Rocket launch from bzhrk. In Russia, rocket-carrying trains will be revived. New railway missile complex of the Russian Federation

Russia is preparing for the final stage of testing a new nuclear weapon- combat railway missile system (BZHRK) "Barguzin", created on the basis of its predecessor, BZHRK "Molodets" (SS-24 Scalpel), which was on alert from 1987 to 2005 and was decommissioned by agreement with the United States from 1993 of the year. What forced Russia to return to the creation of these weapons again? When the Americans once again confirmed the deployment of their missile defense facilities in Europe in 2012, Russian President Vladimir Putin quite harshly formulated Russia's response to this. He officially stated that the creation of an American missile defense system actually “nullifies our nuclear missile potential,” and announced that our answer would be “the development of shock nuclear missile systems.” One of these complexes was the Barguzin BZHRK, which the US military especially did not like , causing them serious concern, since its adoption makes the presence of US missile defense as such practically useless. The predecessor of "Bargruzin" "Well done" Until 2005, the BZHRK was already in service with the Strategic Missile Forces. Its lead developer in the USSR was Yuzhnoye Design Bureau (Ukraine). The only rocket manufacturer is the Pavlograd Mechanical Plant. Tests of the BZHRK with the RT-23UTTH Molodets missile (according to NATO classification - SS-24 Scalpel) in the railway version began in February 1985 and ended by 1987. BZHRK looked like ordinary trains of refrigerated, mail and luggage and even passenger cars. Inside each train there were three launchers with Molodets solid-propellant missiles, as well as the entire system for their support with a command post and combat crews. The first BZHRK was put on combat duty in 1987 in Kostroma. In 1988, five regiments were already deployed (a total of 15 launchers), and by 1991, three missile divisions: near Kostroma, Perm and Krasnoyarsk, each consisted of four missile regiments (a total of 12 BZHRK trains). Each train consisted of several cars . One car is a command post, the other three - with an opening roof - launchers with missiles. Moreover, it was possible to launch rockets both from the planned parking lots and from any point on the route. To do this, the train stopped, a contact suspension of electrical wires was removed with a special device, the launch container was placed in a vertical position, and the rocket started.
The complexes stood at a distance of about four kilometers from each other in stationary shelters. Within a radius of 1500 kilometers from their bases, together with the railway workers, work was carried out to strengthen the track: heavier rails were laid, wooden sleepers replaced with reinforced concrete, the embankments were littered with denser gravel. It was only professionals who could distinguish the BZHRK from ordinary freight trains plying the expanses of Russia (launch modules with a rocket had eight wheel pairs, the rest of the support cars had four each). During the day, the train could cover about 1200 kilometers. The time of his combat patrol was 21 days (thanks to the reserves on board, he could work autonomously for up to 28 days). Great importance was attached to the BZHRK, even the officers who served on these trains had ranks higher than their counterparts in similar positions of mine complexes.
Soviet BZHRK– shock to Washington Rocketeers tell either a legend, or a true story that the Americans themselves allegedly pushed our designers to create the BZHRK. They say that once our intelligence received information that in the United States they are working on the creation of a railway complex that can move through underground tunnels and, if necessary, appear from under the ground at certain points in order to launch a strategic missile unexpectedly for the enemy. Photographs were even attached to the intelligence report this train. Apparently, these data made a strong impression on the Soviet leadership, since it was immediately decided to create something similar. But our engineers approached this issue more creatively. They decided: why drive trains underground? You can put them on conventional railways, disguised as freight trains. It will be easier, cheaper and more efficient. Later, however, it turned out that the Americans conducted special studies that showed that in their conditions the BZHRK would not be effective enough. They simply slipped us misinformation in order to once again shake up the Soviet budget, forcing us, as it seemed to them then, to useless expenses, and the photo was taken from a small full-scale model.
But by the time all this became clear, it was already too late for Soviet engineers to work back. They, and not only in the drawings, have already created a new nuclear weapon with an individual-guided missile, a range of ten thousand kilometers with ten warheads with a capacity of 0.43 Mt and a serious set of means to overcome missile defense. In Washington, this news caused a real shock. Still would! How do you determine which of the "freight trains" to destroy in the event nuclear strike? If you shoot at all at once, no nuclear warheads will be enough. Therefore, in order to track the movement of these trains, which easily escaped the field of view of tracking systems, the Americans had to keep a constellation of 18 spy satellites almost constantly over Russia, which was very costly for them. Especially when you consider that the US intelligence services have never managed to identify the BZHRK on the patrol route. Therefore, as soon as the political situation allowed in the early 90s, the US immediately tried to get rid of this headache. At first, they obtained from the Russian authorities that the BZHRK would not ride around the country, but would be laid up. This allowed them to constantly keep over Russia instead of 16-18 spy satellites, only three or four. And then they persuaded our politicians to finally destroy the BZHRK. Those officially agreed under the pretext of supposedly "the expiration of the warranty period for their operation."
