There was information about the successful launch of a missile from the combat railway complex "Barguzin". So far, no official confirmation.

RT-23 UTTH "Well done".

There was information about the successful launch of a missile from the combat railway complex (BZHRK) "Barguzin", which is being developed in Russia to replace the "Molodets" complex, created in the 1980s. However, there has been no confirmation of this information from the Ministry of Defense yet. It is quite possible that we were talking (without clarification) about the beginning of the throw tests, which were scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2016.

For the first time after the 1980s, Academician Yu.S. Solomonov carried out a successful launch of the Barguzin rocket, this is the so-called "wandering start". The combat railway missile system "Barguzin" is a promising mobile missile system of the strategic missile forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Vladimir Putin and Yuri Solomonov

Rocket "Barguzin" takes off from the freight car of an ordinary train, i.e. the train itself is a spaceport. Such missiles - four BZHRKs - have been in service with our Strategic Missile Forces since the late 80s, but first Gorbachev, then Yeltsin destroyed all four complexes. The Americans feared such missiles more than anything else, because in one night such trains could go anywhere, anywhere in the Soviet Union.

Vladimir Putin and the Research Institute "Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering", headed by the Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation, Academician Yuri Semenovich Solomonov, have recreated this great weapon almost from scratch. Until today, we were ahead of the Americans and the Chinese in rocket science by about 10 - 15 years, and from this moment we are already half a century ahead of them! All leaders of the country have already congratulated the great Russian rocket scientist Yuri Solomonov on the successful start. We join in their congratulations.

In May 2016, information appeared about the end of the process of developing documentation for the BZHRK "Barguzin". It is assumed that the new complex will carry more modern and light missiles created on the basis of the RS-24 Yars. One train will include six missiles - each is located in a separate car, disguised as a standard refrigerated one. For traction, one diesel locomotive will be used instead of three, as in the BZHRK "Molodets".

This option for deploying ballistic missiles is very strongly criticized by NATO countries. The fact is that with such a placement it is very difficult to track the movement of such trains. From above, the cars are generally identical and can change direction at any time, which makes the destruction of the complex in the event of a launch very difficult. Although the international treaty START-3 does not prohibit the creation of such weapons, every news about the return of "ghost trains" is met with a wave of criticism in the Western press.

Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) / military railway missile system (BZHRK). R&D for the creation of the BZHRK began in 2012 and is being conducted by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering (MIT). Until December 2014, it was discussed that the creation of the complex is possible either on the basis of the RS-24 Yars ICBM or on the basis of the RS-26 Rubezh ICBM or using developments on the 3M30 Bulava intercontinental SLBM. But in December 2014, information appeared in the media that the complex would include ICBMs of the Yars or Yars-M type.
It is unlikely that Yu.S. Solomonov could be the chief designer of the complex. in his speeches to the media, he repeatedly spoke out against the BZHRK as a class of missile systems. Until 2020, it is planned to complete the development work, create and test prototypes of the BZHRK (according to plans for 2012). After 2020, the complexes will begin to enter service with the Strategic Missile Forces.

On April 23, 2013, Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia Yuri Borisov said that the preliminary design of the BZHRK is currently underway, work is underway on technical projects. On December 18, 2013, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel General Sergei Karakaev, announced that the preliminary design would be completed in the first half of 2014, but the final decision on the design of the BZHRK had not yet been made. As a result, the preliminary design of the complex was completed at the end of 2014. The media reported that as of mid-2015, the first stage of R & D was underway to create the complex.

In December 2014, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces stated in the media that the development of the BZHRK could soon begin, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces a day later announced that the new complex was called Barguzin. The development of design documentation began in 2015 and is scheduled to be completed in mid-2016. Although later in December 2015 a source in the Russian defense industry told the media that due to the difficult financial situation, the timeline for the creation of the Barguzin was postponed by more than one year and will end no earlier than 2020. On May 12, 2016, the media reported that "the design documentation has been worked out, individual elements of the complex are being created, but there is no exact time frame for its creation and adoption into service," the timing will become clear in 2018 G..

The start of the deployment of the new BZHRK is expected no earlier than 2018, but most likely in 2019 at the end of 2015. The start date for the deployment of the complex has been specified - 2020.

Illustrations for the patent of the Central Design Bureau Titan for a railway launcher.
The numbers in the diagram indicate: 1 - railway wagon or platform, 2 - fixed trunnion beam, 3 - lifting boom, 4 - boom lifting mechanism, 5 - movable frame mounted on the boom with the possibility of longitudinal movement, 6 - TPK with a rocket , 7 - telescopic supports, 8 - base plates, 9 - swivel rods for "aiming" supports on the rails of the railway bed.

Launcher - BZHRK - combat railway missile system. The launch is carried out from the TPK, which is brought to the starting position at the starting point from a special railway car with a drop-down roof. The composition of the BZHRK technically may include several wagons with ICBMs, as well as wagons for combat duty and, probably, maintenance of the complex.

There is a possibility that the development of the BZHRK launcher is being carried out by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Central Design Bureau "Titan" (Volgograd) - this company has registered a patent for "A launcher for transporting and launching a rocket from a transport and launch container placed in a railway car or on a platform" (RU 2392573). Designers (authors of the patent) - V.A. Shurygin, B.M. Abramovich, D.N. Biryukov and I.V. Shapkin.

The development of launch equipment is most likely being carried out by KBSM within the framework of the Barguzin theme. In 2013, KBSM carried out the development of a draft design of the units of the systems and the complex as a whole, the cooperation of co-executing enterprises was formed, and technical specifications for contractors were developed.

In addition, on the subject of "Barguzin-RV" in 2013, draft designs of special railway formations were developed at the Central Design Bureau of Transport Engineering.

