Combat railway missile system from Molodets to Barguzin. The greatness of the former power

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

Previously, he reported that in the first half of 2014, the development of the preliminary design of the BZHRK will be completed. This development is being carried out, among other things, as a response to the instant global impact USA, which assumes the ability to hit 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 missile, can be equated to a division with stationary silo complexes. We, preliminary 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 completing the development of the BZHRK has not been made; preliminary design is underway. “Of course, many generations of rocket scientists regret that such a complex does not exist today. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief asked me about this, I reported to him that I am for the BZHRK,” the general added.

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

Flight testing of a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile with the working title 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, it was reported 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 spaceport along the Kura training ground at a distance of more than 5.6 thousand kilometers.

“The rocket completed the task, conditional combat unit landed on the Kamchatka Peninsula, and today further work is underway to develop (the rocket) and conduct those tests that would confirm everything performance characteristics"- said Karakaev.

“After this work, which is planned to be completed in 2014, the state commission will give an opinion on the acceptance of the complex for operation. When successful work, from 2015 we plan to put this complex on combat duty,” said the commander.

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-fuel 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 fact that we need to reduce the size (of missile systems). If we are talking about the mobile ground "Yars", then today our launcher weighs more than 120 tons. With this advanced rocket we will achieve weight characteristics up to 80 tons, it will be lighter,” the commander emphasized.

There was also 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 disguised in a 24-meter-long refrigerator car. The length of the rocket itself will be 22.5 meters. Externally, the “refrigerated car” will not differ from a regular car; there will be no need to increase the number of axes. The new “nuclear train” will be able to travel along any route, and not along a special one with reinforced tracks.

The development of a new combat railway missile system is being carried out as a response to the US instant 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 spoke about the need to develop a military-technical response to the American “lightning strike” strategy.

Now let’s remember the history of this type of weapon:

Who, and in whose brilliant mind, 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 were persuaded to create a railway missile system, who decided, with the help of disinformation, to force the USSR to spend money on a very expensive and pointless project. They provoked Moscow with disinformation that they were allegedly 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 received German project documentation, which contained data on German projects that were not completed 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 structure.

It was impossible to fit that rocket in a belt into the largest railway car - a refrigerated one. Since the rockets were bulky, and they had to be quickly refueled 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 the retaliatory strike group.

Despite the fact that the USSR had to put in a lot of effort 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 the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in 1979, who was entrusted with the creation of the RT-23 UTTH ballistic solid-propellant missile, named “Molodets”. Maximum range flight - 10,000 km, ballistic trajectory altitude - 800 km. The warhead contained 10 individually targeted combat units with a capacity of 550 kilotons each. Hit accuracy - 200m. The BZHRK carried 3 missiles, hence the total number of 30 nuclear warheads.

The first test launches of the experimental version of the RT-23U took place at the Plesetsk test site in 1984. In 1985, direct testing of missiles intended for the railway complex began. 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-23UTTH (15Zh61) rocket were carried out in 1985-1987 at the Plesetsk cosmodrome (NIIP-53, Mirny), a total of 32 launches were made.

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 NIIP-53 was tested for the impact of a shock wave (“Shift”). Two launchers and a command post were tested. The test objects were located: one (the launcher with the rocket's electrical layout loaded into it, as well as the control gear) - at a distance of 850m from the center of the explosion, the other (the second launcher) - at a distance of 450m with the end facing the center of the explosion. 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-23UTTH missile went on combat duty in October 1987, and by mid-1988 5 regiments were deployed (a total of 15 launchers, 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 went on combat duty, the trains were dispersed.

When moving along the country's railway network, 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, BZHRKs have been on combat duty at the base, without traveling to the country’s railway network.

By 1991, three missile divisions armed with BZHRK and RT-23UTTH 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 1,500 km from the BZHRK bases, joint measures with the Russian Ministry of Railways were carried out to modernize the railway track: heavier rails were laid, wooden sleepers were replaced with reinforced concrete ones, embankments were strengthened with denser crushed stone.

Since 1991, by agreement with the United States, BZHRKs have been on combat duty at the base, without traveling to the country’s railway network.

According to the START-2 treaty in 1993, Russia was supposed to remove from service and destroy all RT-23UTTH 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. To dispose of “rocket trains”, a special “cutting” line was installed at the Bryansk repair plant of the Strategic Missile Forces. 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 Warsaw station in St. Petersburg, and another one installed in the AvtoVAZ Technical Museum.