How the "Scalpels" were cut The last combat personnel was sent for remelting in 2005. Eyewitnesses said that when the wheels of cars rattled on the rails in the twilight of the night and the nuclear “ghost train” with the Scalpel missiles went to last way, even the strongest men could not stand it: tears rolled down from the eyes of both gray-haired designers and rocket officers. They said goodbye to unique weapons, which in many combat characteristics surpassed everything that was available and was even planned to be adopted in the near future. Everyone understood that this unique weapon in the mid-90s became a hostage to political agreements between the country's leadership and Washington. And unselfish ones. Apparently, therefore, each new stage in the destruction of the BZHRK in a strange way coincided with the next tranche of the International Monetary Fund loan. The refusal from the BZHRK also had a number of objective reasons. In particular, when Moscow and Kyiv "fled" in 1991, it immediately hurt Russia's nuclear power. Almost all of our nuclear missiles during the Soviet era were made in Ukraine under the guidance of Academicians Yangel and Utkin. Of the 20 types that were then in service, 12 were designed in Dnepropetrovsk, at the Yuzhnoye design bureau, and produced there, at the Yuzhmash plant. BZHRK was also made in Ukrainian Pavlograd.
But every time it became more and more difficult to negotiate with the developers from Nezalezhnaya to extend their service life or upgrade. As a result of all these circumstances, our generals had to report with a sour face to the country's leadership how "in accordance with the planned reduction of the Strategic Missile Forces, it was removed from combat duty another BZHRK. But what to do: the politicians promised - the military is forced to fulfill. At the same time, they perfectly understood: if we cut and remove missiles from combat duty due to old age at the same pace as in the late 90s, then in just five years, instead of the existing 150 Voevods, we will not have any of these heavy missiles. And then no light Topols will make the weather any more - and at that time there were only about 40 of them. For the American missile defense system, this is nothing. For this reason, as soon as Yeltsin vacated the Kremlin office, a number of people from the country's military leadership, at the request of the rocket men, began to prove to the new president the need to create nuclear complex, similar to the BZHRK. And when it became finally clear that the US plans to create its own missile defense system were not going to be abandoned under any circumstances, work on the creation of this complex really began. And now, in the very near future, the States will again receive their former headache, now in the form of a new generation BZHRK called "Barguzin". Moreover, as the rocket scientists say, these will be ultra-modern missiles, in which all the shortcomings that the Scalpel has have been eliminated.
"Barguzin"– main trump card against US missile defense The main drawback noted by the opponents of the BZHRK is the accelerated wear and tear of the railway tracks along which it traveled. They often had to be repaired, about which the military and the railway workers had eternal disputes. The reason for this was heavy rockets - weighing 105 tons. They did not fit in one car - they had to be placed in two, reinforcing wheel sets on them. Today, when the issues of profit and commerce have come to the fore, Russian Railways is probably not ready, as it was before, to infringe on their interests for the sake of national defense, and also bear the cost of repairing the canvas in the event that a decision is made that BZHRK should again run on their roads. It is the commercial reason, according to some experts, that today could become an obstacle to the final decision to adopt them. However, now this problem has been removed. The fact is that there will no longer be heavy missiles in the new BZHRK. The complexes are armed with lighter RS-24 missiles, which are used in the Yars complexes, and therefore the weight of the car turns out to be comparable to the usual one, which makes it possible to achieve perfect camouflage of the combat personnel. True, the RS-24s have only four warheads, and there were dozen. But here it must be borne in mind that the Barguzin itself is carrying not three missiles, as it was before, but already twice as many. This, of course, is all the same - 24 against 30. But we should not forget that the Yars are practically the most modern development and the probability of overcoming missile defense is much higher than that of their predecessors. The navigation system has also been updated: now you do not need to set the coordinates of targets in advance, everything can be changed quickly.
Such a mobile complex can cover up to 1,000 kilometers per day, cruising along any railway lines in the country, indistinguishable from a regular train with refrigerated cars. The time of "autonomy" is a month. There is no doubt that the new grouping of the BZHRK will become a much more effective response to the US missile defense system than even the deployment of our operational-tactical Iskander missiles, which are so feared in the West, near the borders of Europe. There is also no doubt that the idea of ​​the BZHRK clearly will not like it (although theoretically their creation will not violate the latest Russian-American agreements). BZHRK at one time formed the basis of a retaliatory strike grouping in the Strategic Missile Forces, since they had increased survivability and with a high probability could survive after the first strike was delivered by the enemy. The United States was no less afraid of him than the legendary "Satan", since the BZHRK was a real factor in inevitable retribution. By 2020, five regiments of the BZHRK "Barguzin" are planned to be put into service - these are 120 warheads, respectively. Apparently, the BZHRK will become the strongest argument, in fact, our main trump card in the dispute with the Americans regarding the advisability of deploying a global missile defense system.

