"We are rocket troops, any goal is close to us!" - chanted rocket strategists back in Soviet times. And there was no particular exaggeration in these stanzas: the missiles really flew a long distance and possessed enormous destructive power, especially with nuclear warheads. You cannot erase the words from the song, even after a lapse of time. Soon, writes weekly "Zvezda", the Russian Strategic Missile Forces will be armed with a new Sarmat missile system capable of raising and launching warheads that develop speeds of more than 11 thousand kilometers per hour. No other rocket in the world has such a speed yet. Deadly "filling" The completion of tests of a new missile system with a heavy intercontinental ballistic missile "Sarmat" was publicly announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his message to the Federal Assembly on March 1 this year. And already at a recent reception in the Kremlin in honor of graduates of military universities, the President, mentioning the Avangard intercontinental-range missiles, which are already starting to enter service, assured that the Sarmat is on its way next year. This missile system will replace the formidable "Voevoda", nicknamed in the West "Satan" (according to NATO classification - SS-18 Mod. 1.2.3 Satan). Here again it is appropriate to recall the words from the song: "How the rocket works - you don't need to know about it , and how that rocket is controlled. This business is familiar to us, this business is perfectly well known to those who are supposed to work. " From the known for today: RS-28 "Sarmat" is a Russian promising ground-based silo-based missile system with a heavy liquid ICBM capable of carrying nuclear charges. It has been developed since the 2000s by specialists of the VP Makeyev State Rocket Center JSC in the city of Miass, Chelyabinsk Region. Named in honor of the Sarmatians, whose nomadic tribes in the VI-IV centuries BC inhabited the territories of modern Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. The rocket itself is a "blank", an ammunition carrier, capable of having a short active flight section in a weight of 200 tons , which makes it difficult to intercept missile defense means. It can be thrown both through the North and South Poles for an unlimited range. But the main surprise is its deadly "stuffing". We are talking about hypersonic warheads, known under the code Ju-71. At a maximum altitude, the Ju-71 reaches a speed of 15 Max (this is the same 11-12 thousand kilometers per hour). In this case, the warhead flies along a very complex trajectory, which, according to the laws of physics, should reduce the speed of the object. According to the presumable data of experts, U-71, raised to an altitude of 100 kilometers, then flies at a speed of five to seven kilometers per second. Detailed information on the progress of work related to hypersonic weapons is classified. They do not even risk calling the "Product 4202" a rocket - it is lightning from heaven, which is almost impossible to stop. Formidable weapon The head of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev, who threatened to "show America Kuzkin's mother," was referring to the AN602 thermonuclear aviation bomb (aka "Tsar Bomba"), the most powerful ammunition in the world at that time. Received from the "light hand" of Nikita Sergeevich the name "Kuzkina Mother", the bomb, or rather its model, is kept in the museum of nuclear weapons in the city of Sarov, where the Russian Federal Nuclear Center (RFNC VNIIEF) is located. you could have scared the United States. But if we compare it with the Sarmat missile, the length of which exceeds 30 meters, and the weight is over 200 tons (not every museum will fit), and the combat compartment with warheads is capable of lifting more than 10 tons of “cargo” to a given height, then Kuzkina Mother "Looks like just a child against her background. Russian President Vladimir Putin said about its capabilities without excessive pathos:" Sarmat is a very formidable weapon. By virtue of its characteristics, no, even promising missile defense systems are a hindrance to him. "
Completely Russian development There is also another detail that is not cast in metal, but in politics. Until 1991, the designer and manufacturer of heavy liquid-propellant ICBMs of the R-36 family was the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau (OKB-586) in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. For well-known reasons, all contacts in the defense industry with this country have been terminated today, and, naturally, there is no question of any supplies, even of components. Until recently, the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles for the Strategic Missile Forces was carried out by the Moscow Institute of Heating on solid-propellant ICBMs. Therefore, the creation of a new heavy liquid-propellant rocket was entrusted to the Makeev GRTs (SKB-385) in Miass, which deals, among other things, with ballistic missiles for submarines. many specialized enterprises of the military-industrial complex of our country. For example, the NPO Energomash named after Academician V.P. Glushko from the Moscow Region Khimki became the developer of engines for the Sarmat (the engine from the Voevoda rocket was taken as the basis for the development). Their production is carried out at PJSC "Proton-PM" in Perm. The Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant (part of the Makeev GRTs holding) became the parent enterprise for the production of Sarmat ICBMs.
It will come in handy everywhere From where the test launches of the new rocket are carried out is not known for certain. From open sources, one can glean information that the Sarmatians, ready to enter service by the end of 2018, will be replaced on alert by the "Voevoda". Whether this will be so, the commanders will decide. One thing is clear: wherever the "Sarmatians" take up combat duty, they will come in handy everywhere to guarantee the security of our country.

