Bzhrk barguzin is the last. Is the Barguzin project going to the finish line? Bzhrk "scalpel" - the previous generation of nuclear trains

MOSCOW. August 28 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. Thirty years ago, the Soviet Union completed a test program for a unique strategic weapon - the combat railway missile system (BZHRK) RT-23 UTTKh "Molodets", known in the West under the name "Scalpel". This train, capable of bringing down three intercontinental ballistic missiles on a potential enemy, "rewarded" Western intelligence leaders with an unrelenting headache. Considering the huge length of the railways of the USSR and the number of trains plying on them, it was impossible to find among them a launcher disguised as an ordinary car.

By the time of the collapse of the USSR, 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. In the period from 2003 to 2007, all "Molodtsy" were disposed of, except for two left as museum exhibits. Then it seemed that there was no need for them. The BZHRK was again remembered 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 was ready to create new BZHRK under the Barguzin project.

Composition with "surprise"

The BZHRK is a strategic rail-based mobile missile system, outwardly indistinguishable from an ordinary freight train. Its cars are equipped with fully equipped ICBMs, command posts, technological and technical systems, means of communication and deployed personnel - missile officers. In case of a threat nuclear war BZHRK go to patrol routes and merge with the flow of other trains. If, however, an order is received from above for combat use, the train stops and prepares to launch an attack. The shutters on the roofs of three cars move apart, and the mechanisms hidden inside bring the missile launch containers to a vertical position. Another couple of minutes - and in the direction of the aggressor, three rockets fly out with a mortar launch, in total carrying 30 individually targeted warheads with a capacity of 550 kilotons each.

In the USSR, the design bureau Yuzhnoye was engaged in the development of the BZHRK. The main designers were academicians Vladimir and Alexei Utkin. The task before the brothers was not trivial: 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 up to 120 kilometers per hour. This issue was resolved by creating reinforced wagon bogies and special unloading devices for the complex, which redistributed part of the weight to neighboring wagons. BZHRK got the opportunity 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 wagons had eight wheelsets, and three had four. Thanks to all the necessary reserves, the BZHRK could work offline 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 32 launches and 18 exits of the BZHRK to the country's railways were made. As part of trial operation, they covered more than 400 thousand kilometers in all climatic zones countries - from tundra to deserts. All this time, the existence of the complexes remained a mystery to Western intelligence. BZHRK were disguised to the conscience. 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 railroad workers could not understand at close range what was “wrong” with this train.
Officially adopted "Molodets" 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, the BZHRK, in accordance with international agreements, began to be disposed of. The command of the Strategic Missile Forces decided to rely on mobile ground-based missile systems (PGRK) "Topol-M" as the basis of the mobile component of the nuclear deterrence forces. However, over time it became clear that the PGRK, although difficult to track, is still easier than the 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-propellant RS-24 Yars, also developed by MIT specialists. One such ICBM is capable of throwing three to six warheads with a capacity of about 300 kilotons each at a distance of 12,000 kilometers. Smaller than the RT-23 UTTKh, however, the Yars weighs half as much, which simplifies its installation and transportation in a standard car. In addition, only one locomotive will be used for traction, which makes the operation of the complex easier and better masks it. It is assumed that the new BZHRK will be able to move throughout the country, overcoming a thousand kilometers a day.

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

© Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

In November 2016, at the Plesetsk cosmodrome, successful throw tests of a rocket modification specifically for the BZHRK took place. It is known that one "Barguzin" will be equated 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 under the State Armaments Program for 2018-2025 and may be put on combat duty as early as 2020-2021.

“In the context of the US deployment of new precision weapons, including on the territory of America, the presence of the BZHRK will become a trump card,” RIA Novosti said. Chief Editor magazine "National Defense" Igor Korotchenko. “These complexes create a factor of uncertainty. BZHRK, along with mobile PGRKs, is a response to the American concept of a global disarming strike with non-nuclear weapons, mainly cruise missiles. This doctrine implies the destruction of the military-political leadership of the country, command and control centers, mine 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 if our "nuclear triad" is completely destroyed by a massive missile strike, a potential adversary will not be able to deprive the Strategic Missile Forces of the possibility of delivering a retaliatory strike. Many kilometers of railway tracks in Russia pass through rocky tunnels that can be used as shelter for the BZHRK. And there is no guarantee that when the explosions die down, one single ghost train will not shoot the entire ammunition load at the aggressor from somewhere Ural mountains.

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

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

DATA FOR 2017 (standard replenishment)

Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) / military railway missile system (BZHRK). R&D for the creation of the BZHRK began in 2012 and is being conducted by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering (MIT). Until December 2014, it was discussed that the creation of the complex is possible either on the basis of ICBMs or on the basis of ICBMs or using developments on intercontinental SLBMs. But in December 2014, information appeared in the media that the complex would include ICBMs of the Yars or Yars-M type ().

It is unlikely that the chief designer of the complex can be because. in his speeches to the media, he repeatedly spoke out against the BZHRK as a class of missile systems. Until 2020, it is planned to complete the development work, create and test prototypes of the BZHRK (according to plans for 2012). After 2020, the complexes will begin to enter service with the Strategic Missile Forces ().

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

In December 2014, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces stated in the media that the development of the BZHRK could soon begin, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces a day later announced that the new complex was called Barguzin. The development of design documentation began in 2015 and is scheduled to be completed in mid-2016 (). Although later in December 2015 a source in the Russian defense industry told the media that due to the difficult financial situation, the timeline for the creation of the Barguzin had been postponed by more than one year and would not be completed before 2020. On May 12, 2016, information appeared in the media that "the design documentation has been worked out, separate elements of the complex are being created, but exact dates there is no creation and adoption", clarity on the timing will come in 2018 ().

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

On December 2, 2017, information appeared in the media about the closure of the program for creating the BZHRK (). Probably for financial reasons, as well as due to inexpediency.

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

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

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

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

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

Rocket- probably the use of a rocket similar to the previously created intercontinental missile systems with the minimum time of the active part of the trajectory and with MIRV. As options can be considered as basic and type ICBMs and ICBMs and SLBMs. With a high probability, the degree of unification for missiles will be high, but less than 100%.

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

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

Control system and guidance - inertial autonomous.

Engines- RDTT at all stages.

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

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

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

Sources:
Russia plans to create a new BZHRK before 2020 December 26, 2012 ().

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 resorted to various tricks, and sometimes our nuclear submarines with nuclear missiles suddenly appeared where they were not expected at all. 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.

An idea that it would be nice to install intercontinental missile on the railway platform, arose immediately after the appearance of long-range solid-propellant rockets.

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 options RT-23 missiles, 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 a certain shape 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.

An experiment conducted by Soviet designers 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.

We must thank the former chief of armaments 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 hit accuracy, the modern complex promises to be more effective.

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, Yury Solomonov, general designer of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, told reporters.

“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 to Belarus, but domestic politics Russia 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 latest developments in the field of combat missiles. The Barguzin complex will significantly surpass its predecessor in accuracy, missile range and other characteristics, which will allow for many years, at least until 2040, this complex to be in the combat composition of the Strategic Missile Forces, ”says S. N. Karakaev, commander of the Strategic Missile Forces.

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

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

RT-23 UTTH "Well done".

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

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

Vladimir Putin and Yuri Solomonov

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The control and guidance system is inertial autonomous.

Engines - solid propellant rocket engines at all stages.

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

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

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