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

Device

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

The BZHRK includes: three diesel locomotives DM62, a command post consisting of 7 cars, a tank car with reserves of fuel 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 regular refrigerator, only it has eight wheel pairs. The remaining cars have four wheel pairs; these cars house the command post, systems that ensure combat readiness and missile launching. The launch car was equipped with a sliding roof and a special device that moved the contact network to the side. Before launch, the rocket assumes a vertical position.

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

The rocket has an original folding fairing of the head section. This solution was used to reduce the length of the rocket and place it in the carriage. The length of the rocket is 22.6 m.

The 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 to the side, and the launch container assumes a vertical position. After this, a mortar launch of the 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. Deflection of the rocket made it possible to divert the propulsion engine jet away from the launch complex and the railway track and avoid their damage.

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

Advantages and disadvantages

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

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

1. The impossibility of completely camouflaging the train due to the unusual configuration (in particular, three diesel locomotives), which, perhaps, makes it possible to accurately determine the location of the complex using modern satellite reconnaissance tools.
2. Low security of the complex (unlike, for example, mines), which can be overturned or destroyed by a nuclear explosion in the surrounding area.
3. Wear and tear of the railway tracks along which the heavy RT-23UTTKh complex moved.

Supporters 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 km).

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

Performance characteristics

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

During the development of the combat railway complex (BZHRK), the Americans were faced with a number of technical and organizational problems, but here the Soviet leadership unexpectedly helped them, agreeing to the signing in July 1991 of the START-1 treaty on the reduction of offensive weapons, according to which the number of Soviet heavy ICBMs was significantly reduced, and the already deployed Soviet BZHRKs ceased combat duty on the country’s highways, standing on stationary duty at bases. After this, work on promising strategic missile systems The USA (“Peacekeeper Rail Garrison” and “Midgetman”) sharply slowed down, 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 standard locomotives, two launch cars with MX missiles, a car (command post) with means combat control and communications, a power supply system 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 railway network. Its length was almost 30 m, weight - about 180 tons.

The container with the rocket was lifted into the launch position by a special lifting mechanism. In order to reduce the load on the rails, the launch car had eight wheel pairs. Reducing shock and vibration loads was achieved through air and spring shock absorbers. Testing and starting equipment was located in a separate section. The combat control and communications carriage also contained equipment for various technical systems.

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

At the beginning of 1991, the US military-political leadership unexpectedly announced that comprehensive 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 secrecy 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, reconnaissance and terrorist groups. Significant expenses were required to strengthen railway tracks and build various infrastructure facilities. A negative attitude of the population towards the movement of nuclear missile weapons across state territories and potential threats of damage was revealed environment. 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 basis had been created to ensure the deployment of the BZHRK. But an analysis of information materials of those years allows us to conclude that the production of even prototype the American BZHRK and its full-scale testing were far from completed.

Thus, 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 visible solution to the problem of diverting the jet stream from the launch car when starting the missile's propulsion engine after it is ejected from the container. It was noted that the MX rocket was developed for a silo-based version, was not subject to modifications and did not have rocket tilt engines after launch. This could lead to a fire and damage to the launch car and the railway section of the track. Determination of the composition, appearance and requirements for the facilities of the permanent bases of the BZHRK and railway infrastructure was stopped at the preliminary design stage. 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 systems for navigation support for BZHRK and missile aiming in preparation for launches from any suitable sections of railways. There were no comprehensive resource and transport tests of the BZHRK with the MX missile with deployment to railways and testing of combat training missions.

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

It is not surprising that Washington’s main efforts were aimed at limiting the functioning and subsequent elimination of domestic BZHRKs. To this end, the Americans achieved the inclusion in the texts of the START Treaty and its annexes of unilateral restrictive and liquidation articles and procedures, the implementation of which led to the destruction of our combat railway missile systems, although the Pentagon did not plan to deploy its own similar group. This is confirmed by the following. Thus, according to clause 10 b) of Article III of the Treaty, the American side existing types The ICBM for mobile launchers stated the MX missile (the performance characteristics for the railway version of the missile were not specified), noting that the mobile version of the missile has not been deployed.

In accordance with section II, paragraph b) and Appendix A of the “Memorandum of Understanding on establishing baseline data in connection with the Treaty between the USSR and the USA on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms,” the Americans presented: the number of BZHRK missiles and warheads – 0; their throw weight is 0; non-deployed mobile launchers – prototype only; test launcher – 1; fixed structure for mobile launchers – no; transport and reloading facilities – 1; undeployed MX missile at test site - 1. No photographs of the launch car and other equipment were presented in accordance with Appendix J (as a mutual exchange).

