The wordsVladimirPutinaboutvolume, whatsolutionguidesUSSRrefusefrommissilesmiddlerangelookscontroversial, caused an acutediscussionamongmilitaryexpertsandpoliticians. Treatyaboutliquidationmissilesmiddleandsmallrange / RIAC/ enteredinstrength 25 yearsback - 1 June 1988 of the year. Perthis istimeworldchangedso, whataboutneedrevisionparametersthisdocumentthey saynotonlyinRussia, butandon theWest.

Howfrom- per"Pershing"suffered"Pioneer"and"Oka"

The Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles was signed by Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan on December 8, 1987 (entered into force six months later). According to the document, two classes of missiles were completely eliminated: medium-range (capable of reaching targets at a distance of 1,000 km to 5,500 km) and short-range (from 500 to 1,000 km). The Soviet Union eliminated 1846 of these missiles, the Americans - 846.

If this treaty undermines the country's defense capability, then why was it signed?

There are several versions of this. According to one of them, the Soviet leadership was afraid of the American "Pershings-2" stationed in Europe (Gorbachev even called the "Pershings" "a gun at our temple"). According to another, the then leaders of the USSR and the United States did not want to lose the "tempo of Reykjavik" and "pushed" the INF to strategic nuclear disarmament. There are also conspiracy theories, for example, that the decisions of that time were more based on the ideas that existed at that time about "détente of international tension" and did not rely on proper consultations with the military.

There is also a version explaining the appearance of this document by the will of a historical event. In the memoirs and memoirs of some participants in the events of that time, one can find such an episode. On April 14, 1987, Gorbachev received US Secretary of State George Shultz in the Kremlin. We are talking about the newest Soviet promising development- the OTR-23 Oka missile (it could fly 400 km and was not formally subject to the provisions of the future treaty). Gorbachev impromptu proposed abandoning the development of the Oka and reaching "global zero" on the INF Treaty - no medium- and short-range missiles on both sides. By the time Marshal Sergei Akhromeev appeared at the talks, it was too late to win back. Later, Akhromeev recalled that this "miscalculation" of the General Secretary infuriated the generals.

First Soviet Union, and then Russia lost in the end not only the Oka. Experts, for example, consider unique missile system RSD-10 "Pioneer" (with a range of up to 5000 km), which had no analogues in the world. Suffice it to say that all Pioneer launches were successful, and the probability of hitting the target was 98%.

Work on the creation of new INF systems was curtailed, and the entire infrastructure, one way or another connected with them, was liquidated. Moscow fulfilled all its obligations. There is no reason to believe that Washington, having got rid of the Pershings, does not follow the letter and spirit of the treaty.

“For the Soviet Union and for today's Russia, especially considering that our other neighboring countries are developing these strike systems, such a decision was at least controversial, but the decision has been made, and we just have to proceed from the realities today", - Vladimir Putin said at a meeting on the implementation of the state armament program on Wednesday, June 19.

Mediumandsmallrangewithoutanyrestrictions

Over the past twenty-five years, many countries have developed and are improving medium and short-range missiles. We remember the recent tensions on the Korean Peninsula, when the DPRK pulled its INF to the borders. North Korean Musudan missiles have a range of 3,000 kilometers and can reach not only South Korea, but also to Japan, and even to the American island of Guam.

Iran is implementing a program to create Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missiles. There are several modifications of this rocket. The most "popular option" has a flight range of 1.1 thousand km. In 2007, Tehran demonstrated a new Ghadr-1 missile (Ghadr-1) with a range of 1,600 km. A very vague story with the development of the Shehab-5 and Shehab-6 ballistic missiles with a firing range of 3,000 and 5,000 km, respectively. According to one source, such developments are ongoing. For others, they are folded.

India and Pakistan compete with each other in their INF programs. In 2012, Turkey announced the start of construction of medium-range missiles (they will be able to hit targets at a distance of 2.5 thousand km.). China, Israel ... - the list of countries where missiles of this class have been tested over the past five years can go on and on.

What should Russia do under these conditions?

Of course, Moscow has such an indisputable argument as strategic nuclear forces. But how reasonable is it to oppose strategic nuclear forces and INF? Military experts say it's like firing a cannon at sparrows. The comparison, of course, is not entirely correct, but essentially true.

