Combat railway missile system. How a rocket train works Rocket trains of a new generation barguzin

Not so long ago, trains with nuclear missiles were a formidable weapon of the Land of the Soviets and an atomic nightmare for a potential adversary. The ghost trains were tracked without much success by a special constellation of 12 American satellites. But after the collapse of the USSR, this unique weapon was hastily and carefully destroyed.

In recent years, the rearmament of the army has turned from a dream into a reality. The Ministry of Defense regularly adopts the latest models of military equipment and equipment.

Connoisseurs of the Soviet heritage are clearly intrigued by the reports of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation about the resumption of production of Combat Railway Missile Systems (BZHRK) at a new technological level.

The project was named "Barguzin", and the new BZHRK will be armed with missiles similar in design to the missiles of the Yars complexes. Earlier it was reported that the new rocket train will be created before 2018-2020.

Such a BZHRK was already in service Soviet Union in the 80s, but in accordance with the START-2 treaty missiles 15Zh61, which formed the basis of the Molodets complex, were dismantled and destroyed, and the trains themselves were scrapped.

To report that the BZHRK suddenly became relevant again is at least incorrect. The relevance was, has not gone away and will be in the future. But now the leadership of the state has enough political will to return to the railways a unique weapon that they tried, but could not create in the United States.

The history of the creation of the BZHRK

The very creation of the BZHRK was a forced measure. Nuclear trains were created as a weapon of retaliation, they were supposed to keep a potential enemy from the temptation to press the red button, and if this happened, then strike back.

In the early 70s, our intelligence obtained American plans for the creation of the BZHRK and its photographs. For the military and political leadership of the country, it was a shock: it was almost impossible to track the train moving around the country, which means it was impossible to aim your rocket at it.

It turned out that the United States was creating a strategic system against which the USSR had no antidote. But if we cannot intercept, then at least we will create a similar threat, the Central Committee of the CPSU reasoned and set such a task for the designer Vladimir Utkin, who headed the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in Dnepropetrovsk.

It took Utkin only 3 years to show the military his rocket train project.

But then it turned out that the Americans themselves do not create anything of the kind. They only planted technical misinformation by photographing a mock-up of a "rocket train" against the backdrop of nature.

The United States at first was going to make the BZHRK, but quickly changed their minds. The country's railway network is not sufficiently developed, which hindered the movement of the missile train, and a significant part of it is privately owned, which made the passage of such a train commercially unprofitable.

The Americans had an idea to make this train underground. To lay a ring highway underground and drive a train along it: no one needs to pay, and it would be impossible to find this road from a satellite.

From the practical implementation of this project was kept only by the fact that in order to launch ballistic missiles from the subway, it was necessary to make hatches in certain places. And they, as it is easy to assume, had clear coordinates, which makes the existence of an underground missile carrier meaningless. If the Russian missiles do not hit the train itself, then it will definitely not be difficult for them to tightly clog the missile vents.

The United States abandoned the construction of the BZHRK due to the high cost and technical complexity of the project, taking nuclear submarines as the basis of strategic nuclear forces. The USSR could no longer respond symmetrically.

The West managed to cover the entire world's oceans with a network of acoustic stations and track the movements of our missile-carrying submarines. Of course, Soviet submariners went to various tricks, and sometimes our nuclear submarines with nuclear missiles unexpectedly appeared where they were not expected. But this did not solve the problem of global secrecy.

Therefore, mine launchers remained the basis of our Strategic Missile Forces. Then mobile ground complexes appeared - "Pioneers" and "Topol". But due to their size and characteristic outlines, they could still be called secretive.

The idea that it would be nice to install an intercontinental missile on a railway platform arose immediately after the appearance of long-range solid-propellant missiles.

The first liquid-propellant ICBMs were very capricious in operation, required long maintenance before launch and were refueled with highly toxic fuel. Everything changed when solid-propellant rockets appeared in the ranks.