Wikipedia BZHRK "Molodets"

These plans were told to RIA Novosti by a military expert and Chief Editor magazine "National Defense" Igor Korotchenko. According to him, a logical step against the backdrop of cooling relations between the United States and Russia will be the implementation of two programs: the creation of an updated BZHRK, as well as a new unpaved launch complex medium range. Korotchenko noted that these are extreme response measures, but preparation for them is necessary in advance. In addition to them, the most likely option for strengthening the country's defense capability will be the modernization and strengthening of aerospace defense on the western borders.

Rocket-carrying trains were already in service with the USSR and Russia from 1987 to 2005. The complex, code-named "Molodets" ("Scalpel" according to NATO classification), was armed with three launchers for intercontinental ballistic missiles(ICBM) RT-23. At a range of 11,000 kilometers, it was capable of throwing ten warheads with a capacity of up to 550 kilotons of TNT. The composition consisted of three diesel locomotives and at least eleven cars, three of which (launching) eight-axle. Big weight missiles in the launch container (more than 126 tons) forced the designers to use special devices to partially transfer the load to neighboring cars. Despite this, the train still required strengthening of the railway track along the entire route. The launch was carried out after stopping and releasing the supports, the preparation took no more than three minutes. After the end of the service life of the missiles, all the built complexes were either sent to the museum or sawn up for scrap. The developer and manufacturer of both the RT-32 rocket and the equipment of the launch complex is the Ukrainian Yuzhnoye Design Bureau.

Artist's view of Peacekeeper Rail Garrison

A similar system was developed in the United States and was called the Peacekeeper Rail Garrison. Its development was curtailed along with the end cold war for uselessness. According to a number of parameters and test results, it surpassed the Soviet development: it did not require prepared railway tracks, the cars were completely identical to civilian ones (4 axles, standard length), the launch crew was smaller - 42 people including security against 70 in Molodets. The previously closed Russian project Barguzin will be closer to US developments in concept than to its Soviet predecessor. It is supposed to launch RS-24 Yars missiles from it - the modernized Topol-M, or RS-26, or 3M30 Bulava. Their mass fits into the carrying capacity of a standard railway car, which means that the camouflage and development of the entire launch complex becomes easier.

GRAU index - 15P961 and 15P060, START code - RS-22B and RS-22V, according to the classification of the US Defense Ministry and NATO - SS-24 Mod 3 and Mod 2 Scalpel, eng. Scalpel (PL-4 - during testing at the site)

Strategic missile systems with solid-propellant three-stage intercontinental ballistic missiles 15Zh61 and 15Zh60, mobile railway and stationary mine-based, respectively. It is a subsequent development of the RT-23 complex.

The main developer is Yuzhnoye Design Bureau. Entered service in 1987.

Missile systems

Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 768-247 (dated 08/09/1983) provided for the creation of a single missile for three basing options: stationary (in the mine) and mobile (railway and unpaved). In April 1984, the developers of complexes based on the RT-23UTTKh missiles were issued revised technical specifications, which determined that the creation of a single missile should take into account the features of operation and combat use as part of mobile and stationary systems. The order of development was also determined - first mobile complexes, then stationary ones.

The development of a soil mobile complex with a 15Zh62 rocket (the theme "Tselina-2") was carried out by MIT. To transport the rocket, a project was created and prototypes of the MAZ-7907 tractor were assembled. However, further work on the complex was stopped when it became obvious that it would not be able to provide the necessary combat effectiveness characteristics.

The development of the Combat Railway Missile System (BZHRK) under the leadership of the brothers Vladimir and Alexei Utkin became a further development of the 15P952 complex based on the RT-23 (15Zh52) missile. For the new complex, a modification of the R-23 UTTKh 15Zh61 rocket was created (NATO designation: SS-24 "Scalrel" Mod 3 (PL-4), START-1: RS-22V), and the complex itself received the index 15P961. The complex entered service on November 28, 1987. During 2003-2007, all complexes were removed from service and cut into scrap metal.

The stationary mine complex was also created on the basis of the RT-23 (15P044 complex with the 15Zh44 missile). The complex received the designation 15P060 (BRK 15P161, NATO designation: SS-24 "Scalrel" Mod 2, START-1: RS-22B). The 15P760 launchers were designed as a modernization of the UR-100N UTTKh missile launchers.

The complex was adopted on November 28, 1989. In total, 56 missiles of this type were deployed in position areas on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR and the RSFSR. However, due to a change in the defense doctrine of the USSR and political and economic difficulties, the further deployment of missiles was stopped. After the collapse of the USSR, the missiles that were 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 period of storage expired in 2001. The launchers were upgraded for the use of RT-2PM2 Topol-M missiles.

In 2006, the US Department of Defense agreed to pay Ukraine the agreed price for each empty engine case. At the same time, NSAU will bear the cost of extracting fuel from the existing 163 rocket engines.

Rocket design

The RT-23 UTTKh is made in the same caliber and, in terms of its design and layout, is in many ways similar to American rocket"MX". The design of the 15Zh60 and 15Zh61 missiles is somewhat different. Below, the design of the 15Zh61 rocket (for the BZHRK) is considered by default.

First stage design

The first stage of the ICBM includes a tail and connecting compartments of a cylindrical shape and a mid-flight solid propellant rocket engine. The mass of the fully equipped stage is 53.7 tons. The stage length is 9.7 m. The engine is of a cocoon design with one centrally located fixed nozzle.

For 15ZH60, a completely new solid propellant rocket engine 15D305 was created with a cocoon body and a central rotary nozzle, in the most heat-stressed critical section of which an insert made of carbon-carbon composite material was used. Fuel type OPAL based on HMX.

Second stage design

The second stage consists of a sustainer solid propellant rocket engine 15D290 and a connecting compartment. The sustainer solid propellant rocket engine of the second stage has one centrally located nozzle, which is equipped with a retractable nozzle that allows you to maintain the original dimensions and increase the specific impulse of the engine when operating on high altitudes. It differed from the 15D207 engine of the RT-23 second stage by a new high-energy mixed fuel of the START type and increased resistance to PFYAV ( damaging factors nuclear explosion). The body of the solid propellant rocket engine is of a cocoon design.

