topol-M launcher even on soft soils. The maneuverability and maneuverability of the installation have been improved, which increases its survivability.

"Topol-M" is capable of launching from any point in the positional area, and also has improved means of camouflage, both against optical and other reconnaissance means (including by reducing the infrared component of the complex's unmasking field, as well as the use of special coatings that reduce radar signature).

Intercontinental missile consists of three stages with solid propellant propulsion engines. Aluminum is used as fuel, ammonium perchlorate acts as an oxidizing agent. The step bodies are made of composites. All three stages are equipped with a rotating nozzle to deflect the thrust vector (there are no lattice aerodynamic rudders).

Control system– inertial, based on the on-board central heating system and a gyro-stabilized platform. The complex of high-speed command gyroscopic devices has improved accuracy characteristics. The new BTsVK has increased productivity and resistance to the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion. Aiming is ensured through the implementation of autonomous determination of the azimuth of the control element installed on a gyro-stabilized platform using a ground-based complex of command instruments located on the TPK. Increased combat readiness, accuracy and continuous operation life of on-board equipment are ensured.

Launch method - mortar for both options. The rocket's sustaining solid-propellant engine allows it to gain speed much faster than previous types of rockets of a similar class created in Russia and the Soviet Union. This makes it much more difficult for missile defense systems to intercept it during the active phase of the flight.

The missile is equipped with a detachable warhead with one thermonuclear warhead with a capacity of 550 kt of TNT equivalent. The warhead is also equipped with a set of means to overcome missile defense. The complex of means for overcoming missile defense consists of passive and active decoys, as well as means of distorting the characteristics of the warhead. Several dozen auxiliary correction engines, instruments and control mechanisms allow the warhead to maneuver along the trajectory, making it difficult to intercept it at the final part of the trajectory.

False targets indistinguishable from warheads in all ranges of electromagnetic radiation (optical, laser, infrared, radar). False targets make it possible to simulate the characteristics of warheads according to almost all selection criteria in the extra-atmospheric, transitional and significant part of the atmospheric section of the descending branch of the flight trajectory of missile warheads, and are resistant to the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion and the radiation of a super-powerful nuclear-pumped laser. For the first time, decoys have been designed that can withstand super-resolution radars.

In connection with the termination of the START-2 treaty, which prohibited the creation of multi-charge intercontinental ballistic missiles, the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering is working on equipping Topol-M with multiple independently targetable warheads. Perhaps the result of this work is. A mobile version of this complex, placed on the chassis of an eight-axle MZKT-79221 tractor, is currently being tested.

/Based on materials rbase.new-factoria.ru And en.wikipedia.org /