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 of starting to retrofit the previously mentioned air bases in the interests of deploying their BZHRK. Obviously, they did not want to invest funds while waiting for the signing of the START Treaty.

And another photo of our complex:

Look at and why The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

Wikipedia BZHRK "Molodets"

A military expert and Chief Editor magazine "National Defense" Igor Korotchenko. According to him, a logical step against the backdrop of cooling relations between the United States and Russia would be the implementation of two programs: the creation of an updated BZHRK, as well as a new medium-range ground launch complex. Korotchenko noted that these are extreme response measures, but preparation for them is necessary in advance. In addition to them, the most likely option for strengthening the country’s defense capability would be to modernize and strengthen aerospace defense on its western borders.

Missile-carrying trains were already in service with the USSR and Russia from 1987 to 2005. The complex, codenamed “Molodets” (“Scalpel” according to NATO classification), was armed with three launchers for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) RT-23. At a distance of 11 thousand kilometers, it was capable of throwing ten warheads with a capacity of up to 550 kilotons of TNT. The train consisted of three diesel locomotives and at least eleven cars, three of which (launchers) were eight-axle. Heavy weight missiles in a launch container (more than 126 tons) forced the designers to use special devices to partially transfer the load to adjacent cars. Despite this, the train still required strengthening of the railway track along the entire route. The launch took place after stopping and releasing the supports; preparation took no more than three minutes. After the end of the missiles' service life, all built complexes were either sent to a museum or cut into scrap metal. The developer and manufacturer of both the RT-32 missile and the launch complex equipment is the Ukrainian Yuzhnoye Design Bureau.

Peacekeeper Rail Garrison as imagined by an artist

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

BZHRK on the patrol route / Photo: Press service of the Strategic Missile Forces

In 2020, the Russian armed forces will receive a new generation of trains with ballistic missile launchers. The Barguzin combat missile system will be armed with six RS-24 Yars missiles against the three Scalpel ICBMs of its predecessor, the Molodets BZHRK.

It will be impossible to detect the train - in addition to modern means of camouflage, it will be equipped with systems electronic warfare and other devices that increase stealth. The divisional set of the BZHRK will consist of five trains, each of which will be equivalent to a regiment.

Former Chief of the Main Staff of the Strategic Missile Forces Viktor Esin / Photo: Press service of the Strategic Missile Forces

Previously, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Colonel General Sergei Karakaev, spoke about the adoption of the Barguzin into service in 2019, but the timing of work on creating the train has been delayed by a year due to the difficult financial situation. The preliminary design of the BZHRK has been created, and design documentation is being developed. In 2017, Vladimir Putin will be presented with a detailed report on the topic and a plan for the deployment of missile trains.

The Barguzin BZHRK will be armed with six RS-24 Yars missiles against the three Scalpel ICBMs of its predecessor, the Molodets BZHRK / Image: oko-planet.su

Sergey Karakaev / Photo: Press service of the Strategic Missile Forces

Elusive "Well done"

According to legend, the idea of ​​using trains to launch ballistic missiles was given to the Soviet Union by the Americans. After the creation of railway missile systems in the United States was considered an expensive, difficult and impractical project, the CIA proposed disinformation Soviet intelligence: they say, such trains are being created in America - and let the Russians pump billions into utopia.

The operation was carried out, but its result was unexpected - the Soviet Union created the Molodets missile trains, which immediately became a headache for the Pentagon. To track them, a constellation of satellites was put into orbit, and in the late 80s - when the BZHRKs had already started their routes - a container with tracking equipment was sent from Vladivostok to Sweden by rail under the guise of commercial cargo. Soviet counterintelligence officers quickly “figured out” the container and removed it from the train. American General Colin Powell once admitted to the creator of the BZHRK, academician Alexei Utkin: “Looking for your missile trains is like a needle in a haystack.”

Photo: vk.com

Indeed, the BZHRKs that went on combat duty instantly disappeared among the thousands of trains traveling along the extensive railway network Soviet Union. Externally, "Molodets" was disguised as an ordinary mixed train: passenger cars, mail cars, silver refrigerators.

True, some cars had not four pairs of wheels, but eight - but you can’t count them from a satellite. The BZHRK was driven by three diesel locomotives. To make this less obvious, in the late 1980s large freight trains began to be driven by three-section locomotives. By 1994, there were 12 BZHRKs in service with three missiles each.