The long shelf life of such missiles made it possible to arm them with submarines, mobile soil complexes and load them into mines. Naturally, there was a temptation to create trains armed with missiles.

The Americans didn't care much. They figured that railroad-tethered missile systems would be very easy to track from space. And they miscalculated.

Outwardly, especially from above, the BZHRK practically did not differ from refrigerator cars.

True, the strategic trains were pulled by two or three diesel locomotives. So many trains are pulled by two locomotives. And the huge in length and branching of the railway network of the USSR allowed trains to get lost so that no most advanced satellite reconnaissance recorded them. The railroad BZHRK got the name "train number zero".

It was possible to launch rockets from absolutely anywhere in the railway network or from three at once, and by one train!

To do this, there were three diesel locomotives in the train, which, if necessary, could take three launch cars to three different points. After launch, the train could be quickly sheltered in one of the tunnels.

About three minutes pass from the moment the launch command is received to the launch of the rocket. Everything is done automatically, and the personnel do not even need to leave the cars.

The control came from the command module, which had increased resistance to electromagnetic pulse. Special communications antennas were also created specifically for the control car, which ensured stable reception of signals through the radio-transparent roofs of the cars.

The advantages of the Combat Railway Missile System (BZHRK) are obvious.

The train can cover considerable distances, avoiding strikes on previously known coordinates. In a day, the BZHRK train could cover a distance of over 1000 km.

Outwardly, even an experienced railway worker from 50 meters could not distinguish these cars from ordinary ones, and none of the civilians could get closer.

The rocket train passed through the busy cities only at night, at the station it was met only by a few KGB officers, who also did not know where the train was going.

Detecting such a train from a satellite is an almost impossible task.

Therefore, such trains were called "ghosts" and the BZHRK became an adequate response to the US deployment of Pershing nuclear missiles in Germany.

Each train carried three special versions of the RT-23 rocket, which received the index 15ZH61 or RT-23 UTTH Molodets. The dimensions of the rocket were amazing: a diameter of 2.4 meters, a height of 22.6 meters, and a weight of more than 100 tons. The firing range was 10,100 km, in addition to 10 individually targetable nuclear warheads, each missile carried a complex to overcome the enemy's anti-missile defense.

The total power of a volley of one train was 900 times higher than that of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Not surprisingly, the rocket train became the number one threat to NATO, where it received the designation SS-24 Scalpel (Scalpel).

Although the scalpel is an accurate surgical instrument, and the Molodets deviation from the target was about half a kilometer, with its power it was not so important.

Even falling 500 meters from the target, the scalpel warhead was capable of destroying such a protected target as a silo launcher, it’s not worth talking about the rest.

But the BZHRK, whatever one may say, has its weak points.

Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) has a very solid mass. The weight of the carriage of the Soviet BZHRK "Molodets" equipped with a rocket reached 150 tons. This imposed additional requirements on the quality of the railways and led to their premature wear.

Therefore, in order to distribute the weight evenly, a special three-car coupler was created. It also helped keep the rails from being destroyed during rocket launch, when the load increased sharply.

The second problem was the launch of the rocket itself - it was impossible to launch directly from the car, so a simple but effective solution was applied.

The rocket was launched on a mortar at 20-30 m, then, while in the air, the rocket was deflected using a powder accelerator, and only then the main engine was turned on.

The need for such complex maneuvers, which the military called the “dance”, is dictated not only by concern for the carrier car, but also the railway track: without such a launch, the rocket will easily sweep away all the rubble for a good hundred meters around.

The third problem was the need to fit the rocket in size into a refrigerated car. It was also solved simply by making a variable geometry fairing. At the moment the rocket left the transport and launch container, pressurization took place: a metal corrugated fairing took certain form under the action of a powder charge (it is also called a "powder pressure accumulator").

