SS-21 Scarab

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Several 9K79-1 Tochka -U (SS-21B) in Yekaterinburg on a military parade

The SS-21 Scarab ( NATO designation ) is a tactical ballistic surface-to-surface missile from Soviet / Russian production. The system index ( GRAU index ) of the Russian armed forces is 9K79 Totschka ( Russian Точка , translated “point”). The guided weapon bears the designation 9M79.

development

The SS-21 was designed as a successor to the FROG-7 (R-65 Luna ). In 1968 the system development began in the KBM design office in Kolomna . The SS-21 was introduced into the Soviet armed forces in 1976. In the following years over 1200 guided missiles were manufactured.

Versions

  • 9K79 Totschka: 1st series version, introduced in 1976.
    • with missile 9M79 with a range of 70 km.
  • 9K79-1 Totschka-U: 2nd series version, introduced in 1989.
    • with missile 9M79-1 with a range of 120 km.
  • 9K79P Totschka-P: with passive radar steering to combat radar systems.
    • with missile 9M79R with a range of 70–120 km.
    • with rocket 9M79FR .
    • with missile 9M79-1FR .
  • 9K79M Totschka-M: 3rd series version, introduced in 1997.
    • with rocket 9M79M with modified rocket body made of an improved aluminum alloy and new electronics . Range 120–180 km.
    • with missile 9M79MU with a range of 120–180 km.
    • with rocket 9M79MKU with self-targeting (intelligent) SPBE-D submunition for combating battle tanks . Range 120–185 km. Prototype only, development stopped
  • KN-02 Toksa: Replica using reverse engineering from North Korea .

technology

9N123K warhead with submunition

The SS-21 belongs to the battlefield short-range missile (BSRBM) class. The system is placed on the all-terrain BAZ-5921 truck. This is a modified version of the BAZ-5937 . The Russian Armed Forces system index for this vehicle is 9P129 or OTR-21 . The system is highly mobile and can be installed quickly. A minimum reaction time from full speed to rocket launch of five minutes is achieved. Each vehicle is armed with a 9M79 missile.

The 9M79 rocket is propelled by a single-stage solid rocket engine. The engine burns for between 18.4 and 28 seconds, depending on the version. After launch, the missile's trajectory describes a semi-ballistic curve with an apogee of around 26 km. The maximum shooting distance of 120 km is covered in 136 seconds. The rocket is controlled by an inertial navigation platform . This achieves a precision ( CEP ) of 10 to 165 m (depending on the version and shooting distance). This makes it significantly more accurate than the previous model.

The missiles can be equipped with different warheads :

  • 9N39: with AA-60 nuclear warhead with a variable explosive power of 10–100 kT.
  • 9N64: with AA-86 nuclear warhead with a variable explosive power of 5-50 kT.
  • 9N64: with AA-92 nuclear warhead with a variable explosive power of 100–200 kT.
  • 9N123F: 482 kg fragmentation warhead. Splinter action circle 80–100 m.
  • 9N123F-1: improved 9N123F fragmentation warhead. Splinter effect circle 100–150 m.
  • 9N123FP: fragmentation warhead for the 9M79R missiles. Splinter action circle 80 m.
  • 9N123K: Warhead for 50 9N24 -splitter- bomblets (submunitions).
  • 9N123G: Warhead for 65 bomblets with the chemical warfare agent VX .
  • 9N123G2-1: Warhead for 65 bomblets with the chemical warfare agent GD .

When approaching the target, the rocket is pivoted at a height of around 450 m to an angle of 80 ° to the earth's surface. The 9N123F fragmentation warhead is installed at an angle of 10 ° to the longitudinal axis of the missile. As a result, the warhead is in a vertical position over the target at the moment of detonation and develops an optimal surface effect. The fragmentation warhead is detonated by a laser proximity fuse at a height of 15–21 m and has a fragmentation range of 80–150 m depending on the version. The 9N123F fragmentation warhead weighs 482 kg, contains 162.5 kg of explosives and generates 14,500 fragments. The 9N123K bomblet warhead opens at a height of 2,250 m and distributes the bomblets in a circular area of ​​20,000–30,000 m². The 9N24 splitter bomblet weighs 7.45 kg and produces 316 splinters.

commitment

Video showing the launch of an SS-21 in 2015. A BM-30 launch vehicle can be seen in the foreground .