One of the newest achievements of Russian "missilemen" is the RS-28 intercontinental ballistic missile, also known as the "Sarmat". The ICBM has not yet been put into service (although this is already planned for 2019), but it has already managed to take part in the war - of course, not in a nuclear one, but in an information one.

Despite the fact that the approximate technical characteristics of the weapon were officially announced at best, there were reports in the press about how good and perfect the "Sarmat" is. In any case, the rocket, which is designed to replace the legendary R-36M, simply has no right to be unsuccessful.

History of creation

The R-36M silo-based intercontinental missiles, which have received the respectful nickname “Satan” in NATO, have long remained the backbone of Russia's strategic forces. However, this weapon, the first samples of which went into operation in the mid-70s, has become obsolete. Satan still has truly "satanic" power, but is vulnerable to modern missile defenses. And the possibility of further modernization is hampered by the fact that some of the developers of the R-36 remained on the territory of Ukraine.

As a result, the government decided to build a new missile equipped with anti-missile defense systems and capable of carrying non-nuclear warheads (kinetic action). Difficulties arose when choosing an engine. In rocketry, supporters were found both in solid-propellant motors and liquid-propellant ones. The first claimed that solid fuel engines, due to the reduced throwable mass, make it possible to build a light rocket suitable for launching from mobile installations.

The second objected - a solid-propellant ICBM, due to accelerated acceleration, is less vulnerable in the acceleration section, and the "liquid" one can carry more active protection means and therefore is better protected in the final section. This difficulty was resolved by issuing the terms of reference for the design of two types of ICBMs at once. The RS-28 "Sarmat" rocket was to replace the R-36M.

The project is being implemented by the State Missile Center named after Academician Makeev.

In the summer of 2016, the GRC successfully completed tests of the RS-99 engines, and at the end of 2017 carried out throw tests of a rocket mock-up.

There is even less information on the progress of design work and testing of the Yu-71 Avangard warheads. Only in 2016, local residents filmed the trail left in the atmosphere by the maneuvering unit. One way or another, already in 2019, the RS-28 should be put into service, and by 2025, as promised, it will completely replace the R-36M complex.

Design

The RS-28 "Sarmat" intercontinental ballistic missile is intended for deployment in silos. In this case, it is assumed not to build new mines, but to use the already built ones. Little is known for certain about the design of the rocket. For example, data on the number of stages was not disclosed, and conclusions were drawn based on an analysis of official images of the rocket. So far, it is believed that the "Sarmat" has 3 stages, which is not very typical for an ICBM.

The RS-99 engines are modernized RD-624 engines used on the Satan.

The use of motors long mastered in production and operation made it possible to shorten the development time of the rocket. The RS-99s accelerate the Sarmat to a speed somewhat lower than that required to launch the thrown mass into orbit.

Thanks to this, the RS-28 enters the selected target along any trajectory, which will require the potential enemy to deploy missile defense systems according to the principle of “all-round defense”. On the other hand, such an ICBM is capable of launching into orbit not only warheads without significant alterations, and after being removed from service with the help of the RS-28, civilian satellites will be sent into space.

The warhead of the "Sarmat" should consist of several (according to some sources - more than 10) hypersonic guided units Ju-71 "Avnagard".

The characteristics of these units were not officially reported, it is only known that they have their own engines and control systems, and the Yu-71 warhead contains separable warheads.

Anti-missile protection is provided by both the high speed and maneuverability of the Vanguard and the constant maneuvering of the Sarmat warhead, which is throwing warheads along with decoys. Warheads Yu-71 may not be nuclear - hypersonic speed allows you to hit targets due to kinetic energy.

But active defense systems are not limited to those built directly into the missile. Since the launch shafts cannot move, and their location is usually known, the launch site is covered by the Mozyr complex. On the route of an approaching warhead, Mozyr creates literally a continuous cloud of submunitions.