In addition, the old inertial navigation systems required predetermined launch coordinates, so special points had to be organized along the route of the train to launch missiles, the coordinates of which, of course, could fall into the hands of a potential enemy.

Theory, tactics and practice of using BZHRK

In theory, Soviet missile trains were supposed to disperse throughout the country during the threatened period, merging with ordinary freight and passenger trains. It is impossible to distinguish one from the other from space.

This means that the BZHRK could painlessly get away from the "disarming strike" of American ballistic missiles, and deliver its own missile salvo from any point along the route.

But that's in theory. Since taking up combat duty in 1985, the BZHRK left the territory of their bases only 18 times. Passed only 400 thousand kilometers.

Veterans of the Strategic Missile Forces recall that the main "enemies" of the BZHRK were not the Americans, who insisted on their disposal under the START-2 treaty, but their own railway authorities.

BZHRK with the inscription on the sides "For the transport of light cargo", after the first passage along the railway tracks, forced the railroad leadership, which could not stand the vandalism of the military, to immediately petition: "They say war is war, but who will pay for the repair of the road"?

There were no people willing to pay, and trains with missiles were not driven around the country, and the training of officer-drivers of rocket carriers began to be carried out on civilian trains following the proposed routes of the BZHRK.

This turned out to be not only more humane in relation to the railway workers, but also much cheaper and safer. The servicemen received the necessary skills to control the train and visual representation of the route. What was actually required, because missiles from the BZHRK can be launched from any point along the route.

The inability to use the entire territory of the country for combat patrols was also not the only problem in the operation of the BZHRK.

With the declared possibility of launching missiles from any point on the route, the rocket train still needed an accurate topographic location. To do this, along the entire route of combat patrols, the military built special "sumps", where a train arrived at the "X" hour, tied to a point and could fire a salvo of missiles.

It must be understood that these were far from “blind staging stations”, but well-guarded “strategic facilities” with an infrastructure betraying their purpose.

In addition, by the time START-2 was signed, the USSR ceased to exist. Design Bureau Yuzhnoye, where the missiles were created, ended up in Ukraine, as was the Pavlograd plant, where they made “rent cars”.

“It is impossible to extend the service life of any type of weapon indefinitely,” Viktor Yesin, the former chief of staff of the Strategic Missile Forces, expressed his opinion to the ZVEZDA TV channel. “This also applies to the BZHRK, especially considering that this unique complex was created in Ukraine.”

However, the main reasons for abandoning the complex still turned out to be the unresolved problem of deployment and the possibility of firing missiles from any point on the route, which in total made the BZHRK not as invulnerable as one would like. So, not so effective weapon.

Destroy by any means!

Since the advent of the BZHRD, the Americans and their allies have been trying to find a way to ensure their destruction.

If everything is simple with a mine installation: a rocket launch is detected from a satellite, then a stationary target is easily destroyed, then everything is complicated with nuclear trains.

Such a composition, if guided by electromagnetic radiation, moves along some radius, covering an area of ​​​​about 1-1.5 thousand km. To guarantee the destruction of the train, you need to cover the entire area with nuclear missiles, which is physically very difficult.

Held Soviet designers an experiment code-named "Shift" showed the excellent resistance of the BZHRK to the effects of an air shock wave.

For this, several railway trains with TM-57 anti-tank mines (100,000 pieces) were blown up. After the explosion, a funnel with a diameter of 80 and a depth of 10 m was formed.

A nuclear train located at some distance was covered by a shock wave, in the habitable compartments the level of acoustic pressure reached a pain threshold of 150 dB. Nevertheless, the locomotive was not seriously damaged, and after certain measures to put it on alert, a rocket launch was successfully simulated.

Missile trains "Molodets" with three intercontinental ballistic missiles RT-23 UTTH were put into service in 1987. Each carried 10 warheads. By 1991, 3 missile divisions were deployed, 4 trains each. They were stationed in the Kostroma region, Krasnoyarsk and Perm regions.