According to media reports, as of 2014, a variant of the railway train of the BZHRK "Barguzin" with 6 launchers is being considered - which is equal to the regiment of the Strategic Missile Forces. The missile division will include 5 regiments of the BZHRK "Barguzin".

Rocket - probably the use of a rocket similar to previously created intercontinental missile systems with a minimum time of the active part of the trajectory and with MIRV. As options, ICBMs of the RS-24 "Yars" type and ICBMs of the RS-26 "Rubezh" type and SLBM 3M30 "Bulava" can be considered as basic ones. With a high probability, the degree of unification for missiles will be high, but less than 100%.

According to media reports, as of 2014, a variant of the railway train of the Barguzin BZHRK with 6 launchers with Yars or Yars-M missiles is being considered.

The design of the rocket is a three-stage rocket of a classical layout with a sequential arrangement of stages. With a high probability, the missile will be equipped with a complex of means of overcoming missile defense (KSP PRO).

The control and guidance system is inertial autonomous.

Engines - solid propellant rocket engines at all stages.

Warhead types - MIRV IN. It is possible to use advanced maneuvering combat equipment.

Status: Russia
- 2012 - The Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering started the development work on the creation of the BZHRK.

2013 - development of draft designs for the components of the complex.

The combat railway missile system (BZHRK) being developed in Russia can be equated in its effectiveness with a division of the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN), equipped with stationary mine complexes, Colonel-General Sergey Karakayev, commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, told reporters on Wednesday.

Earlier, he reported that in the first half of 2014, the development of a preliminary design of the BZHRK would be completed. This development is being carried out, among other things, as a response to the US immediate global strike program, which implies the possibility of hitting objects anywhere on Earth within an hour from the moment the decision is made.

“The power of this composition (BZHRK), taking into account the multiple warhead of the rocket, can be equated to a division with stationary mine complexes. We, preliminarily calculating the effectiveness of this development, say that both in a retaliatory strike, and especially in a possible retaliatory strike, the effectiveness and capabilities of the Strategic Nuclear Forces are increasing,” Karakaev said.

He recalled that to date, the final decision on the completion of the development of the BZHRK has not been made, preliminary design is underway. “Of course, many generations of rocket scientists regret that there is no such complex today. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief asked me about this, I reported to him that I was for the BZHRK,” the general added.

He noted that the country's leadership set the task of analyzing the economic parameters of this development for the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and, in particular, the Strategic Missile Forces. “This is all that concerns our railway from the point of view of both ensuring movement and the railway track itself, taking into account the fact that heavy and dangerous military cargo will be transported,” Karakaev explained.

Flight design tests of a new solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile with the working name RS-26, created on the basis of the RS-24 Yars, will be completed in 2014, a mobile ground-based missile system with this missile is planned to be put on combat duty in 2015, said on Wednesday Commander of the Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) of the Russian Federation, Colonel General Sergei Karakaev.

He recalled that in 2012 a new rocket was launched from the first state test cosmodrome at the Kura test site at a distance of more than 5.6 thousand kilometers.

“The missile completed its task, the conditional warhead landed on the Kamchatka Peninsula, and today further work is underway to bring (the missile) and conduct those tests that would confirm all the tactical and technical characteristics,” Karakaev said.

“After this work, which is scheduled to be completed in 2014, the state commission will issue a conclusion on the acceptance of the complex for operation. In case of successful work, since 2015 we plan to put this complex on combat duty,” the commander said.

He added that the divisions where this complex will be located have already been determined, among other things. Karakaev noted that the RS-26 is a solid-propellant ICBM with improved combat equipment and a multiple warhead.

According to him, the new rocket will be lighter than the Yars. “We talk all the time about the need to reduce the size (of missile systems). If we are talking about a mobile ground "Yars", then today our launcher weighs more than 120 tons. We will achieve weight characteristics of up to 80 tons on this improved rocket, it will be lighter,” the commander emphasized.

There was also such information that the mass of the new rocket for the railway complex should not exceed 47 tons. According to Karakaev, the intercontinental missile will be camouflaged in a 24-meter-long refrigerated car. The length of the rocket itself will be 22.5 meters. Externally, the "refrigerator car" will not differ from the usual such car; no need to increase the number of axles. The new "nuclear train" will be able to move along any route, and not on a special one with reinforced tracks.

The development of a new combat railroad missile system is being carried out as a response to the US immediate global strike program, which implies the destruction of enemy targets anywhere in the world within no more than two hours. Earlier, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin announced the need to develop a military-technical response to the American "lightning strike" strategy.

And now let's remember the history of this type of weapon:

Who, and in whose ingenious head, originally came up with the idea to mount a ballistic missile launcher on a railway platform, is now unknown. There is a legend that initially, the Americans persuaded the creation of a railway missile system, who decided, with the help of disinformation, to force the USSR to spend money on a very expensive and meaningless project. They provoked Moscow with disinformation that they were supposedly developing such a project, and very successfully. So Moscow got involved in a fictitious railway arms race.

Since, after the war, the Russians and Americans got the design documentation of Germany, which contained data on German projects that were not brought to the final state due to lack of time. The Germans were working on a project to create a railway transporter with a lifting mechanism, a launch platform, and a tank with alcohol and liquid oxygen included in the composition.

It was impossible to fit that rocket in a belt into the largest railway car - a refrigerated one. Since the missiles were bulky, and they had to be quickly refueled even before launch.

With the advent of new missiles, the USSR and the USA returned to this idea again.

The order "On the creation of a mobile combat railway missile system (BZHRK) with the RT-23 missile" was signed on January 13, 1969, and assigned to the Yuzhnoye design bureau. The advantages of this railway complex were obvious: it was impossible to track its movements across the vast territory of the USSR. Possessing increased survivability, and a high probability of surviving, in the event of a strike, the BZHRK was supposed to form the basis of a retaliatory strike grouping.