Tactical and technical characteristics

In principle, the similarity of the mass-dimensional parameters of the missiles is explained by the fact that the "Sarmat" should be installed in the same silos. As for the combat qualities, the "peculiarity" of ICBMs is that it is difficult to verify the exact characteristics of such weapons, and no one wants to test them "on their own". At the same time, reports on the creation of new weapons of mass destruction must be taken seriously.


The RS-28 missiles are already being positioned as a means of "de-escalation of the conflict." In the event of a threat of war, a launch is made. The targets are enemy command posts and air bases, making the continuation of the conflict impossible. The inability of the missile defense systems in service to combat the hypersonic Vanguards (and the lack of all-round protection) ensure the inevitability of accurate hits.

At the same time, doubts have already been expressed that such a method can "reduce tension."

Let's take the territory of the United States as an example. ICBMs fly to it for a long time, strategic objects have time to evacuate during this time, and multiple warheads will hit only civilians.

The RS-28 "Sarmat", even before it was put into service, became a sufficient "news lead" that made one think about the prospects for the development of missile defense and strategic weapons. How his combat duty will develop is still unknown. But the possibility of re-equipment does not exclude the prospect that the new rocket, like the famous R-7, will contribute to the development of astronautics.

Video

That serial deliveries of the newest Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will begin in 2018. This means that the creation of a heavy strategic missile is ahead of schedule. It was expected to enter the Strategic Missile Forces by 2020.

This acceleration has become possible due to the modernization of the production base of the Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant, where the serial production of "Sarmat" is being developed. And this is very timely in the current conditions of aggravation of relations between Russia and the NATO bloc, in which Washington plays a "leading and guiding role". The new missile should become a powerful deterrent, significantly surpassing all the carriers of nuclear weapons existing in the world.

At the moment, the most powerful missile is the mine-based liquid-propellant R-36M2 Voevoda. Among land, sea and air ICBMs on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, there is nothing that would be close to it in terms of combat capabilities. It is no coincidence that NATO has assigned it a “speaking surname” - “Satan”.

The Voevoda rocket, which was put into service in 1988, consists of two stages, the engines of which use high-boiling fuel.

This ICBM was created to guarantee a breakthrough of the enemy's anti-missile defense. She copes with this task to this day. However, after a quarter of a century, the enemy's missile defense systems are already beginning to "approach" the "Satan". More precisely, a technical opportunity has appeared to make a new ICBM with more serious characteristics in order to even more convincingly show the potential adversary the failure of his missile defense system. Both existing and the one that can be created in the future.

Relatively recently, another reason has appeared to replace the Voevoda with a new missile. The fact is that the rocket was created in Dnepropetrovsk - at the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau under the leadership of the General Designer Vladimir Fedorovich Utkin, Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Now, when the ties with Ukraine have been completely severed, it is necessary to get rid of dependence on the "Independent" military-industrial complex in terms of the supply of spare parts and service activities.

The order for the development of the Sarmat rocket went to the V.P. Makeeva. It would seem that the decision is extremely strange, since the Makeyevites specialize primarily in the creation of sea products - ICBMs for strategic submarine cruisers. And here their achievements are impressive. The Sineva rocket holds the record for power-to-weight ratio among all existing rockets. That is, it has the best ratio of rocket power to its mass.

However, there is no paradox in the fact that "Sarmat" was made in Miass. Firstly, it has accumulated vast experience in the creation of liquid-propellant missiles, which have better power characteristics than solid-propellant ones. And the "Sarmat", in order to surpass the "Voevoda" in combat characteristics, was conceived and embodied in the metal precisely by liquid. Secondly, the design bureau also has experience in creating land-based missile systems. These include, for example, the R-17 missile ("Scud" according to NATO classification).

Designers KB im. Makeev went, as they say, their own way. That is, they did not engage in the modernization of the "Voevoda", but created an absolutely new rocket. Although there were opportunities for modernization - the "heart" of the rocket, the RD-264 engines, were developed not in Ukraine, but here - in the Khimki KB Energomash under the leadership of Vitaly Petrovich Radovsky.