Of course, the Americans did not sit idly by. Here is a documented fact of one of the secret operations to identify Soviet missile trains. To do this, under the guise of commercial cargo from Vladivostok, containers were sent to one of the Scandinavian countries, one of which was stuffed with reconnaissance equipment. But nothing happened - the Soviet counterintelligence opened the container immediately after the train left Vladivostok.

However, after the collapse of the USSR, the situation changed radically and the Americans were able to put an end to the Soviet threat.

Boris Yeltsin, who came to power, on instructions from Washington, banned the Scalpels from going on duty, and also undertook to cut all 12 missile trains into metal.

So, under the supervision of the Americans, the "Scalpels" were destroyed.

In addition, at the direction of Yeltsin, all work on the creation of such systems was banned.

For the cutting of "rocket trains" at the Bryansk repair plant of the Strategic Missile Forces, a special "cutting" line was installed. Under vigilant American supervision, all trains and launchers were disposed of, except for two demilitarized and installed as exhibits in the museum of railway equipment at the Varshavsky railway station in St. Petersburg and in the AvtoVAZ Technical Museum.

By the way, at the same time, most of the launch silos for the most powerful R-36M missiles at that time, which in NATO received the designation SS-18 Mod.1,2,3 Satan. (Satan) were liquidated (filled with concrete).

Naturally, the destruction of complexes that had no analogues in the world did not cause delight either among the military or among experts.

But there is no evil without good! Overseas, initially they did not even imagine that they were in a hurry ...

After all, Molodets missiles were designed and produced in Ukraine, in Dnepropetrovsk, mostly at the Yuzhmash plant, which is now slowly but surely being destroyed by the Ukrainian authorities.

And if, under pressure from the United States, Russia had not liquidated its BZHRK, they would have hung on us as a heavy burden, because. maintenance and life extension in the current conditions would become impossible.

What is the current situation?

Over the years, the situation with the BZHRK has changed markedly. Today, against the backdrop of the aggravation of Russian-American relations, Moscow is ready to once again take out its "trump card", which can seriously complicate the life of Washington - to revive the program for the creation of combat railway missile systems (BZHRK).

In response to the US withdrawal from the ABM treaty, Russia withdrew from START II in 2002. Now the restrictions on multiple warheads no longer apply and there are no formal bans on the use of BZHRK.

The element base has been seriously improved. Modern navigation systems have gone far ahead and the preliminary introduction of launch coordinates is no longer required.

In fact, only the System for the emergency removal of wires from the contact network and the mortar launch of the rocket will remain from the old "Molodets", which allows minimizing damage to the train and tracks when starting the main engine.

Each Barguzin missile train will be armed with 6 RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles. This is a land version of the naval Bulava. Although these missiles carry only 4 warheads, compared to a dozen on 15Zh61, they are distinguished by significantly greater hit accuracy, and most importantly, half the weight.

When its creation began, no one could have imagined that a single missile system was being developed for the Navy and the Strategic Missile Forces. "Mace" - for the fleet, and "Yars" can be based on wheeled chassis and railway platforms.

Thank you former boss weapons of the Armed Forces, Colonel-General Anatoly Sitnov. It was he who insisted that not just a new missile for submarines be created, but a multi-purpose unified complex capable of operating both at sea and on land.

When the Americans did find out about it, it was already too late - it was not possible to close the project. But still, probably, some external forces constantly interfered with the designers, since the work on the Bulava was very difficult. Today it is not a secret.

Nevertheless, the team of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering under the leadership of the then general designer and general director Yuri Solomonov managed the almost impossible. Apparently, it was no coincidence that in the spring Yuri Semenovich was awarded the title of Hero of Labor.

What will the new Russian BZHRK look like?

In some ways, it is very similar to a strategic nuclear submarine. Only more comfortable. All train cars are airtight and very durable - even an explosion of a nuclear warhead a few hundred meters from the train should not disable the complex.