In February 2007, the then Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army Yuri Baluyevsky, stated: “The agreement ... is of an indefinite nature, but there is a possibility of withdrawing from it if one of the parties provides convincing evidence of the need for withdrawal. Today they are: many countries are developing and improving medium-range missiles, and Russia, having fulfilled the INF Treaty, has lost many systems of these weapons.”

This statement caused a flurry of comments. In the West, Moscow was even accused of trying to start a new Cold War. However, politicians and experts both in Russia and in the West spoke many times before and after that about the possibility of revising the entire existing legal system in the field of security and nuclear deterrence. For example, the American missile defense system in Europe is not "registered" in the current system.

go outoneorforbideveryone

If Moscow were to withdraw from the treaty now, this does not mean that Russia would immediately have medium and short-range missiles. The existing research institutes and design bureaus do not conduct developments in this direction. It makes no sense to “raise” the old projects of the late 1980s - they are outdated. To start “stamping” the Oka and Pioneer missiles again - there is no longer a production base for this, it will need to be restored. This will take several years.

In addition, Russia's unilateral, "hard" withdrawal from the INF Treaty is not the best option for Moscow. By slamming the door abruptly, you can get serious image costs. Such a move will primarily puzzle the Europeans, but is unlikely to prompt such countries as the DPRK and Iran to negotiate a ban on the INF Treaty.

Now experts are arguing about how realistic the initiative of Barack Obama, who proposed to Russia and the United States to reduce strategic and tactical offensive weapons by a third. Why shouldn't negotiations on this subject be linked both with the revision of the agreements on the INF Treaty and with the issue of missile defense in Europe?

Another way to solve the problem is to start broad international negotiations on limiting or banning the INF Treaty. In other words, to “connect” other countries to the United States and Russia, to give the treaty a universal character. Is there international treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, which establishes a strict framework for the behavior of participating countries. Curiously, at the end of his presidential term, in early 2012, Nicolas Sarkozy took the initiative to completely ban medium and shorter range missiles. This initiative was then “not heard”. Perhaps it is worth repeating it again.

Materials provided by: A.I. Golyak (gr. A501 BSTU "VOENMEH")

Decision to create our own ground-based strategic nuclear missile forces adopted by the Council The defense of the French Republic in February 1962 was caused both by delays in creating its own fleet of SSBNs armed with French-made SLBMs, and understandable in the light of French policy, the so-called. "nuclear nationalism" by the desire to have their own diverse and sustainable means of nuclear deterrence. According to the decision, by the end of 1971, it was planned to deploy the first mine launchers(SHPU) with high resistance to damaging factors nuclear explosion (PFYAV), in which it was planned to place solid-propellant IRBMs equipped with a nuclear monobloc warhead. A short time after the start of deployment, it was planned to increase the number of MRBMs simultaneously on combat duty to 54 pieces. This component of the French strategic nuclear forces was to be organizationally subordinate to the command of the Air Force (similar to the ICBM SAK of the US Air Force) and used, due to the relatively low accuracy and power of nuclear warheads, to defeat large, relatively poorly protected, area political, economic and military targets on the territory of the Warsaw Pact countries and, above all, the USSR. The French economy in the first half of the 60s was on the rise, which made it possible to constantly and financially support the study and creation of key systems in the initial, most critical period of program development as a whole.

By the time the official decision was made to create an IRBM, French rocket scientists had already accumulated some experience in creating small solid-propellant rockets that were being tested at the Hammagir training ground in Algeria. To create the first French IRBM, the French National Laboratory for Ballistic and Aerodynamic Research was created, the efforts of the leading French aerospace firms of that time, primarily Aerospatiale, Nord Aviation and Zud Aviation, were combined. The warhead was developed and manufactured by CEA - the civilian Commissariat for Atomic Energy.

In 1966, flight tests of the S-112 two-stage ballistic missile (12.5 m long, 1.5 m in diameter and 25 tons in weight) began at the Biscaross test site. The S-112 was the first French missile to be launched from a silo. It was followed in 1967 by the more advanced S-01 rocket. Finally, in December 1968, tests began on the first prototype of a medium-range missile, designated S-02. It took more than four years and 13 launches to refine it to the level of a serial model, called the S-2, and joint flight tests of the entire combat missile system. To conduct the entire complex of flight tests on the coast of the Bay of Biscay of the Atlantic Ocean, the Biscarosse test site was built, which is currently used to test missiles for various purposes.