Third stage design

The third stage includes the 15D291 propulsion engine (borrowed from the 15Zh52 rocket without changes), which is similar in design to the solid propellant rocket engine of the second stage, and a transitional compartment consisting of two sections.

head part

The missile is equipped with an MIRV (multiple reentry vehicle with individual targeting units) with ten APs (warhead unit) arranged in one tier. The breeding stage is made according to the standard scheme and includes a remote control and a control system.

The warhead is covered by an aerodynamic fairing of variable geometry (initially inflatable, later folding). This design of the fairing is due to the presence of restrictions imposed on the dimensions of the rocket by the dimensions of the railway car.

Aerodynamic rudders are located on the outer surface of the fairing, allowing you to control the rocket in a roll in the areas of operation of the first and second stages. After passing through the dense layers of the atmosphere, the fairing is reset.

BZHRK device

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

The BZHRK looks like a regular train of refrigerated, mail-luggage and passenger cars. Fourteen wagons have eight wheelsets, and three have four. Three carriages are disguised as passenger fleet carriages, the rest, eight-axle, are "refrigerators". Thanks to the available reserves on board, the complex could operate autonomously for up to 28 days.

The car-launcher is equipped with an opening roof and a device for the removal of the contact network. The weight of the rocket was about 104 tons, with the launch container - 126 tons. the wagon used special unloading devices that redistribute part of the weight to neighboring wagons.

The rocket has an original folding nose fairing. This solution was used to reduce the length of the rocket and its placement in the car. The length of the rocket is 22.6 meters.

Missiles could be launched from any point along the route. The launch algorithm is as follows: the train stops, a special device takes aside and shorts the contact network to the ground, the launch container takes a vertical position. After that, a mortar launch of a 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. The deflection of the rocket made it possible to divert the main engine jet from the 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 a rocket was up to three minutes.

Each of the three launchers included in the BZHRK can launch both as part of a train and autonomously.

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

performance characteristics

Surviving copies

Rocket 15ZH61 exhibited in the branch of the Central Museum of the Strategic Missile Forces in training center Military Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces. Peter the Great in Balabanovo, Kaluga region.

At the very end of last year in Russian funds mass media appeared regarding a return to an old and almost forgotten idea. According to RIA Novosti, work is already underway to create a new combat railway missile system (BZHRK) and the first rocket train of the new project can be assembled by 2020. Similar systems were already in service with our army, however, the only ones in the BZHRK 15P961 Molodets were taken off duty back in 2005 and soon most of the equipment from their composition was disposed of. Trains with missile weapons were rightfully the pride of Soviet designers, and of the whole country as a whole. Due to their capabilities, these complexes posed a serious threat to potential adversary. However, the history of this type of technology cannot be called simple. At first, a series of not at all pleasant events first severely limited the potential of domestic BZHRK, and then led to their complete disappearance.

The creation of a railway missile system was very difficult. Despite the fact that the corresponding order of the country's leadership and the Ministry of Defense appeared back in 1969, the first full-fledged launch new rocket RT-23UTTH took place only in the 85th. The development of the BZHRK was carried out in the Dnepropetrovsk design bureau "Southern" named after. M.K. Yangel under the leadership of V.F. Utkin. Specific operating conditions new system forced to develop a lot of new solutions, from a newly designed launcher car, disguised as a refrigerator, to a folding missile nose fairing. However, fifteen extra years work was a success. In 1987, the first Molodtsov regiment took up duty. Over the next four years before the collapse Soviet Union three divisions were formed, armed with a total of twelve new BZHRK.

Unfortunately, shortly after the formation of the last third division, several unpleasant things happened that had a very bad effect on the further service of the BZHRK. In 1991, during international negotiations on the future START-I treaty, the Soviet leadership agreed to several disadvantageous proposals from the American side. Among them was a restriction regarding the patrol routes of the “rocket trains”. FROM light hand USSR President M. Gorbachev and some of his associates BZHRK could now move only within a radius of several tens of kilometers from the bases. In addition to the obvious military-political disadvantages, such a restriction also had economic consequences. Simultaneously with the commissioning of the Molodets complexes, the Ministry of Railways was working to strengthen the tracks within a radius of several hundred kilometers from the bases of the BZHRK. Thus, the Soviet Union lost both the main advantage of the BZHRK, and a lot of money spent on the reconstruction of the tracks and the preparation of launch positions.

The next international treaty - START-II - meant the removal from duty and disposal of all RT-23UTTKh missiles. The year 2003 was called as the completion date for these works. Especially for dismantling and disposal at the Bryansk Repair Plant of the Missile Forces, with the participation of the United States, a cutting production line was assembled. Fortunately for the BZHRK, shortly before the deadline for the disposal of missiles and trains, Russia withdrew from the START-II treaty. However, over the next few years, recycling continued, albeit at a much slower pace. To date, only a few carriages of the former BZHRK have been preserved, which are used as museum exhibits.