Autonomy - a month. During this time, the crew may not leave the train - there will be enough water and food. During the day, "Barguzin" will be able to pass up to 1000 km. Or he can stop on an “abandoned” branch in a dense forest or hide in an unexploited tunnel.

By the way, tactics combat use new BZHRK, most likely, will be different from the one that the "Well done" adhered to.

The missiles are brought into combat position within a few minutes. Firing range - 10 thousand km, hit accuracy - within a radius of 100 meters from the target. The warheads are maneuverable, capable of overcoming any of the existing missile defense systems.

It is almost impossible for technical reconnaissance equipment to determine the location of a missile train during its combat duty. For the BZHRK, the most modern means of camouflage, powerful electronic warfare systems and the latest methods of protection against terrorists have been developed.

The new BZHRK promises to be even more inconspicuous than the previous one. Instead of three old diesel locomotives, the train will pull one modern one. Thus, it will become even more difficult to distinguish combat personnel from ordinary commodity ones.

Also, due to the lower weight of the rockets, the requirements for the tracks are changing.

The Yars rocket weighs only about 50 tons, which is almost the same as the weight of an ordinary freight car. This reduces track wear and allows a significant part of the railway network to be used for movement.

In addition, there is no need for various tricks typical of the Soviet complex, such as unloading devices that redistribute part of the weight to neighboring cars.

But the number of missiles in one train will grow from three to six. Given the smaller number of warheads on each missile, the total charge is less. But thanks to the increased accuracy of hitting modern complex promises to be more efficient.

Conclusion

Throwing tests of a missile for the new Russian military railway missile system (BZHRK) "Barguzin" will take place this year.

And perhaps, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, based on the results of the launch in early 2017, a decision will be made to deploy full-scale work on the BZHRK project, he told reporters general designer Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering Yuri Solomonov.

“According to the BZHRK, as reported, the so-called throw tests are planned this year. They are carried out in order to verify the correctness of the adopted design decisions in terms of the impact of the rocket on the units of ground-based launch equipment. This launch is guaranteed to be carried out - it will probably be the beginning of the fourth quarter of this year. And the state of affairs today is such that it inspires absolute optimism that this will be done,” Solomonov said.

The new Russian BZHRK "Barguzin" will be exclusively of domestic production. This complex will be a cheaper and faster response to the deployment of a missile defense system by the Americans in Europe, in contrast to hypersonic missiles and fighters, work on which by 2019 will only enter the experimental stage.

The question arises, why not create an extra regiment of Yars soil complexes instead of the rather expensive BZHRK? Still, the Russian economy is not in the best condition, why overload it.

It would seem, yes, but the most complex and expensive device in the BZHRK is missiles, and they will have to be produced regardless of the type of deployment chosen.

In addition, the unpaved complex, although mobile, has a range of tens of kilometers from the place of permanent deployment, and the BZHRK can cover up to 1000 km per day, which, with an autonomy of 28 days, allows you to safely get lost in the vastness of our country.

Well, the most important thing is the course towards import substitution.

If the production of missiles has long moved from Ukraine to Russia, then even by the name of the wheel tractors for the Yars: MZKT-79221, it is clear that they are produced at the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant.

There are no quality claims against Belarus, but Russia's domestic policy is aimed at full import substitution in the military sphere. And from this point of view, the BZHRK looks preferable.

Of course, when reviving the BZHRK, all the latest developments in the field of combat missiles will be taken into account. The Barguzin complex will significantly surpass its predecessor in accuracy, missile range and other characteristics, which will allow long years, at least until 2040, this complex is located in combat strength Strategic Missile Forces, ”says commander of the Strategic Missile Forces S. N. Karakaev.

Thus, in the Strategic Missile Forces a grouping will be recreated based on three types of missile systems - mine, mobile ground and railway, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces concluded.

Well, God bless!