Despite the fact that the USSR had to make a lot of efforts to implement the project, the project was implemented.

The design of the rocket was entrusted to the design brothers, Vladimir and Alexei Fedorovich Utkin. Vladimir Fedorovich Utkin became the general designer of Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in 1979, which was entrusted with the creation of the RT-23 UTTKh solid-propellant ballistic missile, which received the name "Molodets". The maximum flight range is 10,000 km, the height of the ballistic trajectory is 800 km. In the head part there were 10 individually targeted warheads with a capacity of 550 kilotons each. Hit accuracy - 200m. The BZHRK housed 3 missiles, hence the total number of 30 nuclear charges.

The first test launches of the experimental version of the RT-23U took place at the Plesetsk training ground in 1984. In 1985, tests of missiles intended for the railway complex began directly. On January 18, 1984, the first launch of the 15Zh52 rocket took place. The first launch of the 15Zh61 rocket took place on February 27, 1985.

Flight tests of the RT-23UTTKh (15Zh61) rocket were carried out in 1985-1987 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome (NIIP-53, Mirny), 32 launches were made in total.

In 1988 at the Semipalatinsk test site, special tests of the BZHRK for the effects of electromagnetic radiation (“Shine”) and lightning protection (“Thunderstorm”) were successfully carried out. In 1991 at NIIP-53, a test was carried out for the effects of a shock wave (“Shift”). Two launchers and a command post were tested. The test objects were located: one (launcher with a rocket electric model loaded into it, as well as a gearbox) - at a distance of 850m from the center of the explosion, the other (the second launcher) - at a distance of 450m with its end face to the center of the explosion. A shock wave with a TNT equivalent of 1000 tons did not affect the performance of the rocket and launcher.

The first missile regiment with the RT-23UTTKh missile went on combat duty in October 1987, and by the middle of 1988, 5 regiments were deployed (15 launchers in total, 4 in the Kostroma region and 1 in the Perm region). The trains were located at a distance of about four kilometers from each other in stationary structures, and when they took up combat duty, the trains dispersed.

When moving along the railway network of the country, the BZHRK made it possible to quickly change the location of the starting position up to 1000 kilometers per day. Since 1991, by agreement with the United States, the BZHRK have been on combat duty at the base, without leaving the country's railway network.

By 1991, three missile divisions armed with BZHRK and RT-23UTTKh ICBMs were deployed (in the Kostroma Region, Perm Region and Krasnoyarsk Territory), each of which had four missile regiments (a total of 12 BZHRK trains, three launchers each). Within a radius of 1500 km from the bases of the BZHRK, joint measures were taken with the Ministry of Railways of Russia to modernize the railway track: heavier rails were laid, wooden sleepers were replaced with reinforced concrete, and embankments were strengthened with denser gravel.

Since 1991, by agreement with the United States, the BZHRK has been on combat duty at the base, without leaving the country's railway network.

Under the START-2 treaty in 1993, Russia was to decommission and destroy all RT-23UTTKh missiles by 2003. At the time of decommissioning, Russia had 3 divisions (Kostroma, Perm (ZATO Zvezdny) and Krasnoyarsk), 4 regiments with three launchers each, a total of 12 trains with 36 launchers. For the disposal of "rocket trains" at the Bryansk repair plant of the Strategic Missile Forces, a special "cutting" line was installed. During 2003-2007, all trains and launchers were disposed of, except for one demilitarized and installed as an exhibit in the museum of railway equipment at the Varshavsky railway station in St. Petersburg, and one more installed in the AvtoVAZ Technical Museum.

September 5, 2009 Deputy Commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Lieutenant General Vladimir Gagarin, said that the Strategic Missile Forces do not rule out the possibility of resuming combat railway missile systems.

Device

Disguising the railway complex as an ordinary train was not an easy task. The structure included railway launchers, supply cars, wagons with personnel, and three diesel locomotives.

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.

Externally, the railway complex looks like an ordinary train of refrigerated, mail-luggage and passenger cars.

The launch car is almost identical to a conventional refrigerator, only it has eight wheelsets. The rest of the cars have four wheelsets, these cars house the command post, systems that ensure combat readiness and launch missiles. The launch car was equipped with a sliding roof, and a special device that diverted the contact network to the side. Before launch, the rocket assumes a vertical position.

The car-launcher is equipped with an opening roof and a device for the removal of the contact network. The weight of the rocket is about 100 tons. To solve the problem of overloading the starting car, special unloading devices were used, which redistribute part of the weight to neighboring cars.

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 m.

Missiles could be launched from any point along the route. The launch algorithm is as follows: the train stops, a special device moves the contact network aside, 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 and avoid damage to them.

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

Advantages and disadvantages

The official reasons for the removal of the BZHRK from service were called outdated design, the high cost of recreating the production of complexes in Russia and the preference for mobile units based on tractors.

Also, supporters of the removal of the complex cite the following arguments:

  1. The impossibility of complete camouflage of the train due to the unusual configuration (in particular, three diesel locomotives), which, perhaps, allows you to accurately determine the location of the complex using modern satellite intelligence.
  2. The low security of the complex (unlike, for example, mines), which can be overturned or destroyed by a nuclear explosion in the vicinity.
  3. Depreciation of the railway tracks along which the heavy complex RT-23UTTKh moved.

Proponents of the use of BZHRK note the high mobility of trains capable of moving along the country's railway network (which made it possible to quickly change the location of the starting position up to 1000 kilometers per day), in contrast to tractors operating in a relatively small radius around the base (tens and hundreds of kilometers).