The discussion about the number of missiles needed began almost immediately after the decision was made to expand their production. By April 1965, the number of missiles planned for deployment was reduced to 27, which, apparently, was associated both with growing financial and political problems and with the difficulty of simultaneously producing a relatively large number of IRBMs and SLBMs. The construction of silos and the necessary infrastructure on the Albion Plateau began in 1967, but already in December of the following year it was decided to reduce the number of simultaneously deployed missiles to 18. In return, it was soon instructed to start development and research work to create a missile with improved TTX, later known as S-3. The deployment of the first group of IRBMs (9 missiles) as part of the created Brigade 05.200 Strategic Missiles of the Air Force of the French Republic began in August 1971. The deployment of the next group of 9 missiles began in April 1972. The first combat training launch of the new serial IRBM from the Biscarros test site took place in September 1973.

The S-2 IRBM was in service with the French Air Force for a relatively short time - already in April 1978, the first group of Brigade 05.200 began re-equipping with the more advanced S-3 IRBM. The S-2 missile was finally withdrawn from service in the summer of 1980. In total, before the removal of the missile from service, 6 combat training launches of serial IRBMs were carried out.

Compound

The S-2 rocket was made according to a two-stage scheme with a sequential arrangement of degrees (see layout diagram). The method of launching a rocket from a silo is gas-dynamic with the launch of the first stage engines inside the mine. The bodies of both sustainer stages (SEP 902 and SEP 903, respectively) of the rocket were made of special light and heat-resistant Z2-NKTD steel with a thickness of 18 to 8 mm along the body. The hull was covered with a special heat-shielding coating that protected the rocket from the effects of hot gases during launch, aerodynamic heating, and from the action of PFYAV. To create control forces for controlling the rocket in the active part of the trajectory in pitch, roll and yaw, four deflecting nozzles made of high-strength and heat-resistant alloy were used at each stage. To increase the stability of the rocket in the active phase of the flight, four fixed stabilizers were installed on the first stage. Each stage was equipped with a forced liquidation system in case of violation of the flight program. The method of separating the march steps is cold mortar, due to the pressurization of the inter-stage space with the help of a special gas generator and the transverse division of the connection of the steps using an elongated conical charge. The method of separating the warhead from the second stage after reaching the required ballistic trajectory was traditional for ballistic missiles - separating the warhead from the second stage by triggering the pyro-locks, and then opening the anti-thrust nozzles in the second stage, which stopped the combustion of the charge of the main engine, slowed down the stage and led away it away from the separated head.

The S-2 IRBMs were placed in individual single-launch silo launchers (OS silos) with a depth of about 24m, spaced approximately 400m apart and dispersed over an area of ​​about 360 km2. Each shaft, designed for an overpressure of a shock wave of 21 kg / cm2, had a reinforced concrete roof 1.4 m thick and weighing about 140 tons. During routine maintenance, the roof was moved using a hydraulic mechanism or a small tractor, before starting it was opened using a powder charge (see diagram). Due to the use of special steels and grades of reinforced concrete in the design of the OS silo, general and local depreciation systems, placement in strong rocks at a great distance from each other, multiple duplication of communication and control systems, the overall resistance of the complex to PNF was, according to experts, very high for that time. According to their estimates, in its class, the S-2 complex held the first place in terms of resistance to PFYAV, even leaving behind a number of American and Soviet complexes with ICBMs. All OS silos are combined into 2 groups of 9 missiles each. Each group was controlled from a CP located in the rocks at great depths and equipped with efficient damping systems. There were repeatedly duplicated communication systems both with each silo and with higher levels of control. The missiles were in high readiness for use - the launch time from full combat readiness did not exceed one minute. Control of the technical condition and launch of missiles was carried out remotely. Round-the-clock duty in the command post was carried out by a shift of 2 officers.

The rocket was installed on the launch pad, mounted on a suspension system in the form of ring spans and cables, which were passed through the blocks and connected to four hydraulic jacks on the floor of the mine, designed to level the launch pad.

Individual rocket stages are stored underground in sealed containers. As needed, these containers are transported to a special building, where the assembly and subsequent testing of the entire rocket is carried out. Then the assembled rocket (without the head part) is placed on the installer conveyor and towed to the starting position, installed vertically and lowered into the shaft (see photo).