Boris Skupov

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, only one source is referred to - " Russian newspaper”, which was informed by a certain source from the military-industrial complex. That is, in addition to data from an unnamed source, on this moment there is no real information about the termination of work on the Barguzin complex. Note that the Russian Ministry of Defense this question does not comment at all.

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 winding down its deployment? 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 network railways 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, identify them by means space intelligence turned out to be very difficult.

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 space observations ... 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. Possibly increased total number missiles on the same train. In fact, the BZHRK became a land strategic boat put on rails. The train can be completely autonomous for a month. All wagons are sealed, protected from small arms and damaging factors 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 allow to fully restore the composition of the strike force missile troops strategic purpose. 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. Per recent 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 starting weight new rocket must not exceed 47 tons, and the dimensions must 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 BZHRK "Barguzin" will be very similar to the complex "Molodets". 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. Becausethe 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 mine 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

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 systems maintenance, 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 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 worked on the creation of the complex Russian Academy Sciences, headed by brothers Alexei and Vladimir Utkin. 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, in its own way, technical parameters could be launched from small sites and in conditions of railway shaking. 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

Currently on different reasons none of the world's armies are armed with railway launchers. Russian Federation 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 modern missiles, which are 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.

In connection with the destruction of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the structure of strategic weapons both here and in the US. With a high degree of probability, it can be assumed that the Americans will begin to deploy missiles in Europe and Asia in the foreseeable future. medium range. Their creation has already been launched, work is in full swing. This, for example, is evidenced by the testing of prototypes of two such missiles this year, which should become ground-based modifications of the “good old” cruise missiles sea-based "Tomahawk".

Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine, believes that one of the answers to these processes could be the revival of the Barguzin combat railway missile system (BZHRK) project. Its implementation was stopped in 2017. But, in fact, the project was close to completion. In the spring of 2016, the production of a prototype BZHRK began, or rather, its individual elements. And in the autumn of the same year, missile tests were carried out. Flight tests were supposed to begin in 2019.

The reason for stopping the project is the correction of the defense budget due to insufficient funds. All forces and, of course, finances in terms of creating new weapons for the Strategic Missile Forces were directed to the Sarmat heavy silo-based missile.

The main advantage of the Barguzin is its secrecy, the impossibility of determining the location of the complex even with the help of the most advanced space and air-based reconnaissance equipment. Because the BZHRK looks no different from ordinary freight trains, many thousands of which move around the clock on the Russian railway network.

That is, the Barguzin is ideal in that part of the requirements for strategic missile weapons that relate to its protection from destruction by the enemy. This is necessary in order to preserve the nuclear missile potential for a retaliatory strike.

The idea of ​​"Barguzin" is not new. It was already implemented in the Soviet Union in 1987, when the BZHRK RT-23 UTTKh Molodets (SS-24 Scalpel according to NATO classification) was adopted. The lead developer of the complex was the Dnepropetrovsk Design Bureau "Yuzhnoye".

"Molodets" was equipped with three-stage solid-propellant ICBMs 15Zh61 with ten individually targetable warheads with a capacity of 550 kt each. The complexity of creating the complex was that the rocket weighed 105 tons, while standard railway cars are designed for maximum load in 60 tons. And this, in turn, led to the fact that, firstly, it was necessary to create cars that were outwardly indistinguishable from standard ones, but with increased strength characteristics. Secondly, it was necessary to distribute the load on the rails in such a way that the specific pressure on them did not exceed the permissible limits.

Of course, there were many other problems that Soviet developers encountered for the first time. Therefore, the creation of "Molodets" lasted a decade and a half.

The first Soviet and the only BZHRK in the world with three 15Zh61 ICBMs was a train that did not outwardly differ from a conventional technical train serving the railway networks. Three cars were disguised as passenger cars, 14 - as refrigerators. There was also a fuel tank for diesel engines. Due to the excess weight of the train, three diesel locomotives of increased power were used. That is, "Well done" could move along non-electrified tracks. The combat crew of the complex consisted of 70 military personnel. Autonomy reached a month.