Calculations carried out by American specialists in relation to the railway version of the MX ICBM base for the US railway network show that with the dispersal of 25 trains (twice as many as Russia had in service) on sections of the railway with a total length of 120 thousand km ( which is much longer than the length of the main track of Russian railways) the probability of hitting the train is only 10% when using 150 ICBMs of the Voevoda type for an attack.

Tactical and technical characteristics

Firing range, km 10100
head part
charge power, Mt 10 x 0.43
head part weight, kg 4050
Rocket length, m
complete 23.0
without head 19.0
in TPK 21.9
Maximum diameter of the rocket body, m 2.4
Starting weight, t 104.80
Flight reliability 0.98
Coefficient of energy-weight perfection of the rocket Gpg / Go, kgf / tf 31
Movement speed, km/h 80
First stage
length, m 9.7
diameter, m 2.4
weight, t 53.7
thrust remote control (on the ground / in the void), tf 218/241
Second step
length, m 4.8
diameter, m 2.4
traction control, tf 149
Third step
length, m 3.6
diameter, m 2.4
traction control, tf 44
Launcher
length, m 23.6
width, m 3.2
height, m 5.0
BZHRK resistance to shock wave, kg / cm 2
in the longitudinal direction 0.3
transversely 0.2

And here is what our overseas partners were doing at that time:

During the development of the combat railway complex (BZHRK), the Americans faced a number of technical and organizational problems, but then the Soviet leadership unexpectedly helped them by agreeing to sign the START-1 offensive arms reduction treaty in July 1991, according to which the number of Soviet heavy ICBMs, and already deployed Soviet BZHRK stopped combat duty on the country's highways, getting up on stationary duty in the bases. After that, work on promising US strategic missile systems (Peacekeeper Rail Garrison and Midgetman) slowed down sharply, and in January 1992 both programs were closed completely.

Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Launch Car

With regard to the development of the American BZHRK, the following should be additionally noted. According to foreign sources, a prototype BZHRK was tested at the US railway range and the Western Missile Range (Vandenberg Air Force Base, California) until July 1991. The possible appearance of the American BZHRK included: one or two typical locomotives, two launch cars with MX missiles, a car (command post) with combat control and communications equipment, a power supply car, two cars for personnel and support cars. The weight and size characteristics of the rocket made it possible to develop a launch car adapted to the US railroad network. Its length was almost 30 m, weight - about 180 tons.

The container with the rocket was lifted into position for launch by a special lifting mechanism. In order to reduce the load on the rails, the launch car had eight wheelsets. The reduction of shock and vibration loads was achieved by air and spring shock absorbers. A separate section housed test and launch equipment. The combat control and communications car also contained equipment for various technical systems.

The locomotives were controlled by civilian train crews. In peacetime conditions, the BZHRK were supposed to be on combat duty at permanent deployment points, in “one of several thousand” pre-selected parking points, or to carry out combat patrols. With the transfer of the US Strategic Offensive Forces from peacetime to wartime, it was planned to quickly disperse the complexes over a large area. With the receipt of orders to launch missiles, the BZHRK followed to the nearest parking point, where pre-launch preparation and launch of ICBMs were carried out. According to the test results, the US military leadership planned to put on combat duty up to 25 BZHRK with two MX missiles in each. Seven air bases located in different states were considered as points of permanent deployment of the complexes. For the dispersal of the BZHRK, about 110 thousand km of the US railway network could be involved.

At the beginning of 1991, the US military-political leadership unexpectedly announced that the complex tests of the BZHRK had been successfully completed. At the same time, however, a set of identified problems was listed. In particular, it was noted that the relative underdevelopment of the US railway network does not provide high stealth and survivability of the BZHRK. Attention was drawn to their vulnerability and insufficient physical protection from ground and air attacks of a potential enemy, the actions of sabotage and reconnaissance and terrorist groups. Significant expenditures were required for the strengthening of railways and the construction of various infrastructure facilities. A negative attitude of the population to the movement of nuclear missiles across the states and to potential threats of environmental damage was revealed. In the interests of strengthening the secrecy regime, it was considered impossible to use civilian specialists. Nevertheless, during the negotiations, the Americans, apparently, convinced the Soviet side that a significant scientific and technical reserve had been created, ensuring the deployment of the BZHRK. But an analysis of the information materials of those years allows us to conclude that the manufacture of even a prototype of the American BZHRK and its full-scale tests were far from complete.

So, the only test launch of a rocket from a railway launcher did not take place for technical reasons and was replaced by a throw test. In this regard, there is no solution to the problem of removing the jet stream from the launch car when starting the sustainer rocket engine after it has been ejected from the container. It was noted that the MX missile was developed for the silo-based version, it was not subjected to modifications and had no rocket tilt engines after launch. This could lead to a fire and disable the launch car and the railway section of the track. The definition of the composition, appearance and requirements for the objects of permanent bases of the BZHRK and the railway infrastructure was discontinued at the stage of preliminary design. Options for dispersal and combat patrols using an experienced BZHRK on a real railway network have not been developed. It was not possible to create high-precision navigation support systems for the BZHRK and missile aiming in preparation for launches from any suitable sections of the railways. There were no comprehensive resource and transport tests of the BZHRK with the MX missile with the output to the railways and the development of combat training tasks.

The behavior of the rocket under conditions of real shock and vibration effects has not been evaluated. The problem of creating a centralized control system for combat patrols of the BZHRK along the US railroads, which were in the hands of private companies, was not solved. The combat railway missile system was distinguished by a significant number of unmasking signs. It was not possible to practically work out the forms and methods of combat use of the BZHRK, the ideology of their dispersal, the organization of combat duty and the control of nuclear missile weapons on combat patrol routes, the basics of technical operation and the comprehensive support for the functioning of the BZHRK.