The result was a rocket that surpasses Voevoda in all respects. It has a higher power-to-weight ratio. "Voevoda" weighs over 210 tons, "Sarmat" is 20% lighter. And at the same time, the rocket is capable of entering a suborbital trajectory, entering the target through space. This means the possibility of attacking, say, the United States not along the shortest straight line, but from any direction - both through the North Pole and through the South Pole. At the same time, the trajectory is laid in such a way as to bypass regions with massive missile defense systems.

This is achieved through the use of a more efficient propulsion system in both the first and second stages. It is also expected to increase power due to the use of the upper stage at the final stage. In this connection, the rocket turned out to be dual-use. By reducing the weight of the payload (10 warheads of 750 kt each, weighing more than 8 tons in total) and using the upper stage "Sarmat" is able to deliver satellites into orbit. This opportunity can be used when the missiles' resource comes to an end. Or when they begin to be replaced by more advanced missiles of new designs.

The protection of missiles at launch positions has been increased. They are installed in the same mines in which the Voyevods are now located. The mines are capable of withstanding close nuclear explosions, which is achieved by using special damping containers for which large seismic loads are safe. The defense of the mines has been strengthened by the Mozyr active protection system specially created for the Sarmat complex. It is a hundred artillery barrels that shoot towards an approaching cruise missile or ballistic missile warhead with a cloud of arrows and balls 3 cm in diameter. Shot height is 6 km. This system is served by a radar with a long range and detection accuracy. In addition, in the future, it is planned to cover the region where the Sarmat complexes are based on the S-500 air defense system.

At the same time, the "penetrating power" of the new missile's warheads is unique. It is based not only on the highest energy qualities of the rocket itself, which, before the separation of warheads from it, has the ability to maneuver with high overloads. The warheads themselves also have high maneuverability. In addition, they are equipped with electronic warfare equipment. Also, their targeting accuracy has increased by almost two orders of magnitude - the maximum deviation from the target is 5-10 meters. This makes it possible, if necessary, to use kinetic warheads instead of nuclear ones, which destroy strategic enemy targets with a mechanical blow of enormous energy.

Well, and finally, by 2020, the missile will be equipped with hypersonic warheads, which now only have a code name - "product 4202". Their trials began in 2010. To date, a stable flight has been achieved with a given target hitting accuracy. Their speed is within 17M-22M. The warhead, presumably since the mid-2000s, has been developed at NPO Mashinostroeniya, located in Reutov near Moscow.

Now "product 4202" is not capable of stopping any missile defense system in the world. And in the foreseeable future, such opportunities are not visible. The Reutov warhead is capable of long-term hypersonic flight in the atmosphere, maneuvering in the vertical and horizontal planes.

Last Thursday, March 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed a message to the Federal Assembly. The most important place in the address of the head of state was taken by the story about the latest successes in the field of strategic nuclear missile weapons. Circumstances force our country to develop this direction, and so far such development has led to the most interesting results. The President disclosed some information about already known projects, and for the first time announced the existence of some other developments. One of the topics of the presidential report was a complex with an intercontinental missile under the code "Sarmat".

Starting his story about new strategic weapons, V. Putin recalled the events of recent years. So, at the beginning of the last decade, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the ABM Treaty, as a result of which Russia's nuclear potential was under threat. Despite constant criticism from Moscow, Washington continued to develop anti-missile systems and deploy new systems. However, Russia not only protested and warned. In recent years, the Russian military and scientists have been working on promising weapons. As a result, they managed to make a big step in the development of strategic systems.

The President recalled that in order to counter the North American missile defense system in Russia, not too expensive, but very effective means of breaking through the defense are being created and constantly improved. All Russian intercontinental missiles carry this equipment. In addition, the development of completely new types of strategic weapons with high performance began.

Transporting a container with an experimental rocket

According to the President, the Ministry of Defense and enterprises of the rocket and space industry have already begun the active phase of testing the newest complex with ICBMs of a heavy class. The promising system received the designation "Sarmat". The head of state indicated that the new product is being created to replace the existing missiles created in Soviet times and known for their high combat power.

V. Putin claims that the combat capabilities of the Sarmat are significantly higher than those of its predecessor. The new ICBM has a launch weight of more than 200 tons.... A characteristic feature of the rocket is a shortened active phase of flight, which to some extent complicates its interception and destruction. In terms of flight range, the number of warheads and the power of warheads, the promising Sarmat surpasses the old Voevoda.