The BZHRK was supposed to maintain combat readiness even in the event of the impact of a shock wave that occurs during a nuclear explosion. This requirement was tested in tests at the Plesetsk training ground, when in 1991, not far from Molodets, a 20-meter-high pyramid was blown up, built from East Germany anti-tank mines. The power of the explosion was 1000 tons of TNT. A funnel with a diameter of 80 meters and a depth of 10 meters was formed. Immediately after the explosion, the launcher of the complex worked in a regular way.

To launch the rocket, the train stopped. A special device took the contact wire aside. Roofs were shifted from three cars in succession, and the launchers occupied a vertical position. From the launch containers, the missiles were launched with the help of powder boosters, raising the ICBMs to a height of 20 meters and taking them some distance from the train so that the torch of the rocket engine that turned on did not damage the train.

The control system was inertial, providing a circular probable deviation from the target of the order of 400 meters. In this case, the launch could be carried out from any point on the route. The maximum flight range is 10100 km. The length of the rocket in the launch container is 23.3 m, the diameter is 2.4 m.

The timing was extremely tight. From receiving a command from the General Staff to launching the first rocket, it was supposed to take no more than three minutes.

In 1989, 12 "rocket trains" armed with a total of 36 ICBMs were already running on the railway networks of the Soviet Union. Nothing was known about the position of each of them in the Pentagon, which greatly worried the American command. Therefore, even during perestroika, Washington began to insist that "in the name of reducing the nuclear threat" to deprive the BZHRK of their main advantage - secrecy. And in 1991, half of the complexes were forbidden to leave the depot, the coordinates of which were perfectly known. The second half were allowed to move away from their permanent bases no further than 20 kilometers.

And in 1993, when the START-2 treaty was signed, the complexes were banned. 10 "rocket trains" were disposed of at the Bryansk Mechanical Repair Plant. 2 - disarmed and sent to museums - to the Museum of Railway Engineering at the Baltic Station in St. Petersburg and to the AvtoVAZ Technical Museum.

The Barguzin uses the same principle of placing missiles and necessary equipment in railroad cars. However, the designers did not have to solve the problem of compensating for the excess mass of the rocket. This complex uses a ready-made Yars rocket. The weight of the rocket does not exceed 50 tons.

Lightening the composition gives another advantage - a decrease in the required thrust. And, consequently, for the "Barguzin" it will take not 3 diesel locomotives, but less. Still, three diesel locomotives carrying a train of 17 cars is excessive for a conventional train. Therefore, the BZHRK "Molodets" cannot be considered completely disguised.

The lead developer of the project is the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, which created the Topol and Yars ICBMs, as well as the Bulava missile for strategic submarines. But, of course, a special modification of Yars will be used. The total power of combat units of individual guidance and their number will be less than that of the BZHRK Molodets missile - 4x500 kt or 6x150 kt. However, the launch range will increase to 12,000 km. At the same time, Yars has an increased ability to overcome missile defense enemy due to a short active section when it works rocket engine, electronic warfare complex and decoy ejection systems. The accuracy of shooting will also increase.

It is also claimed that the composition of the "Barguzin" will be equipped with not three, but six missiles. At the same time, the number of diesel locomotives will be reduced to two or even to one.

Another advantage of the BZHRK is its ability to quickly relocate - a train can travel up to 1000 km per day.

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Wikipedia BZHRK "Molodets"

These plans were told to RIA Novosti by a military expert and Chief Editor magazine "National Defense" Igor Korotchenko. According to him, a logical step against the backdrop of cooling relations between the United States and Russia would be the implementation of two programs: the creation of an updated BZHRK, as well as a new medium-range unpaved 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 will be the modernization and strengthening of aerospace defense on the western borders.

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

Artist's view of Peacekeeper Rail Garrison

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