It is not surprising that the main efforts of Washington were aimed at limiting the functioning and subsequent liquidation of domestic BZHRK. To this end, the Americans achieved the inclusion in the texts of the START Treaty and its annexes of unilateral restrictive liquidation articles and procedures, the implementation of which led to the destruction of our military railway missile systems, although the Pentagon did not plan to deploy its own similar grouping. This is confirmed by the following. Thus, in accordance with paragraph 10 b) of Article III of the Treaty, the American side declared the MX missile to be the existing types of ICBMs for mobile launchers (the performance characteristics for the railway version of the missile were not indicated), noting that the missile in the mobile version was not deployed.

In accordance with Section II, paragraph b) and Appendix A of the “Memorandum of Understanding on Establishing Initial Data in Connection with the Treaty between the USSR and the USA on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms”, the Americans submitted: the number of BZHRK missiles and warheads - 0; their casting weight is 0; non-deployed mobile launchers - only a prototype; test launcher - 1; fixed structure for mobile launchers - no; transport and handling facilities - 1; non-deployed MX missile at the test site - 1. No photographs of the launch car and other means according to Annex J (in the order of mutual exchange) were submitted.

Thus, in reality, the American BZHRK existed mainly in the form of loud statements by US politicians. The infrastructure facilities of the proposed permanent deployment points were not announced either. During the inspections, it turned out that the Americans did not even think about starting to equip the air bases indicated earlier in the interests of deploying their BZHRK. Obviously, they did not want to invest, waiting for the signing of the START Treaty.

And more photos of our complex:

See also why The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy is made -

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 they would pass the busy and crowded stations of large cities 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 the 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. The right hand of 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 the political leadership "pecked" at it 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 glance, the simple idea proposed by the designers - to raise the shaft 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

a missile at exactly the appointed time and obey your commander in any, even the most unfavorable circumstances of modern combat, in the conditions of the use of high-precision weapons, you need to receive 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 high-voltage wires are located directly above your head. - 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, there will be no nuclear war.

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 technologically advanced country as the United States, was beyond the power.

It is not known what arguments overseas friends managed to convince Mikhail Gorbachev. Another thing is known: not so long ago, the granddaughter of the former president of the Union, Ksenia Virganskaya, flaunted at the ball of the richest people on the planet in Paris in a Dior dress that 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 the factory. 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 location of the leadership of the Russian railways towards the missilemen, their state approach and understanding that this is done in the name of the country's defense. 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. Recently, they had to work out the tasks of the combat use of weapons 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 VF Utkin's work is the use of defense scientific and technical developments in the interests of science and the 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, the federal space program of Russia was developed.

Under his leadership, as a general designer, R&D was carried out with the aim of creating experimental special-purpose vehicles, scientific and technical "support" of key problems related to the International Space Station (ISS) was provided. 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 reentry vehicle of the MIRV type with 10 warheads with a yield of 500 kt each. (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 the 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.

The BZHRK, or Barguzin combat railway missile system, is a new generation of trains armed with ballistic missiles. Developed in the Russian Federation. In 2020, it is planned to be adopted.

What is a nuclear train? What was the first generation of rocket trains in the USSR? Why did the US fail to create a ghost train? You will get answers to these and many other questions in this article.

What is "BZHRK"?

BZHRK (or ghost train) is a military railway strategic missile system. The complex is located on the basis of a railway train consisting of a diesel locomotive and freight cars. From the outside, it is no different from the ordinary freight trains that ply Russia by the thousands. However, it has a very difficult filling. Inside are placed intercontinental missiles, command posts, technical service systems, technological modules that ensure the functioning of the complex and the vital activity of personnel. At the same time, the train is autonomous.

The BZHRK was created primarily as the main strike power for delivering a retaliatory nuclear strike against a potential enemy, therefore it had the qualities of mobility and survivability. According to the plans of the command, he was supposed to survive after being hit by an intercontinental ballistic missile by a potential enemy.

BZHRK "Scalpel" - the previous generation of nuclear trains

For the first time, the development of nuclear trains began to be carried out in the 60s of the twentieth century. Work was carried out in the USSR and the USA approximately in parallel.

What does the idea of ​​​​creation, according to legend, was thrown up, namely, by the Americans. After unsuccessful attempts by the United States to create a complex, it was decided to start disinformation that such trains were being actively created and would soon be on the rails. The purpose of false information was one - to force the Soviet Union to invest huge funds in an unrealizable idea. As a result, the result exceeded all expectations.

On January 13, 1969, the Order of the Commander-in-Chief "On the creation of a mobile combat railway missile system (BZHRK) with the RT-23 missile" was signed, in pursuance of which by the 1980s in the USSR for the first time in the world it was put into production and tested in conditions close to combat, a missile carrier on a railway platform, which had no analogues and does not exist in the whole world. As experts said, there is no more formidable and mobile weapon on the planet than a mobile railway combat train with a continental missile on board.


The team of the Russian Academy of Sciences, headed by the brothers Alexei and Vladimir Utkin, worked on the creation of the complex. During the creation, the designers faced several serious difficulties.

  • Firstly, the mass of the train - a huge weight could deform the railway track. The weight of the smallest ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) was 100 tons.
  • Secondly, the direct flame at the launch of the rocket melted the train and the rails on which it stood.
  • Thirdly, the contact network above the car, of course, was an obstacle to launching a rocket. And this is not the whole list of problems faced by Soviet specialists.

The BZHRK used RT-23U missiles (according to NATO classification SS-24 "Scalpel"). For the composition, special rockets were made with a retractable nozzle and fairing. One missile carries a MIRV-type multiple reentry vehicle with 10 warheads with a yield of 500 kilotons each.