Collapsible rocket

During the creation of “Well done,” a lot of difficult problems had to be solved. The length of the car with the launcher should not exceed 24 meters - otherwise it will not fit into the railway infrastructure. The USSR did not make such short ballistic missiles. The most compact ICBM weighs over 100 tons. How to prevent a train with three launchers from crushing the railway tracks? How to save a train from the hellfire of a launching rocket? There is a contact network above the rails - how to bypass it? And these are not all the questions that arose for the designers.

The creation of the BZHRK was carried out by the famous academic brothers Alexey and Vladimir Utkin. The first one made a train, the second one made a rocket for it. For the first time in the USSR, ICBMs were made solid fuel, with a multiple warhead. The RT-23 (according to NATO classification SS-24 Scalpel) consisted of three stages and threw 10 thermonuclear warheads with a yield of 500 kilotons over 11 thousand kilometers. In order for the Scalpel to fit in a railway carriage, the nozzles and fairing were made retractable.

Retractable rocket nozzles / Photo: vk.com

The rocket's launch was a mortar launch: a powder charge ejected the Scalpel from the launch container to a height of 20 meters, a correction charge diverted the nozzles away from the train, the first stage engine turned on, and with a smoke trail characteristic of solid-propellant missiles, the SS-24 went into the sky. Invisible and invulnerable By 1991, three missile divisions with 12 BZHRKs were deployed: in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Kostroma and Perm regions. Within a radius of 1,500 kilometers from the locations of the connections, the railway track was modernized: wooden sleepers were replaced with reinforced concrete ones, heavy rails were laid, embankments were reinforced with denser crushed stone.

When not on combat duty, the BZHRKs were in shelter. Then they moved to a certain point on the railway network and divided into three. The locomotives took the launchers to the launch sites - usually they were located around the point in a triangle. Each train included a fuel tank (also disguised as a refrigerator) and a pipeline system that allowed the locomotives to be refueled while on the move. There were also sleeping cars for crews, supplies of water and food. The autonomy of the rocket train was 28 days.

Having worked out the launch of missiles at one point, the train was sent to the next - there were more than 200 of them in the Soviet Union. In a day, the BZHRK could travel over a thousand kilometers. For reasons of secrecy, routes were laid past large stations, and if it was absolutely impossible to avoid them, rocket trains passed them without stops and at dawn, when there were fewer people. The railway workers called the BZHRK “train number zero.”

Since the rocket train was planned as a retaliatory strike weapon, in 1991 the “Shine” experiments were conducted - on the effects of electromagnetic radiation - and “Shift”. The latter imitated nuclear explosion kiloton power. At the training ground in Plesetsk, 650 meters from the BZHRK, 100 thousand anti-tank mines, taken from warehouses in eastern Germany and laid in a 20-meter pyramid, were detonated. At the site of the explosion, a crater with a diameter of 80 meters was formed, the sound pressure level in the habitable compartments of the BZHRK reached the pain threshold (150 decibels). One of the launchers showed removal from readiness, but after rebooting the onboard computing complex launched a rocket.

MOSCOW. August 28 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. Thirty years ago, the Soviet Union completed a testing program for a unique strategic weapon - the RT-23 UTTH "Molodets" combat railway missile system (CRMS), known in the West under the name "Scalpel". This train, capable of unleashing three intercontinental ballistic missiles on a potential enemy, “rewarded” the heads of Western intelligence services with an ongoing headache. Considering the enormous length of the USSR railways and the number of trains plying on them, it was impossible to detect a launcher disguised as an ordinary carriage among them.

By the time the USSR collapsed, our country had three missile divisions - 12 trains with 36 launchers. However, in 1993, Russia agreed to sign the START II Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which provided for the disposal of all RT-23 missiles. Between 2003 and 2007, all "Molodtsy" were disposed of, except for two, which were left as museum exhibits. Then it seemed that there was no need for them. The BZHRK was remembered again in the current decade, when relations between Russia and the West began to deteriorate sharply. In December 2013, information appeared in the press about the revival of these complexes in Russia on a new technological basis. And in July 2017, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin announced that Russia is ready to create new BZHRKs under the Barguzin project.

Composition with a "surprise"

The BZHRK is a mobile railway-based strategic missile system, externally indistinguishable from an ordinary freight train. Its carriages are equipped with fully equipped ICBMs, command posts, technological and technical systems, communications equipment and personnel - missile officers. In case of threat nuclear war BZHRKs go out on patrol routes and merge with the flow of other trains. If an order comes from “from above” combat use, the train stops and prepares to attack. The doors on the roofs of three cars move apart, and mechanisms hidden inside bring the missile launch containers into a vertical position. Another couple of minutes - and three missiles are launched from a mortar towards the aggressor, carrying a total of 30 individually targeted warheads with a capacity of 550 kilotons each.