The flexibility of the missile is provided by the ability to carry warheads of different types. "Sarmat" will be able to use nuclear warheads of various power and modern means of breaking through antimissile defense. In addition, it can be equipped with a hypersonic warhead, which has certain advantages over traditional-style blocks.

The R-36M missile has a firing range of up to 11 thousand km. The new complex, as noted by the President, has practically no range restrictions. As part of the Address to the Federal Assembly, a video was shown demonstrating the capabilities of the new complex. Among other things, it showed that the Sarmat rocket is capable of reaching the Western Hemisphere both through the North and South Poles... Such capabilities obviously increase the potential of the complex in the context of a missile defense breakthrough of a potential enemy.

The president also noted some of the features of launchers for a promising rocket. The Sarmat product is proposed to be used with protected launchers with high performance. The parameters of the basing means and the energy indicators of the missiles, according to V. Putin, will ensure the use of the missile system in any conditions and in different situations.

Model RS-28 leaves the launcher for the first time

The last Address of the President to the Federal Assembly was curiously different from the previous ones. The speech of the head of state was accompanied by a demonstration of video clips of one topic or another. Naturally, video materials were also present in the part of the speech dedicated to advanced weapons.

For the first time, politicians and the general public were shown footage from the tests of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile. First, the video showed the process of loading a transport and launch container with a rocket into a silo launcher. Then they showed the actual launch. The rocket, in the characteristic black and white "checkerboard" color, necessary to observe its operation, flew out of the mine with the help of a powder pressure accumulator and turned on the engine. All further stages of the flight, however, were demonstrated in the form of computer graphics. The sketched rocket followed a predetermined trajectory, dropped warheads and successfully hit the intended targets in the Western Hemisphere.

Having completed his story about the course of the Sarmat project and the consequences of its adoption, Vladimir Putin moved on to other topics in the field of strategic nuclear missile systems. In a matter of minutes, the president unveiled a number of new products that will be discussed for a long time at all levels and will probably have the most serious impact on the strategic situation in the world. However, let's not rush and take a closer look at the Sarmat project, including taking into account the latest information announced personally by the head of state.

The first moments after the start

First of all, it is necessary to remind that the project RS-28 "Sarmat" is already well known to specialists and the general public. The fifth generation missile system with a silo-based heavy intercontinental missile is intended to replace the outdated R-36M and UR-100UTTKh systems. The project was developed at the State Rocket Center. V.P. Makeeva (Miass) with the participation of some other domestic defense enterprises.

According to reports of past years, in the foreseeable future, the strategic missile forces were to receive a promising product with a launch weight of more than 100 tons and the ability to carry a large combat load. Over time, it became known that the "Sarmat" has a three-stage design and is equipped with a stage for breeding warheads, providing their individual guidance. All stages of the rocket must be equipped with liquid-propellant engines "recessed" in the bottoms of the tank hulls. From a certain time in the context of the RS-28 project, the possibility of using promising hypersonic combat equipment "4202" / Yu-71 was mentioned.

According to various estimates, depending on the task at hand, the Sarmat missile could carry up to 10 warheads and deliver them to a range of at least 16 thousand km. This means that such missiles, located in different parts of the Strategic Missile Forces, will be able to attack targets almost anywhere in the world. At the same time, in some cases, it became possible to choose a flight route that was optimal from the point of view of bypassing missile defense.

Engaging motors. The discarded pan of powder charge is visible

It is known that in the middle of this decade, the RS-28 project left the stage of design work, and the first tests began. So, in mid-2016, tests of new rocket engines were completed, after which preparations began for testing the rocket as a whole. It was reported that flight tests will be carried out at the Plesetsk test site. For their implementation, one of the mine launchers of the landfill has undergone repair and restoration. In the past, the press reported some delays, as a result of which the first throw-in launch of the Sarmat missile was only carried out at the end of December last year, with a noticeable delay in relation to the original plans.

Apparently, it was the video from the December start that became an "illustration" of V. Putin's speech. According to known data, it was planned to start the tests of the "Sarmat" with a throw launch, and, most likely, it was he who was shown to the public. Thus, a product with a characteristic color that flew out of the mine was a mock-up of a full-fledged rocket with the same mass and similar geometric characteristics. The task of the mock-up in the throw tests is to exit the launcher, during which a set of sensors fixes all the main parameters.