An original decision was made to distribute the load on the track. Three cars were connected by a rigid coupling, which ensured that the weight of the rocket was distributed over a longer section of the railway track. In a combat state, special hydraulic paws were put forward.

To divert the contact suspension of the network that interferes with the launch, a special device was invented that carefully removed the wires from the operating area of ​​the complex. The network was de-energized before launch.

To launch a rocket, an ingenious solution was also invented - a mortar launch. The powder charge threw the rocket 20 meters above the ground, after which another charge corrected the inclination of the rocket nozzle away from the train, and after that the first stage engine was turned on. Thus, a column of flame of great temperature did not cause damage to the cars and tracks, but was directed in the right direction.

The autonomy of the rocket train was more than 20 days.

On October 20, 1987, after tests carried out at the Semipalatinsk test site, the RT-23UTTH Molodets missile regiment took up combat duty. And by 1989, 3 divisions of the BZHRK were deployed on the territory of the USSR, dispersed at a distance of many thousands of kilometers: in the Kostroma region, in the Perm and Krasnoyarsk regions.

The BZHRK device includes railway modules for various purposes, namely: 3 launch modules for RT-23UTTKh ICBMs, 7 cars as part of the command module, a module with fuel reserves in a railway tank, and 2 diesel locomotives of the DM-62 modification. Work on improving the equipment did not stop even after entering the troops, and its combat potential was steadily growing.

BZHRK "Molodets" were a nightmare for the Americans. Enormous funds were allocated for tracking ghost trains. Reconnaissance satellites searched for 12 ghost trains across the country and could not distinguish the combat complex from the train with refrigerators (refrigerator cars) carrying food.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, everything changed in Russia. On January 3, 1993, the START-2 treaty was signed in Moscow, according to which the Russian Federation must destroy part of its missile potential, including RT-23U missiles, therefore, by 2005, according to the official version, all BZHRKs are removed from combat duty and destroyed, and a few survivors are sent to storage for further disposal.

The complex was officially on combat duty in the Soviet Union for about 20 years, until 2005.

US attempts to create a ghost train

The United States also made attempts to create missile systems on a railway platform. Their development began in the 1960s, since around the same time, Pentagon scientists first created the Minuteman solid-fuel ballistic missile, which, according to its technical parameters, could be launched from small sites and in railway shaking conditions. The development was given the name "Minitman Rail Garrison".

It was originally planned that the ghost train filled with missiles would run to predetermined positions, for which work would be carried out at the indicated locations to create conditions in order to simplify the launch and adjust the missile's navigation system to the specified launch points.


The first mobile Minuteman missiles on a railway platform were to enter the US Army by mid-1962. But the American administration did not allocate the necessary amount to prepare the infrastructure and launch the production of prototypes, and the program was shelved. And the created transport wagons were used to deliver the "Minitman" to the place of combat deployment - launch mines.

However, after the success of the Soviet Union in the development of similar projects, the United States remembered the technology that had been gathering dust since the 60s and in 1986 created a new project using old developments. For the prototype, the then-existing LGM-118A "Peacekeeper" missile was chosen. It was planned that its traction would be provided by four-axle diesel locomotives, and each train would be provided with two security cars. 2 wagons will be allocated to the launcher with an already loaded missile in the launch container, another one will have a control center, and the rest of the wagons will take fuel and parts for current repairs.

But "Peacekeeper Rail Garrison" was never destined to get on the rails. After the official end of the Cold War, the US authorities abandoned the development of missile systems on a railway platform and redirected cash flows to other military industry projects.

In the United States, the rail-based missile system was never put into operation - its history ended after unsuccessful tests in 1989.

New railway missile complex of the Russian Federation

At present, for various reasons, not one of the armies of the world is armed with railway launchers. The Russian Federation is the only one that has been working on the creation of this type of weapon since 2012, and by now has developed preliminary projects for a railway launcher that meets all modern requirements for strategic weapons.

It is known that the design name of the new BZHRK is "Barguzin". The project documentation indicates that the Barguzin will be assembled from two main parts: a railway launcher and a combat missile.

The railway launcher will be located on a railway platform, to which a special beam with a lifting boom and a control mechanism is attached. A lifting frame is attached to the railway boom with the possibility of longitudinal movement. TPK (torpedo hull perforator) with a rocket will be supported by supports that are mounted on base plates and equipped with swivel rods.

The rocket is brought to the launch from the TPK, commands to which are given from a special car as part of the BZHRK with control systems brought to it. When the rocket is launched, the roof of the car opens (folds back), due to which the distance necessary for the launch is formed.

Comparative characteristics

Parameter BZHRK "Barguzin" BZHRK "Molodets"
Date of adoption 2009 1989
Rocket length, m 22,7 22,6
Starting weight, t 47,1 104,5
Maximum range, km 11000 10 100
Number and power of warheads, Mt 3-4 X 0.15; 3-4 X 0.3 10×0.55
Number of locomotives 1 3
Number of missiles 6 3
Autonomy, days 28 28

Advantages of the new BZHRK:

  1. Less train weight
  2. Modern navigation systems
  3. Greater missile hit accuracy

rockets

At the stage of development of project documentation, the developers and the command had a choice - which of the modern missiles in service with the Russian army to use as a projectile on the BZHRK "Barguzin". After numerous discussions, the Yars and Yars-M missiles were chosen. This missile is a silo-based and mobile-based solid-propellant ballistic missile with a separable warhead, the maximum flight range of which is 11,000 kilometers, and the charge capacity in TNT equivalent is from 150 to 300 kilograms. The specified ballistic missile proved to be excellent during preliminary tests.

Does BZHRK exist now?

