RSD-10
| RSD-10 | |
|---|---|
|
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| General Information | |
| Type | Medium-range missile |
| Local name | RSD-10 Pioner, 15Sch53 |
| NATO designation | SS-20 Saber |
| Country of origin |
.svg){kind=small} Soviet Union
|
| Manufacturer | Nadiradze and Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering |
| development | 1968 |
| Commissioning | 1976 |
| Working time | 1976-1988 |
| Technical specifications | |
| length | 16.45 m |
| diameter | 1,790 mm |
| Combat weight | 37,000 kg |
| span | 2,900 mm |
| Drive First stage Second stage Third stage |
Solid fuel rocket engine Solid Solid PBV (Post Boost Vehicle) |
| Range | 5,400 km |
| Furnishing | |
| steering | INS |
| Warhead | 3 MIRV - nuclear warheads with 150 kt each |
| Weapon platforms | MAZ-547W - truck |
| Lists on the subject | |
The RSD-10 Pioner ( Russian РСД-10 Пионер ) was a Soviet mobile medium-range ballistic missile for the transport of nuclear warheads .
It was developed by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering (MIT) and operated by the Strategic Missile Forces of the Soviet Army . The missile system based on the first successful mobile intercontinental ballistic missile of the Soviet Union, the Temp-2S . The basic version of the Pioner was replaced from 1980 by the Pioner-UTTH with increased range and accuracy. The Pioner missiles were the subject of major political disputes between NATO and the Soviet Union; their stationing resulted in the NATO double decision . The missile systems were decommissioned under the 1987 INF Treaty until 1989 and destroyed until 1991.
Designations
RSD-10 is the bilateral treaty name for the missile system. The manufacturer's designation is Temp-2S (Темп-2С), the GRAU index is 15Sch45 (15Ж45), the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency designation is SS-20 and the NATO designation is Saber .
development
In the early 1970s, the USSR decided on a program of modernization of its medium-range nuclear weapons systems, which ultimately led to the introduction of the Tu-22M bomber and the RSD-10 Pioner. This modernization program had several causes. For one thing, the Soviet medium-range missiles of the first generation (the R-12 and R-14 ) reached the end of their warranty period and had to be replaced or modernized anyway. Furthermore, in the late 1960s to early 1970s, the Soviet Union had achieved parity with the USA in terms of land-based ICBMs and submarine-based ballistic missiles ( SLBM ). As a next step, the USSR wanted to achieve low parity, which meant not only catching up with the US strategic weapons, but also countering the weapons stationed in Europe by the US, France and Great Britain. The SALT-I treaty negotiated between the USSR and the USA in the early 1970s also played a role . Among other things, this treaty stipulated the maximum number of land-based ICBMs for both states. However, this role was less clearly defined for the Soviet missile forces than in the USA, and many missiles, especially the UR-100 , fulfilled a dual role and were directed against both intercontinental and continental targets in Europe and Asia, including the People's Republic of China . Therefore, the new medium-range weapons should also replace the UR-100 in its continental role in order to keep it free for the intercontinental role in the future. The SALT-I contract also had another consequence, which was at least partly responsible for the volume of RSD-10 production. The treaty banned the deployment of mobile ICBMs such as the Temp-2S on which the RSD-10 was based. The Votkinsk engineering factory, in which the Temp-2S was produced, had already been extensively modernized and expanded for series production of the new ICBM at the time the SALT-I contract was signed. Now that this was canceled, the RSD-10 was supposed to fill this production gap in order to fully utilize the plant, which was the main employer in Votkinsk .
Development of the RSD-10 began in 1973 at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering under the direction of Alexander Nadiradze . Flight tests began on the 4th State Test Site in Kapustin Yar on September 21, 1974 and ended on January 9, 1976. On March 11, 1976, the RSD-10 were included in the armament of the Strategic Missile Forces and the first missiles were put into combat readiness on August 30, 1976. On August 10, 1979, flight testing of a modernized variant began on the Kapustin Jar test site. The test program was completed on August 14, 1980. The Pioner-UTTH was added to the armament of the Strategic Missile Forces on December 17, 1980.
The stationing of the RSD-10 caused great concern among NATO countries. In addition to its capabilities against continental targets in Europe, the US was particularly concerned that the RSD-10 could be an outbreak weapon from the SALT treaty. Since the RSD-10 is based on the first two stages of the Temp-2S, the US was concerned that the RSD-10 could be retrofitted with a third stage in the event of a crisis and thus converted into an ICBM. The USSR assured the US that it would not produce or store third stages for the Temp-2S.
After political controversy, NATO's double decision was taken on December 12, 1979 to counter the new threat posed by the RSD-10 against targets in Europe. This offered the Soviet Union negotiations on the limitation of medium-range weapons, while at the same time modernizing NATO medium-range weapons in Europe. This led to a new intensification of the Cold War in the early 1980s .