As you can see, the short history of the Molodets missile systems was difficult and unsuccessful. Almost immediately after entering service, trains with missiles lost their main advantage and after that they no longer posed the same threat to the enemy as before. Nevertheless, the complexes continued to be in service for a decade and a half. Now there is every reason to believe that the disposal of "Molodtsev" occurred only when they exhausted their resource and the available stock of missiles came to an end. One of the most serious blows to Russian missile trains was the collapse of the Soviet Union. Because of him, the Yuzhmash plant, which assembled complexes and missiles for them, remained on the territory of sovereign Ukraine. This country had its own views on the future work of rocket production and therefore the trains were left without a new one.

In discussions about the news about the start of the development of a new BZHRK, the advantages and disadvantages of this type of technology are often considered. The first, of course, include the possibility of being on duty at a great distance from the base. Once a train with rockets has entered the public railways, its detection becomes very, very hard work. Of course, three diesel locomotives, nine refrigerated cars (three rocket modules) and a tank car gave out the old BZHRK to some extent, but enormous efforts were required to guarantee tracking their movements. In fact, it was necessary to "cover" the entire or almost the entire territory of the Soviet Union with reconnaissance means. Also, the advantage of the complex can be considered a successful liquid rocket RT-23UTTH. A ballistic missile with a launch weight of 104 tons could deliver ten warheads with a capacity of 430 kilotons each to a range of up to 10,100 kilometers. In light of the mobility of the missile system, such characteristics of the missile gave it simply unique capabilities.

However, it hasn't been without drawbacks. The main disadvantage of the BZHRK 15P961 is its weight. Due to the non-standard “load”, several original technical solutions had to be applied, but even with their use, the three-car launch module exerted too much pressure on the rails, almost at the limit of the latter’s capabilities. Because of this, in the late eighties, the railway workers had to change and strengthen great amount ways. Since then, the country's railways have again undergone wear and tear, and before putting into service a new missile system, most likely, another upgrade of the tracks will be needed.

Also, the BZHRK is regularly accused of insufficient strength and survivability, especially in comparison with mine launchers. To test the survivability back in the eighties, appropriate tests began. In 1988, work on the themes "Shine" and "Thunderstorm" was successfully completed, the purpose of which was to test the performance of trains with missiles in conditions of strong electromagnetic radiation and thunderstorms, respectively. In 1991, one of the combatant trains took part in the "Shift" tests. At the 53rd research site (now the Plesetsk cosmodrome), several tens of thousands of anti-tank mines were laid with a total explosion power of about 1,000 tons of TNT. At a distance of 450 meters from the ammunition, the train's rocket module was placed end to end. A little further - 850 meters - they placed another launcher and the command post of the complex. The launchers were equipped with electrical missiles. During the detonation of mines, all BZHRK modules were slightly damaged - glass flew out and the operation of some minor equipment modules was disrupted. The training launch with the use of an electric rocket model was successful. Thus, a kiloton explosion less than a kilometer from the train is not capable of completely disabling the BZHRK. Added to this is the more than low probability of an enemy missile warhead hitting a train while it is moving or next to it.

In general, even a short operation of the Molodets BZHRK with serious restrictions on routes clearly showed both the advantages and the difficulties associated with this class of military equipment. Probably, precisely because of the ambiguity of the very concept of the railway complex, which at the same time promises greater mobility of missiles, but at the same time requires strengthening the tracks, not to mention the complexity of creating a train and rockets for it, design work on the creation of new "rocket trains" has not yet been resumed . According to the latest data, at present, employees of design organizations and the Ministry of Defense are analyzing the prospects for the BZHRK and determining the necessary features of its appearance. Therefore, now it is impossible to talk about any nuances of the new project. Moreover, due to the presence of Topol, Topol-M and Yars mobile ground-based missile systems (PGRK) in service, which do not need a solid railway track, the creation of a new BZHRK can be completely canceled.

A variety of opinions are now being expressed about the possible appearance of a promising BZHRK. For example, it is proposed to equip it with missiles of existing projects, such as the RS-24 Yars. With a launch weight of about 50 tons, such a missile, which is also already used on the PGRK, can be a good replacement for the old RT23UTTKh. With similar dimensions and half the mass, the new missile, with certain modifications, can become the armament of the new BZHRK. At the same time, the combat characteristics of the complex will remain approximately at the same level. So, the gain in range (up to 11,000 km) will be compensated by a smaller number of warheads, because only 3-4 (according to other sources, six) charges are placed in the head of the RS-24. However, the Yars missile will have been in operation for about ten years by the expected date of putting into service of the new BZHRK. Thus, new missile trains will need a new ballistic missile. It is quite possible that its appearance will be formed along with the requirements for the entire complex.

At the same time, rocket designers can use the experience gained in creating relatively small rockets like the Topol or Yars. In this case, it will be possible to create a new rocket with a wide use of mastered solutions and technologies, but at the same time suitable for use in railway complexes. As the basis for a new missile for the BZHRK, the existing Topoli-M or Yarsy will be suitable, among other things, due to the fact that they are adapted for operation on mobile systems. However, the final decision regarding the "origin" of the missile and the requirements for it, it seems, has not yet been made. Given the duration of development and testing of new missiles, in order to be in time by 2020, rocket designers should receive requirements within the next years or even months.