After the signing of the START-2 international treaty in January 1993, Russia lost its combat railroad missile systems. Now most of them have been destroyed, and the rest have turned into exhibits standing on the sidings of the railway depots. Therefore, in fact, until 2006, our state was left without a strike force to strike back with colossal mobile capabilities. But in 2002, Russia refused to ratify the START-2 treaty, which meant the possibility of restoring the ballistic missile potential.

As mentioned above, not one of the world powers currently has a single BZHRK worker in combat service. The only country that is taking steps to create a BZHRK is Russia, and several stages have already passed in the process of creating the complex.

Current situation

In 2006, instead of the BZHRK, the troops began to receive Topol-M mobile ground-based missile systems armed with Yars missiles. Currently, the Russian army is armed with more than a hundred Topol-M combat complexes, which can partially fill the gap left after the decommissioning of the BZHRK.

The current situation gives reason for optimism - we all hope that by 2020 the BZHRK "Barguzin" will enter mass production, which will equip our army.

Experimental design work (R&D) on the Barguzin project was started by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering in 2012. The completion of the R&D is planned for 2020, and funds for their implementation are already being allocated. In 2014, the preliminary design of the complex was completed, and by the beginning of 2015, the designers began the first stage of experimental design work to create a railway launcher. The development of design documentation has been in full swing since 2015. The timing of the creation of individual elements of the Barguzin, its collection and preliminary tests will be known by 2018. The start of the deployment of the complex and its entry into the army is planned for 2020.

Combat railway complex with missiles "Yars"

According to a number of media reports, the development of combat railway complexes (BZHRK) of a new generation in Russia has been discontinued and the topic is closed for the near future. At the same time, they refer to only one source - Rossiyskaya Gazeta, which was informed by a certain source from the military-industrial complex. That is, apart from data from an unnamed source, at the moment there is no real information about the termination of work on the Barguzin complex. Note that the Russian Ministry of Defense does not comment on this issue.

But not so long ago, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, citing an incomprehensible source, reported that Samara, Kazan and Nizhny Novgorod were under threat. As a result, referring to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, numerous regional media began to advise the residents of Kazan, Samara and Nizhny Novgorod to prepare for a terrible and painful death ...

Bad story. To somehow more trusted by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.Let me remind you that a year ago, in December 2016, the Ministry of Defense announced that the throw tests of an intercontinental ballistic missile for a combat railway missile system (BZHRK) were successful. According to the official report, the launch was carried out not by the Yars missile itself, but, as it was clarified, by its small-sized model. Thesetests were a stage before the start of more serious work on the creation of the complex. They had to confirm that the chosen type of rocket could exit the launcher located on the railway platform without any problems.

What happened over the past year?Is Russia really phasing out the deployment of “nuclear trains”?

Unlikely. Most likely, the combat railway complex with Yars missiles is switching to, so to speak, underground tunnel level . The one that has long gone, for example, the development of laser weapons.

So there is every reason to think in this direction ...

Why does Russia need BZHRK?

Does Russia need “nuclear trains”? Oh sure.

Their creation in the USSR became a necessary measure after submarine missile carriers became the basis of the nuclear missile triad in the USA.It turned out to be impossible to deliver a preemptive strike on submarines, because. in the ocean expanses they are elusive, but they themselves could come close to our coastline, hold the main territory of the country at gunpoint. The USSR could not answer with parity.

Over the past decades, NATO countries have managed to cover the seas and oceans with a network of sonar stations that track the movements of our submarines. Of course, Soviet submariners resorted to various tricks... Sometimes our nuclear submarines with nuclear missiles unexpectedly appeared where they were not expected at all. However, this did not solve the problem of global secrecy.

The basis of the Soviet Strategic Missile Forces were silo launchers. It is clear that they have become a priority target for strategic missiles of NATO countries. Meanwhile, the world's longest railway network allowed the USSR to create really secretive mobile nuclear missile systems . Outwardly, especially from above, the BZHRK was no different from refrigerated cars. True, two diesel locomotives pulled such a train - after all, many trains pull two locomotives ... In general, it turned out to be very difficult to identify them by means of space intelligence.

Combat missile trains were easily lost in the vast expanses, could go into numerous underground tunnels - unused or for special military purposes. So, only along the railway line from Asha to Zlatoust (Southern Urals) there are more than 40 tunnels and underground adits that allow you to hide any train from observations from space ... If necessary, the train could be pulled out of the tunnel and prepared for firing in 3-5 minutes . If the signal for a missile launch caught the train on the way, it urgently slowed down, supports were extended at the cars, the wires of the railway contact network were moved apart and a volley was fired!

The BZHRK railway workers received the letter “train number zero”. rocket trains "Well done", each of which included three intercontinental ballistic missiles, have been in service since 1987. Each missile carried 10 warheads. They had a unique accuracy of hitting the target, for which they received the name in the West scalpel .

By 1991, 3 missile divisions were deployed, 4 trains each. They were stationed in the Kostroma region, Krasnoyarsk and Perm regions.

In accordance with the START-2 Treaty, Russia by 2007 had disposed of all BZHRKs, except for two. Although many experts argued that START-2 did not require this at all. Of course, the destruction of complexes that had no analogues in the world did not cause delight among the military. But wisdom was confirmed: there is no evil without good. The missiles were designed and produced in Ukraine, in Dnepropetrovsk. So, if, under pressure from the United States, Russia had not eliminated its BZHRK, their maintenance and life extension under the current conditions would have become impossible.

New generation BZHRK "Barguzin"

Work on the BZHRK called "Barguzin" in Russia began in 2012, when it became finally clear that the West considers our country as the main enemy. NATO moved to the East, they began to deploy missile defense systems in Europe, and Bulava missiles for new generation strategic submarines at that time did not live up to expectations - during a salvo launch, only the first one hit the target, the rest either self-destructed or flew into "milk". Specialists later figured out what was the matter, and at the moment the problem is solved, but in 2012 the situation was unclear. It was this that intensified work on nuclear missile trains.