On December 8, 1987, then Presidents Gorbachev and Reagan signed the INF treaty between the USA and the USSR, according to which the RSD-10 systems were retired. A total of 441 Pioner systems were stationed up to 1986. When the INF contract was signed in 1987, 405 systems were still in service. 509 launch vehicles and 654 missiles were destroyed as part of the INF treaty. The decommissioning and scrapping took place between 1988 and 1991. 72 of the rockets were destroyed by launching from the Kapustin Yar test site . All of these flights were successful.
technology
The RSD-10 is a two-stage solid fuel rocket. These levels are based on the 1st and 2nd stage of the Temp-2S ICBM . In contrast to the Temp-2S, the RSD-10 does not have a third stage, but only a bus that is responsible for deploying the warheads. The steps were made from composite materials.
The finished rockets were in a launch canister that was mounted on a six-axle transport and launch vehicle. The vehicle was an all -terrain MAZ-547W (12 × 12). The vehicle was equipped with all the necessary systems to keep the missile in constant combat readiness, to make preparations for launch and to fire it. The launch method was a cold start : the rocket was ejected from the launch canister by cold gas after it had straightened up, after which the first stage was ignited. The start could take place from the garages for the starting vehicle, which had a divisible sunroof, furthermore from measured terrain points along a defined patrol route or from any points in the terrain. The start was carried out remotely by an escort vehicle.
The RSD-10 could carry a single warhead with an explosive force of 1 megaton or three warheads ( MIRV ) with 150 kT each. The latter variant was the standard version. The improved RSD-10 variant stationed from 1980 onwards used the same propulsion system as the basic variant, but had improved controls that increased the range by 10%, improved the targeting accuracy of the missile and increased the area over which the MIRV variant had its warheads could distribute.
variants
- Pioner (SS-20 Saber mod 1)
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Pioner-UTTH (SS-20 Saber mod 2)
- 15P653 Pioner-UTTH (15K653) with rocket 15Sch53 with three MIRV warheads of 150 kT each. Range 600–5,500 km. Introduced in 1980.
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Pioner-3 (SS-X-28)
- 15P657 Pioner-3 (15K657) with rocket 15Sch57 with three MIRV warheads of 50–75 kT each plus decoys. Range 7,400 km. Development stopped in 1988.
Stationing locations
The RSD-10 was stationed at locations in the Russian SFSR , the Belarusian and Ukrainian SSR . The INF contract lists the following locations at the time the contract was signed in 1987:
- Postawy, Belarusian SSR (9 missiles)
- Vetrino, Belarusian SSR (9)
- Polotsk, Belarusian SSR (9)
- Smorgon, Belarusian SSR (18)
- Lida, Belarusian SSR (9)
- Gezgaly, Belarusian SSR (6)
- Slonim, Belarusian SSR (9)
- Ruschany, Belarusian SSR (6)
- Sasimovichi, Belarusian SSR (6)
- Mosyr, Belarusian SSR (9)
- Petrikov, Belarusian SSR (6)
- Shitkovichi, Belarusian SSR (6)
- Rechitsa, Belarusian SSR (6)
- Slutsk, Belarusian SSR (9)
- Lutsk , Ukrainian SSR (18)
- Brody , Ukrainian SSR (9)
- Slavuta, Ukrainian SSR (9)
- Chervonograd, Ukrainian SSR (9)
- Belokorovichi, Ukrainian SSR (9)
- Lipniki, Ukrainian SSR (9)
- Wysokawa Petsch, Ukrainian SSR (12)
- Korosten , Ukrainian SSR (6)
- Lebedin, Ukrainian SSR (9)
- Gluchkov, Ukrainian SSR (18)
- Akhtyrka, Ukrainian SSR (18)
- Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR (45)
- Drowjana, Russian SFSR (45)
- Barnaul, Russian SFSR (36)
- Kansk, Russian SFSR (36)
After the RSD-10 was decommissioned, some of the bases were reused for the RT-2PM Topol .
See also
literature
- Jane's strategic weapon systems. Jane's Publishing House, Coulsdon, Surrey, UK 2000.
- Frank von Hippel, Pavel Podvig: Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces. MIT, Cambridge 2004, ISBN 0-262-66181-0 .
- Land-based Soviet / Russian ballistic guided missiles. DTIG - Defense Threat Informations Group, July 2005.
Web links
- Overview SS-20
- Overview of ballistic guided missiles from Russian production ( Memento from October 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (German)
- SS-20 at missilethreat.com
- SS-20 at globalsecurity.org
- Pioner in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b S. J. Zaloga : The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword - The Rise and Fall of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces, 1945-2000. Smithsonian Institution Press, 2001, ISBN 1-58834-007-4 .
- ↑ a b P. Podvig (Ed.): Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces. MIT Press, 2004, ISBN 978-0-262-16202-9 .
- ↑ a b TREATY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS ON THE ELIMINATION OF THEIR INTERMEDIATE-RANGE AND SHORTER-RANGE MISSILES. ( Memento of the original from October 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