Finally, the need to build infrastructure must be taken into account. Judging by the available information about the state of the old BZHRK bases, everything will have to be built anew. In a matter of years, the old depots, control rooms, etc. were decommissioned, deprived a large number special equipment, rendered unusable and sometimes even partially looted. It is quite clear that for effective combat work, the new railway missile systems will need appropriate facilities and equipment. But the restoration of existing buildings or the construction of new ones will significantly increase the cost of the entire project.

Thus, if we compare railway and ground missile systems, the comparison may not be in favor of the former. A hypothetical mobile ground launcher, with the same missile as a railway one, is less demanding on the condition of the road, much easier to manufacture, and also does not need to coordinate travel routes with third-party organizations, for example, with the management of the railway. An important advantage of ground missile systems is also the fact that all the infrastructure necessary for them is simpler and, as a result, cheaper than for railway ones. Therefore, it is not surprising that in the middle of the 2000s, the command of the Strategic Missile Forces officially announced the abandonment of the BZHRK in favor of the PGRK. In the light of this decision, the resumption of work on the railway complexes looks solely as an attempt to expand the capabilities of nuclear forces and, if there are certain prospects, to equip them with another type of equipment.

In the current situation, it is not worth waiting for news regarding the start of construction of the first rocket train of the new project, because it has not even been decided what it will be and whether it will be at all. Therefore, it remains to be hoped that an analysis of the possibilities and prospects, including a comparative one (BZHRK or PGRK), will be carried out with all responsibility and its results will only benefit our missile forces.

There was a time when unique trains went around our country. Outwardly, they resembled familiar trains. But they differed from them in that they never stopped at the stations, they preferred deaf half-stations, and the busy stations of the cities, if they were already brought there by fate (or an order!), They tried to slip at dawn, when there were fewer people there.

A few years ago, secret trains were running through the Russian railway network. Outwardly, they were almost no different from the usual passenger trains. But the dispatchers tried to schedule their movement in such a way that busy and crowded stations big cities they passed at night or at dawn. They were not supposed to be in the public eye. Ghost trains, or BZHRK - combat railway missile systems - carried a combat watch in Siberian taiga, in the North and Far East with nuclear weapons. And along with nuclear-powered ships, aviation and the Rocket Forces, they have maintained and maintain the strategic balance in the world.

The main designers of the BZHRK were academicians brothers Vladimir and Alexei Utkin. The eldest - Vladimir Fedorovich - has already passed away. Right hand Vladimir Fedorovich in the work on the creation of a rocket train was his brother Alexei.
How was the idea of ​​creating rocket trains born? According to one version, the Americans planted it on us. Soviet intelligence officers obtained information: the American military-industrial complex is preparing to create a train capable of launching ballistic missiles. Allegedly, his photograph even fell into the hands of the intelligence services.

As if the picture was skillfully captured a small model of a rocket train, which did not exist in nature. They say that the overseas "hawks" at first really intended to make a nuclear train, but then abandoned this idea. Why? Their railway network is not so extensive, and the cost of the project turned out to be fabulous. To guide our scientists along the road that leads to a dead end, they made and threw a "linden" to the Russians. Let them break their heads! AND political leadership"pecked" at her and made a strong-willed decision: "to catch up and overtake" overseas strategists.

How was it real? After the Americans deployed their Pershing missiles in Germany, it was necessary to adequately respond to the new threats to the security of our state. So we returned to the idea of ​​rocket trains. Domestic scientists thought about this project even earlier, but for the time being they did not undertake its solution because of the high cost and labor intensity. In addition, the existing defensive potential was quite enough to adequately respond to the Americans. By the way, initially it was considered as a weapon of retaliation. What is its advantage?

In elusiveness. Unlike silo-based missiles, where the coordinates of the targets are known in advance. With the BZHRK, our opponents had a lot of questions to which they could not find answers. To track them in the early nineties, the Americans even created a constellation of military satellites. But even from space it was not so easy to detect their traces. Therefore, even the most modern technology often lost sight of them. They were elusive thanks to the superbly developed railroad network of the Soviet Union. Many years later, American General Powell confessed to an academic: "Looking for your rocket trains is like a needle in a haystack."

The Americans even came up with a special wagon that was equipped with the latest equipment. It did not last long ......

30 ministries and departments and over 130 defense enterprises worked on the creation of combat missile trains. At first sight, simple idea proposed by the designers - to raise the mine from the ground and put it on wheels - included a huge number of organizational and technical problems.

What was one of the main problems? Take shooting. When it is driven from a missile silo, the azimuth, altitude, and starting point are known. Determining your location is one of the most difficult problems. In addition, it is necessary to know the load on the rails in a particular place. And soils, as you know, are different. Identical conditions in nature do not exist at all. So, so that the wagons would not fall next to the railway, they came up with a special "mortar launch". If you do not go into details, then its essence is that the rocket is first thrown to a height, and only then starts.

How to aim? Before doing this, you need to stop the train, start the gyroscopes, determine the north and south and where to shoot. Do not forget that you still need to accept orders and commands "from above". To let

missile at exactly the appointed time and obey your commander in any, even the most unfavorable circumstances of modern combat, in conditions of use precision weapons, you need to get this command. So a rocket train is a complex complex. And when the Americans were working on this idea, they ran into a number of technical difficulties, and therefore, most likely, they abandoned the science-intensive project.

