RT-2
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (September 2010) |
| RT-2 SS-13 Savage | |
|---|---|
_ICBM_in_Perm.jpg) | |
| Type | Intercontinental ballistic missile |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1968-1976 |
| Used by | Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 45,100 kg (99,400 lb) |
| Length | 21.5 m (71 ft) |
| Diameter | 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Engine | Three-stage solid propellant |
Operational range | 10,000 km |
Guidance system | autonomous inertial guidance |
| Accuracy | Maximum error: 4 km, CEP: 1900 m, |
Launch platform | silo-based |
The RT-2 was an intercontinental ballistic missile deployed by the Soviet Union, which was in service from December 1968[1] until 1976.[2] It was assigned the NATO reporting name SS-13 Savage and carried the GRAU index 8K98. Designed by OKB-1,[1] about 60 were built by 1972.
History
The RT-2 was the first solid-propellant ICBM in Soviet service, and was a development of the earlier RT-1 series. It was a three-stage inertially-guided missile comparable to the American Minuteman missile. It was armed with a single 600 kiloton warhead and was silo-launched, although a rail-based version was contemplated by Soviet planners. It was deployed in the Yoshkar-Ola missile field.
The Soviets used the two upper stages of the RT-2 to develop the RT-15 mobile IRBM system. The RT-2PM Topol is supposedly a modernized version of the RT-2[citation needed]
Operations
The RT-2 was capable of delivering a 540 kg (1,200 lb) class payload to a maximum operational range of approximately 10,000 km (5,500 nautical miles)[3]
Command and Control
A single launch control center (LCC) monitored numbers of launchers. The hardened and dispersed silo concept increased system survivability and provided steady environmental controls from the solid-propellant motors. Headquarters RVSN exercised normal control of the RT-2 missile force, through an intermediate RVSN Army and launch complex headquarters (HCC). A launch complex consisted of an HCC and several LCCs, monitoring numerous underground launchers.
Flight test history
Test Launches
| RT-2 Test Launches | |||||
| Date | System | Location | Range (NM) | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Feb 1966 | RT-2 Mod | Kapustin Yar | |||
General Characteristics
- Length: 20,000 mm (65.6 ft)
- Diameter: 1,700 mm (5.57 ft)
- Launch Weight: 34,000 kg (33.46 tons)
- Guidance: inertial guidance
- Propulsion: solid, three-stage
- Warhead: 600kt nuclear
- Range: 6,200 mi (10,000 km)
Operators
Soviet Union- The Strategic Rocket Forces were the only operator of the RT-2.
Photo gallery
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RT-2 coverage of United States -
RT-2 launch facility configuration -
RT-2 missile complex configuration
See also
References
- Hogg, Ian (2000). Twentieth-Century Artillery. Friedman/Fairfax Publishers. ISBN 1-58663-299-X
- S.P.Korolev RSC Energia Rocket RT-2P
External links
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