R-36 (missile family)

R-36 (missile family) is a series of heavy intercontinental ballistic missiles developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Designed by the Yangel Design Bureau and manufactured at Yuzhmash in Dnipropetrovsk, these weapons formed a cornerstone of the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces' land-based deterrent. The family is known in the United States Department of Defense designation system as the SS-9 Scarp and later the SS-18 Satan, the latter becoming one of the most formidable strategic weapons ever deployed.

Development and Design

The development of the R-36 was initiated in the early 1960s under chief designer Mikhail Yangel, responding to the perceived need for a heavy missile capable of delivering very large thermonuclear weapon payloads over intercontinental ranges. The program was a direct competitor to proposals from the rival OKB-1 led by Sergei Korolev, with the Yangel Design Bureau ultimately winning the contract. Key design challenges included creating a reliable two-stage liquid-propellant rocket engine and a robust silo launch system that could survive a potential first strike from the United States. The missile's development was a high-priority project within the Soviet military-industrial complex and proceeded through rapid prototyping and testing at sites like the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Variants and Specifications

The original R-36 (SS-9 Scarp) entered service in 1966, featuring a single large warhead with a yield estimated at up to 20 megatons. This was followed by the R-36M (SS-18 Satan Mod 1/2), a vastly improved model with greater accuracy, harder silos, and multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs). The definitive R-36M2 Voevoda (SS-18 Satan Mod 5/6) could carry ten MIRVs or a single massive warhead, with a range exceeding 11,000 kilometers. Other notable variants included the R-36O, designed for fractional orbital bombardment (FOBS), and the R-36P, which carried penetration aids to counter anti-ballistic missile systems like those potentially deployed around Moscow or Grand Forks Air Force Base.

Operational History

Deployment with the Soviet Strategic Rocket Forces began in 1966, with the missiles stationed in hardened silos across the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, and Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The R-36 family was a constant subject of arms control negotiations, including the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I and SALT II) and the later Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I). Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, missiles based in Kazakhstan and Ukraine were deactivated and dismantled under international agreements, with Russia retaining and modernizing its fleet. The RS-28 Sarmat is designated as the eventual successor to the remaining R-36M2 missiles, which remain on active duty.

Strategic Role and Impact

The R-36, particularly the SS-18 Satan, was a central element of Soviet counterforce and countervalue doctrine, designed to threaten hardened United States Air Force targets like Minuteman III launch facilities and command centers such as Cheyenne Mountain Complex. Its sheer throw weight and MIRV capability presented a significant challenge to United States Strategic Command and profoundly influenced the strategic balance during the latter half of the Cold War. The missile's perceived capabilities drove American weapons developments, including the LGM-118 Peacekeeper and the ongoing Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent program, and shaped the negotiating positions of the United States in treaties like the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Technical Description

The R-36 is a large, two-stage liquid-propellant missile using storable propellants like unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide. Its first stage employs a cluster of main engines, while the second stage features a single high-performance engine for final velocity. Guidance is provided by a sophisticated inertial navigation system that was continually refined across variants to improve circular error probable. The post-boost vehicle, or bus, for MIRV-equipped models uses small thrusters to precisely dispense individual reentry vehicles on separate trajectories. The missile is launched from a cold launch silo, where it is ejected by gas pressure before its main engine ignites, helping to protect the launch infrastructure.

Category:Intercontinental ballistic missiles of the Soviet Union Category:Cold War missiles of the Soviet Union Category:Nuclear weapons of the Soviet Union