For obvious reasons, the drop test mock is not designed for full range flight. In this regard, in a demo video showing the capabilities of the rocket and its principle of operation, after the frames of the real start, there was an animated flight with all the main operations. It is also necessary to recall that at the disposal of science and industry there is still no means capable of high-quality video filming of ICBMs along the trajectory from the most spectacular angles. Therefore, it is necessary to apply the achievements of modern cinema and animation.

Demonstration of possible rocket flight routes

In the past, when the promising RS-28 project was far from full implementation, officials talked about the possible adoption of the missile in service in 2017-18. By now, the plans have changed noticeably. Flight design tests of the rocket are planned for the current and next year, and the adoption of the complex for service is expected no later than 2020.

Over the next few years, the Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant will have to prepare for the full-scale serial construction of promising missiles for delivery to the Strategic Missile Forces. At the same time, at the bases of this kind of troops, the repair and modernization of the existing launchers of the Voevoda missiles will be carried out, which, after the upgrade, will have to work with the new Sarmats. The process of replacing R-36M missiles with new RS-28s will take several years. In the absence of serious problems, it can be completed by the mid-twenties.

According to known data, the R-36M and R-36M2 heavy missiles remain in service with only two Strategic Missile Forces units, and their total number does not exceed fifty. Several dozen heavy UR-100UTTH also continue to serve. This means that the missile forces rearmament program should not be oversized, and therefore will not be overly expensive or lengthy. In any case, no later than 2025-30, the Russian armed forces will have to abandon all currently available heavy ICBMs due to their complete moral and physical obsolescence.

Combat blocks on approach to the target

Based on the already known and recently announced information, it is possible to draw new conclusions about the goals and objectives of the RS-28 "Sarmat" project. The first and one of the main goals of this complex is to maintain the required combat capability of the strategic missile forces through timely replacement of outdated weapons. Moreover, the replacement of old missiles will lead to a significant increase in combat potential. Having increased characteristics, the new rocket, even when replaced in a one-to-one ratio, will be able to more effectively solve the tasks assigned to it.

According to available data, the Sarmat ICBM will be able to deliver warheads to a range of at least 15-16 thousand km. This means that any objects in almost any part of the planet can be “targeted” by the missile system. In the case of less remote areas, it becomes possible to choose the most convenient trajectory corresponding to the tasks set. For example, due to improved energy, the missile will be able to literally bypass, at least, the enemy's stationary anti-missile defense systems. In combination with the used means of breakthrough by the type of decoys, etc. such a possibility sharply reduces the effectiveness of missile defense.

V. Putin confirmed that promising heavy missile RS-28 "Sarmat" will be able to carry the latest hypersonic warhead... Earlier, various sources repeatedly mentioned that one of the options for the RS-28 combat equipment could be the 4202 or Yu-71 product. A controlled warhead of this type is a hypersonic aircraft with controls and the ability to carry a nuclear charge. It was argued that the Ju-71 apparatus would be able to reach speeds of up to several kilometers per second, maneuver along the course and independently aim at the specified target.

The high speed of descent and approach to the target, as well as the ability to maneuver on the trajectory are the obvious advantages of the 4202 system. Existing foreign missile defense systems are designed to intercept high-speed ballistic targets. The possibility of hitting a maneuvering hypersonic object is at least doubtful. For a correct and timely response to such weapons, a potential adversary requires fundamentally new systems, the existence of which is still unknown.

To date, the promising heavy ICBM RS-28 "Sarmat" has entered trials, and within the next few years it is planned to be put into service. The emergence of such weapons will allow not only to preserve the required capabilities of the Strategic Missile Forces, but also to build up the potential of this type of troops without a serious change in the number of deployed missiles. Thanks to this, in particular, it becomes possible to implement existing plans without contradicting existing international agreements. In addition, it will be possible to solve one of the main tasks of recent times - to ensure the required combat capability of intercontinental missiles in the context of the development and deployment of foreign anti-missile systems.

The news about the RS-28 Sarmat project announced by the President of Russia is undoubtedly a reason for optimism and pride in the Russian defense industry. However, having completed the story about the new ICBM, the President did not stop and announced the existence of even more daring and interesting projects. Now it was a question of increasing the defense capability through fundamentally new types of weapons with outstanding technical and combat characteristics.