And if right above your head are located high voltage wires. - A special branch of wires was invented, and in addition to this, the supply of electricity to substations was automatically removed. As for the axle load, it should not be more than 25 tons. And a rocket with a launch container weighs over 100 tons and plus the car itself, so it turns out about 200 tons. They came up with the idea to unload the launch complex at the expense of other cars.

It is necessary to take into account the fact that the train is subject to strong vibration in motion. This means that it is necessary not only to stop the train, but also to "turn off" the springs - do not wait until they calm down!

Do not forget that there are officers and soldiers on the train. They need bedrooms, toilets, a dining room, rest rooms... And food supplies, fuel, water are also needed! So the complex is the most complicated ...
- At first glance, it might seem that our country is large and full of "bear corners" where missile systems could safely hide.

Our potential opponents' missiles became more and more accurate, and they could relatively easily "cover" the mines. Therefore, it was necessary to take measures to ensure the reliability of the preventive strike. Of course, the Pershings were good missiles. Although some experts somewhat exaggerated their capabilities. They even talked about the fact that they could hit exactly a stake hammered into the ground a thousand kilometers away.

The answer was the Scalpel rocket. He "fit" into the framework of the agreement with the Americans. It was made in two versions: mine and for basing on the railway. It is hard to imagine how many Pershings had to be fired in order to destroy the rocket train.

This is not a one-on-one battle, as in the mine version, here the balance of forces is completely different ... And therefore, such a combat complex, of course, is unique. And yet, the main idea behind the development of combat missile systems is to increase the possibility of deterrence, so that no one even thinks that they can press a button with impunity!

History shows that we were not the initiators of the arms race. We were forced to catch up all the time and did it in such a way that no one had any illusions that there was an advantage. The deterrence effect has constantly determined the state of affairs in our defense industry, and as long as we can stay up to par, no nuclear war not to be.

We immediately prepared four complexes. If problems arise with one car, a commission is created to find out the causes of the accident. The task of the general designer is to convince the customer, to prove that all the necessary tests have been carried out. You need to move the "car" from its place, and then it will go on its own ... And at this time in Plesetsk the first launch from a rocket train, and naturally, you go there. The test deputy can also go to the second, third launch, but, as a rule, he sits there almost constantly ...

The first train left the factory in 1987, and the last - the twelfth - in 1991. The warranty period is ten years. But usually then it was extended, everything depended on the ideas that were included in the complex. They have stood the test of time.

In 1991, rocket trains were laid up. The former president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, entered into the position of the Americans and came to the conclusion that in order to strengthen mutual understanding between the two countries, it is better not to let the BZHRK into the open spaces of Russia. Otherwise, American taxpayers would have to shell out a tidy sum for the deployment by the Pentagon of an additional constellation of reconnaissance satellites. After all, each rocket train travels more than 1000 kilometers per day, and in order to identify only one BZHRK among hundreds of trains plying throughout Russia, and then track its route, it would be necessary to increase the constellation of tracking satellites dozens of times. To carry out such a project even in such a rich and technically developed country like the United States, it turned out to be beyond the power.

It is not known what arguments overseas friends managed to convince Mikhail Gorbachev. Something else is known: not so long ago, the granddaughter former president Soyuz Ksenia Virganskaya flaunted at the ball of the richest people on the planet in Paris in a dress from Dior, which costs 22 thousand dollars.

And the formidable missile carriers on the rails cannot go beyond the technical territory of the unit. No money.
True, one rocket train left the security perimeter - it was required to carry out repair work in factory conditions. All other movements of the crews of the BZHRK have to be carried out within the boundaries of the territory of the unit. But, as it turned out, "maneuvers of local significance" in no way reduce the overall combat readiness of the BZHRK crews.

For the training of officers-engineers of the rolling stock, trainings are regularly held on the routes of the BZHRK. It is important for them to visually represent the landscape along the railway track, to know all the turns and forks of the road, almost every telegraph pole along the route. All this ultimately allows you to competently manage the combat composition.

It is possible to solve this problem thanks to the disposition towards the rocket men on the part of the leadership of the Russian railways, their government approach and understanding that this is done in the name of the defense of the country. In principle, military personnel could use their own training train for training, imitating the BZHRK, but the lack of funds is affecting. Today, it is more important to spend money on maintaining those locomotives that are in constant combat readiness.
Now the BZHRK is not aimed anywhere. In the language of rocket scientists, this is called "zero flight mission." The difficulty is that since 1991, missile units have never fired from their systems. The tasks of the combat use of weapons in recent times they had to work out only on simulators. True, in 1998 there was one exception. The combat crew of the BZHRK launched a regular "Scalpel", taken from the train, using a launcher at the Plesetsk training ground.

Under the leadership of VF Utkin and with his direct participation, most of the missiles were created, on which the country's missile defense shield is based.

From 1970 to 1990, V.F. Utkin headed the Yuzhnoye design bureau, first as chief and then general designer. During this time, four strategic missile systems have been developed and put into service, and several launch vehicles have been created. Among them - a highly efficient, environmentally friendly launch vehicle "Zenith"; solid rocket SS-24; unparalleled highly effective strategic missile SS-18.

In the field of space research, various satellites for defense and scientific purposes have been implemented. In total, more than three hundred satellites of the Cosmos family developed by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau were launched into orbit, constituting a significant part of the total number of satellites in this series.