By 2016, according to the Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces Sergey Karakaev, the design of a new BZHRK under the code name "Barguzin" was completed. According to Karakaev, the Barguzin will significantly outperform its predecessor in terms of accuracy, missile range and other characteristics, which will allow it to be part of the Strategic Missile Forces until at least 2040. At the end of 2017, according to him, the Supreme Commander of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin should be presented with a report on the prospects for the deployment of a new generation of BZHRK.

The development of the BZHRK was carried out by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, where Topol, Yars and Bulava were created. One must think that the conclusions from the failures in the creation of a sea-based missile were drawn there. The main thing is that rockets have become lighter. This made it possible to remove unmasking signs - reinforced wheelsets and two pulling diesel locomotives. Perhaps the total number of missiles on one train has increased. In fact, the BZHRK became a land strategic boat put on rails. The train can be completely autonomous for a month. All wagons are hermetically sealed, protected from small arms and damaging factors of an atomic explosion.

As previously reported, the Barguzin railway missile system will be equipped with the Yars RS-24 ICBM. The timing of the adoption of the complex into service was named.

“We have a modern rocket that is small enough to fit in an ordinary car of a letter train, and at the same time has powerful combat equipment. Therefore, for the time being, it is not planned to create other missiles for the Barguzin, ”

– said a source from the military-industrial complex. He noted that the main thing now is to create a railway complex on a new technological basis in three or four years and successfully test it with Yars.

According to the source, the first Barguzin can be put on combat duty in early 2018. “If everything goes according to schedule, then with proper funding, the Barguzin can be put into service at the turn of 2019-2020,” the source added. Earlier, another source said that one composition of the combat railway missile system (BZHRK) "Barguzin" will be able to carry six intercontinental ballistic missiles and will be equated to a regiment.

Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel-General Sergei Karakaev spoke about various aspects of the work and development of a kind of troops, and also touched on the topic of promising projects.

The strategic "train number 0" should become really invisible to technical intelligence

BZHRK "Barguzin" should combine the most advanced achievements of domestic science and technology. S. Karakaev noted that the Barguzin complex will embody the positive experience in the development and operation of the previous system of this class - the BZHRK 15P961 Molodets. The creation of a new railway missile system will make it possible to fully restore the composition of the strike group of strategic missile forces. Thus, the latter will include mine, ground and railway missile systems.

The development of the Barguzin project is being carried out by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering (MIT) and in Udmurtia, where the production of a missile system is planned. Over the past decades, this organization has created several types of missile systems for various purposes. Thus, the Strategic Missile Forces operate the Topol, Topol-M and Yars missiles developed at MIT, and the latest Project 955 Borey submarines carry Bulava missiles.

BZHRK "Barguzin" in its characteristics will surpass the system "Molodets", however, it will be very similar to the base one. The commander-in-chief of the Strategic Missile Forces noted that the launch weight of the new missile should not exceed 47 tons, and the dimensions should correspond to the dimensions of standard railway cars. The relatively low weight of the rocket is an important feature of the new BZHRK, which distinguishes it from the Molodets and gives it an advantage over it. The 15Zh62 missiles weighed more than 100 tons, which is why the car with the launcher was equipped with special equipment to distribute the load on neighboring cars.

This design of the units of the complex made it possible to bring the load on the track to acceptable values. The use of a much lighter rocket will make it possible to do without complex systems connecting the cars and redistributing the load. In general architecture and appearance, the new Barguzin BZHRK will be very similar to the Molodets complex. Due to the need for camouflage, the missile system should look like an ordinary train with passenger and freight cars, inside which all the necessary equipment will be placed.

The Barguzin missile system should include several locomotives, several wagons to accommodate the crew and special equipment, as well as special wagons with missile launchers.

The launchers of the BZHRK Molodets were disguised as refrigerator cars. Probably, "Barguzin" will receive similar units. Asthe main element of the complex - a rocket - is being developed on the basis of the Yars product; in terms of its capabilities, the railway complex will be approximately equal to the unpaved Yars. The well-known characteristics of the RS-24 Yars missile allow us to roughly imagine what the BZHRK Barguzin missile will be like.

The Yars product has three stages, the total length is about 23 m. The starting weight is 45-49 tons. The maximum launch range reaches 11 thousand km.

Detailed information about combat equipment is missing. According to various sources, the RS-24 missile carries a multiple reentry vehicle with 3-4 individually targetable warheads. The Yars missile can be used with both silo and mobile launchers. Like existing mobile ground-based missile systems, rail systems are highly mobile. However, the use of the existing railway network provides them with much greater strategic mobility, since the missile train can be deployed to any area if necessary.Given the size of the country, this possibility increases the already considerable range of missiles.

So will there be a rocket train? Firstly, it already exists and various modifications have been tested. Secondly, if the train is created invisible, then this should be done secretly - then everything will work out. After all, that's how it used to be...

2019-09-02T10:43:05+05:00 Alex Zarubin Analysis - forecast Defense of the FatherlandPeople, facts, opinionsanalysis, army, videoconferencing, armed forces, defense, RussiaMissile train "Barguzin" Combat railway complex with missiles "Yars" According to a number of media reports, the development of combat railway complexes (BZHRK) of a new generation in Russia has been stopped and the topic is closed for the near future. At the same time, they refer to only one source - Rossiyskaya Gazeta, which was informed by a certain source from the military-industrial complex. So besides data...Alex Zarubin Alex Zarubin [email protected] Author In the middle of Russia