Alexey Zakvasin

The Russian intercontinental missile RS-28 "Sarmat" has no analogues and will not appear in the near future. This was stated by the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces), Colonel-General Sergei Karakaev. According to him, by 2025 more than 40 "Sarmats" are to enter service in the Strategic Missile Forces, which will replace the existing arsenal of R-36M. As noted by Karakaev, the missile will be able to hit targets at any distance around the globe and overcome any ABM lines. About the latest Russian development - in the material RT.

  • Screenshot from video RUPTLY

The commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel-General Sergei Karakaev, told reporters about some of the capabilities of the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

“It will replace the existing Voevoda rocket. The mass-dimensional characteristics of the "Sarmat" will allow it to be placed in the existing silo launchers with minimal modifications to the infrastructure of the positioning areas, "said Karakaev.

According to him, tests of the Sarmat missile, which will surpass its predecessor in many respects, started in December 2017. Until 2025, the Strategic Missile Forces should receive more than 40 RS-28s, which will replace the R-36M.

“The Sarmat missile system does not have and in the near future will not have analogues in the world combat missile industry,” added the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces.

  • Launch of ICBM RS-28 "Sarmat"
  • Screenshot from Youtube video

Range and power

The Sarmat is a fifth generation heavy missile aimed at penetrating any missile defense system. According to experts, outwardly the RS-28 will resemble its predecessor. This is indirectly evidenced by the same mass (over 200 tons) and a liquid engine.

However, it significantly surpasses the "Voevoda". As Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on March 1, 2018, the range of the newest missile, as well as the number and power of warheads, is greater than that of the R-36M.

“Voevoda has a range of 11 thousand km, the new system has practically no range restrictions. As can be seen from the video, it is capable of attacking targets both through the North and South Poles. "Sarmat" is a very formidable weapon, due to its characteristics, no, even promising missile defense systems are not a hindrance to it, "Putin said.

From the video that the president showed during his message to the Federal Assembly, it follows that the RS-28 can cover at least 20 thousand km.

The power plant allows the "Sarmat" to start one and a half times faster than the "Voevoda". The duration of the RS-28 booster section is comparable to the RS-12M2 Topol-M and PC-24 Yars light-class solid-propellant ICBMs. The short booster section provides an earlier deployment of warheads, which makes it difficult to detect the missile by missile defense systems.

Payload "Sarmat" - 3 tons. The rocket is equipped with the most modern means of countering radar stations. As the military believes, even promising technical means of a potential enemy will not be able to distinguish false warheads from real ones.

  • How the Sarmat rocket is created: video footage from the Krasnoyarsk machine-building plant

Wide range of ammunition

In his speech, Putin stressed that the "Sarmat" will be "equipped with a wide range of nuclear weapons," including hypersonic ones, and the most modern missile defense penetration systems. "

Vasily Laga, Chief Researcher of the Strategic Missile Forces Military Academy, explained to reporters that the RS-28 warhead can be equipped with about 20 types of warheads of various power classes (low, medium, high, large).

In addition, the Sarmat design provides for the placement of three gliding winged blocks - the hallmark of the Avangard missile system. These munitions fly in dense layers of the atmosphere located several tens of kilometers from the Earth's surface.

“The unit is flying at hypersonic speed (about Mach 20. - RT) for the intercontinental range. Maneuvering along the course and altitude, it is able to bypass the detection and destruction zones of all modern and promising anti-missile defense means, "the Defense Ministry said in a statement following the President's message.

Various types of maneuvering by the winged unit virtually reduce to zero the likelihood that the enemy will determine the trajectory of its flight.

The appearance also indicates a breakthrough in domestic materials science. The block body is made of composites that can withstand aerodynamic heating of several thousand degrees. According to Putin, at the time of flight, the temperature on the surface of the "Sarmat" reaches 1600-2000 ° C.

The Ministry of Defense is convinced that the transition of the Strategic Missile Forces to the RS-28 will not lead to serious financial costs. First, new infrastructure will not be created for Sarmat. Secondly, the period of operation of ICBMs is two and a half times longer than the warranty period of the Voevoda.

  • Launch of the Dnepr conversion carrier rocket based on the R-36M Voevoda ICBM
  • globallookpress.com
  • Vadim Savitsky / Global Look Press

The RS-28 will significantly strengthen the power of the Strategic Missile Forces, says Vasily Laga. In his opinion, “Sarmat” embodies those unique characteristics that Russian scientific thought has always striven for.