In the USSR, the development of the BZHRK was carried out by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau. The chief designers were academicians Vladimir and Alexey Utkin. The brothers faced a non-trivial task: to “shove” a rocket with a launcher with a total weight of more than 150 tons into an ordinary railway car. At the same time, the BZHRK was supposed to accelerate on rails to 120 kilometers per hour. This issue was resolved by creating reinforced carriage bogies and special unloading devices for the complex, which redistributed part of the weight to neighboring carriages. The BZHRK was able to move along the tracks without the risk of “breaking” them. Ultimately, "Molodets" looked like an ordinary train of refrigerated, mail, luggage and passenger cars. Fourteen cars had eight wheel pairs, and three had four. Thanks to all the necessary reserves, the BZHRK could operate autonomously for up to 28 days.

Flight tests of the missiles of the complex were carried out in 1985-1987 at the Plesetsk cosmodrome, in total there were 32 launches and 18 exits of the BZHRK to the country's railways. As part of trial operation, they covered more than 400 thousand kilometers across all climatic zones countries - from tundra to deserts. All this time, the existence of the complexes remained a secret to Western intelligence services. The BZHRKs were properly camouflaged. The only unmasking factor was the unusual configuration of the train - it was pulled by three diesel locomotives at once. Nevertheless, there were cases when even experienced railway workers could not understand point-blank what was “wrong” with this train.
The Molodets was officially adopted into service in 1989. By that time, five missile regiments had already been deployed - four in the Kostroma region and one in the Perm region.

In the 2000s, BZHRK, in accordance with international agreements, began to be disposed of. The command of the Strategic Missile Forces decided to rely on the Topol-M mobile ground-based missile systems (PGRS) as the basis of the mobile component of the nuclear deterrent forces. However, over time, it became clear that PGRK, although difficult to track, is still easier than BZHRK, which can “get lost in the crowd.” And in 2012, the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering (MIT) began work on a new strategic train.

Guaranteed answer

There is little information about the promising BZHRK in open sources, but it is known that one train will already carry six intercontinental ballistic missiles - most likely, three-stage solid fuel RS-24 Yars, also developed by MIT specialists. One such ICBM is capable of throwing from three to six warheads with a capacity of about 300 kilotons each over a distance of 12 thousand kilometers. Smaller than the RT-23 UTTH, however, the Yars weighs half as much, which simplifies its installation and transportation in a standard carriage. In addition, only one locomotive will be used for traction, which makes the operation of the complex easier and better camouflages it. It is assumed that the new BZHRK will be able to move throughout the country, covering a thousand kilometers per day.

© Ministry of Defense of the Russian FederationLoading RS-24 Yars ballistic missiles into a launcher. Personnel of the Ministry of Defense

© Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

In November 2016, successful throw tests of a rocket modification specifically for the BZHRK took place at the Plesetsk cosmodrome. It is known that one Barguzin will be equivalent to a missile regiment, and the missile division of the Strategic Missile Forces should include five missile regiments - 30 launchers. Most likely, work on the BZHRK will receive funding within the framework of the State Armament Program for 2018-2025 and may go on combat duty as early as 2020-2021.

“In the context of the US deployment of new high-precision weapons, including on American territory, our presence of BZHRK will become a trump card,” Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine, told RIA Novosti. “These complexes create a factor of uncertainty. BZHRK, along with mobile PGRK is a response to the American concept of a global disarming strike by non-nuclear means, mainly cruise missiles. This doctrine implies the destruction of the country's military-political leadership, military command centers, and silo launchers with one powerful blow. But if the enemy does not have the exact coordinates of all the launchers, this concept no longer works."

Moreover, even having completely destroyed our “nuclear triad” with a massive missile strike, the potential enemy will not be able to deprive the Strategic Missile Forces of the opportunity to launch a retaliatory strike. Many kilometers of railway tracks in Russia pass through rock tunnels, which can be used as shelter for BZHRK. And there is no guarantee that when the explosions die down, one single ghost train will not fire all its ammunition at the aggressor from somewhere in the Ural Mountains.

© Photo: provided by the press service of the Strategic Missile Forces

© Photo: provided by the press service of the Strategic Missile Forces