The SS-21 replaced the FROG-7 systems in the Soviet Army . The system was exported on a large scale. In addition to the Soviet armed forces, it was procured by eleven states. As a result, the SS-21 was used in various armed conflicts. The Soviet and later the Russian armed forces deployed the SS-21 in Afghanistan , Chechnya and in the 2008 Caucasus War . In the civil war in Syria , the SS-21 is used by the Syrian army . On February 21, 2020, two OTR-21s were used by the Syrian army against the Turkey-backed HTS rebels and high-value targets hit rocket launchers and howitzers that had previously fired the Syrian army. In 2014 and 2017 the Ukrainian army used the weapon against targets near Luhansk . The SS-21 has been used in the civil war in Yemen and as part of the military intervention in Yemen since 2015 .

Technical data of the SS-21 Scarab

system 9K79 Totschka 9K79-1 Totschka-U 9K79P Totschka-P
NATO code SS-21 Scarab-A SS-21 Scarab-B
Guided missile 9M79 9M79-1 9M79R
drive single stage, solid
length 6.40 m
Hull diameter 650 mm
Wingspan 1,350 mm 1,440 mm
Weight 2,000 kg 2,010 kg unknown
Warhead nuclear, splinters, bomblets nuclear, splinters
Operational range 70 km 120 km 70-120 km
speed unknown 1,036 m / s ( Mach 3.1) unknown
Steering system Inertial navigation Inertial navigation plus
passive radar receiver
Hit Accuracy ( CEP ) 50-250 m 10-165 m 20-45 m

User states

Current users

  • ArmeniaArmenia Armenia - As of January 2018, there are 4 SS-21 launch vehicles in service.
  • AzerbaijanAzerbaijan Azerbaijan - As of January 2018, there are 4 SS-21 launch vehicles in service.
  • YemenYemen Yemen - As of January 2018, an unknown number of SS-21 launch vehicles are in service.
  • KazakhstanKazakhstan Kazakhstan - As of January 2018, there are 12 SS-21 launch vehicles in service.
  • RussiaRussia Russia - From the end of December 2018, there is 1 regiment in Chernyakhovsk , consisting of 12 launch vehicles.
  • SyriaSyria Syria - As of January 2018, an unknown number of SS-21 launch vehicles are in service.
  • UkraineUkraine Ukraine - As of January 2018, 90 SS-21 launch vehicles are in service.
  • BelarusBelarus Belarus - As of January 2018, there are 36 SS-21 launch vehicles in service.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://de.rian.ru/analysis/20080909/116648987.html
  2. ↑ https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/140512/
  3. ↑ Within Syria: Two OTR-21 missiles have targeted Turkish forces in Sarmin ... As for now. In: @WithinSyriaBlog. February 20, 2020, accessed on February 21, 2020 .
  4. ↑ http://ukraineatwar.blogspot.de/2014/10/ukraine-destroys-terrorussian-base-with.html?spref=fb
  5. ↑ https://de.sputniknews.com/panorama/20170213314501280-russische-ermittler-beweisen- Einsatz-totschka-raketen-zivilisten-lugansk /
  6. ↑ Sebastien Roblin: SS-21 Scarab: Russia's Forgotten (But Deadly) Ballistic Missile. In: nationalinterest.org. The National Interest, September 12, 2016, accessed March 3, 2017 .
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): The Military Balance 2018 . 1st edition. Routledge, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-85743-955-7 (English, January 2018).
  8. ↑ Цаст (bpmd): Девятый бригадный комплект ракетных комплексов "Искандер-М". In: bpmd.livejournal. livejournal.com, November 30, 2016, accessed March 21, 2018 (Russian, including 2 SS-21 regiments left).
  9. ^ The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): The Military Balance 2018 . 1st edition. Routledge, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-85743-955-7 , pp. 194 (English, January 2018, 24 SS-21).
  10. ↑ До конца 2018 года курских военных вооружат комплексами "Искандер-М". In: Mil.Press.Bоенное. военное.рф, July 6, 2018, accessed on January 4, 2019 (Russian, including a unit in Kursk, which was formerly equipped with an SS-21 regiment, was replaced by an Iskander-M brigade (consisting of 12 launch vehicles). Due to the planned retirement of the SS-21 by the Iskander-M system, the 12 launch vehicles replaced the same number of SS-21s.).

swell

  • JANE'S STRATEGIC WEAPON SYSTEMS Edition 2003 Jane's Verlag
  • Land-based Soviet / Russian ballistic guided missiles. DTIG - Defense Threat Informations Group, July 2005.
  • RUSSIA'S ARMS 2004 CATALOG. Military Parade Publishing House.
  • Michal Fiszer, Jerzy Gruszczynski: Bolt From the Blue - Russian land-based precision-strike missiles. March 2003.

Web links

Commons : SS-21 Scarab  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files