The characteristic principle of V.F. Utkin's work is the use of defense scientific and technical developments in the interests of science and National economy. So, on the basis of the SS-9 combat vehicle, a conversion launch vehicle was created

"Cyclone", designed to launch medium payloads into orbit. The satellite "Kosmos-1500" was used in the withdrawal of caravans of ships covered with ice in the East Siberian Sea. "Kosmos-1500" also became the founder of the well-known series of satellites "Ocean", which provide a significant increase in the safety and efficiency of navigation.

Since 1990, VF Utkin has been the director of the Central Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering (TsNIIMASH) of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (Rosaviakosmos). With the direct participation of Vladimir Fedorovich, a federal space program Russia.

Under his leadership, as a general designer, R&D was carried out in order to create experimental vehicles special purpose, provided scientific and technical "support" key issues associated with the International space station(ISS). Vladimir Fedorovich headed the coordinating scientific and technical council of Rosaviakosmos and the Russian Academy of Sciences for research and experiments on the manned station Mir and the Russian segment of the ISS. VF Utkin is the author of over 200 scientific papers and a large number of inventions, holder of 11 orders and 14 medals.

The first production train went on combat duty in 1987. He was put on a special platform. Americans recorded from space
unit location. This was done on purpose so that they could take this train into account. In the bilateral agreement, this procedure was spelled out in detail. And then his trail was lost. We tested the train in Plesetsk. He had three combat modules, a "living zone", his own command post.

The main cars of the BZHRK are those in which the PC-22 missile system (according to the Western classification "Scalpel") and the command post of the combat crew are located. "Scalpel" weighs more than a hundred tons and "gets" at a distance of 10 thousand kilometers. The missiles are solid-propellant, three-stage, with ten semi-megaton individually targetable nuclear units on each. There are several such trains in the Kostroma division, and each of them has three launchers: twelve missiles, one hundred and twenty nuclear warheads. One can imagine the destructive power of these rather harmless-looking echelons! In addition to Kostroma, the BZHRK is deployed in two more places.

And such trains plowed the expanses of the country, which could only be seen by chance, carried a combat watch in the North and the Far East, among the taiga and in the mountains ... And they were closely followed by the ocean, sending special satellites to detect them, and every hour, constantly trying to figure out where they are. But to do this, despite all the perfection of modern technology, it was not always possible - rocket trains "hid" under ordinary ones, and try to determine where this missile system is going, and where is the fast Novosibirsk-Moscow "...

Start

Two three-meter telescopic "paws" came out from under the bottom of the car and rested on special reinforced concrete pedestals, rigidly fixing the starting car. In the car itself there was also an aiming platform, which, when the car was fixed, tightly rested against the railway track, reading the coordinates of the module location. Thus, at each point of combat duty, each missile received a clear program and a given flight path to the real target of a potential enemy. When the starting car is already fixed at a certain point on the railway, at the command of the operator, hydraulic pinning jacks release its roof. Then the end hydraulic jacks are activated synchronously, and the car opens up like a chest, only in two halves. At the same time, the main hydraulic pump of the main hydraulic jack begins to work actively, and the huge "cigar" of the TPK smoothly becomes vertical and is fixed with side brackets. Everybody! The rocket is ready to launch!

The missile carries a multiple head part individual guidance type "MIRV" with 10 warheads with a capacity of 500 kt. (The 10-kt atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima). The flight range is 10 thousand kilometers.
Mariupol machine builders completed these trains with very reliable THR (temperature and humidity) systems and fire extinguishing systems. Flight tests of the rocket were carried out from February 27, 1985 to December 22, 1987. A total of 32 launches were made.
By the way, for the successful testing of the "Scalpel" in Plesetsk, a group of leading Ukrainian designers and machine builders was presented with high government awards. They were mainly awarded the medal "For Labor Valor", but soon they were to be awarded honorary titles"Honored Transport Worker of the USSR". Although, according to the regulations then in force, the “distance” from award to award was at least three years. It took a special petition from the branch minister for the early assignment of "honored".
In 1991, the list was put on the table to Mikhail Gorbachev, who was to leave the presidency of the head of the superpower in a week or two. What Mikhail Sergeevich thought then, he alone knows. But with candidates for the "honored" he acted in his characteristic spirit of making unpredictable decisions. Gorbachev decided: the last citizen, bursting at the seams, of the Soviet Union, to whom he would assign this high title of "deserved", would be ... Alla Borisovna Pugacheva. Signature - President of the USSR ...

June 16, 2005 the penultimate of the rail-based missile systems "Scalpel" was sent from the Kostroma formation of the missile forces to the storage base for subsequent liquidation. The last of them is scheduled to be destroyed in September 2005. The official reason why "Scalpels" removed from service is called the expiration of the service life, although if we take into account that they were taken into service in 91-94, this period should expire only by 2018, provided that regular maintenance is carried out by the manufacturer. But the plant in Pavlovgrad (Ukraine) now makes trolleybuses instead of rockets. And Ukraine, having become a non-nuclear power, under the terms of the agreement can neither have nor produce or maintain nuclear weapons, especially now that the new Ukrainian authorities have set a course to the west. And the equipment for the production of missiles that are in service with Russia is being melted down.