Subsequent operations consist in adjusting the surrounding conditions and mounting the warhead, which is brought up on a special trolley. After these operations, all personnel leave the mine and subsequent control is carried out from the center, where two officers are constantly on daily duty, who, upon receiving the appropriate command, can perform launch.

Storage, assembly of rockets, their Maintenance and the logistics of the complex was assigned to the personnel of the air base located in the village of Saint-Christol. personnel base was about 2000 people, including 1130 officers and sergeants. The entire territory of the base was divided into three zones: residential, general technical and special technical. In addition, there was an airstrip and a warehouse of special ammunition on the same territory.

A French-made inertial control system was installed on the rocket, which was located in a special instrument compartment as part of the second stage. KVO when firing at the maximum range (3000 km) was 1 km. The rocket was not equipped with a missile defense system. The missile was equipped with a monoblock nuclear warhead MR-31 with a capacity of 120 kt and a weight of the actual warhead of 700 kg. The warhead had two detonation options - air and contact. The warhead had ablative-type thermal protection. The rocket was not equipped with a head fairing. According to experts, the resistance of the warhead to the action of PFYAV was due to design features pretty low. The first warheads were produced in 1970 and were withdrawn from service in June 1980.

Tactical and technical characteristics

Solid propellant parameters

	Stage I	II Stage
Engine's type	R 16 SEP 902	R 10 SEP 903
Length, m	6,9	5,2
Diameter, m	1,5	1,5
Weight, kg	18 700	11 000
Fuel mass, kg	16 000	10 000
Fuel type	Izolan 29/9	Izolan 29/9
Density, kg/m3	1,72*10 3	1,72*10 3
Type of fuel	mixed	mixed
Fuel composition		Based on polyurethane, ammonium perchlorate and aluminum powder. The charge is cast and firmly fastened.
Burning speed in the chamber, mm/s	5,3	5,3
Chamber pressure, N/m2	70*10 5	70*10 5
Traction on the ground, H	50*10 4	50*10 4
Working time, s	77	53
Engine housing	Steel	Steel
Number of nozzles	4	4
Governing bodies	Swivel nozzles	Swivel nozzles

The project of the first domestic medium-range ballistic missile (characteristic during the development period - ballistic missile long range). The parent organization is OKB-1. Chief designer- Sergei Korolev. Development started at the end of 1947. Initially, three main options were developed:

Option "BN". Ballistic single-stage missile of the normal scheme.

Option "KN". Cruise missile of the normal scheme. Option "CS". Cruise composite missile. The greatest attention was paid to the R-3BN project. In June 1949 this project was completed. In December 1949, it was approved, however, at the insistence of Korolev, the project was soon closed in favor of the development of the R-7 intercontinental missile project.

R-5.8K51.8ZH51

The first domestic medium-range ballistic missile (characteristic during the development period - long-range ballistic missile). The parent organization is OKB-1. Chief designer - Sergey Korolev. Development started in 1952. Flight design tests were carried out at the Kapustin Yar training ground from 1953 to 1955. It was put into service in 1955. Mass production deployed at the Southern Machine-Building Plant in Dnepropetrovsk. Single stage ballistic missile. Equipped with an unstorable propellant rocket engine designed by OKB-456 headed by Valentin Glushko. The ground launch complex was created at GSKB Spetsmash under the leadership of Vladimir Barmin. The rocket had a technical and launch position. Transport and installation units for the rocket were developed at the Moscow Design Bureau of Transport Engineering under the leadership of Vladimir Petrov.

Maximum range shooting - 1200 km. Launch weight - 28.57 tons. The length of the rocket - 20.75 m. The largest body diameter - 1.65 m. It had a non-nuclear warhead. Withdrawn from service in 1961

R-5M. 8К51.8Ж51

Intermediate-range ballistic missile (characteristic during development - long-range ballistic missile). The first domestic missile equipped with a nuclear warhead. The parent organization is OKB-1. Chief designer - Sergey Korolev. Development began in 1953. Flight design tests, during which 32 missiles were launched, took place at the Kapustin Yar test site from January 1955 to February 1956. On February 2, 1956, an experimental launch of a missile with a nuclear warhead was carried out for the first time. The launch was carried out from the Kapustin Yar test site to the Aral Karakum region. Adopted on June 21, 1956. Serial production was launched at the Southern Machine-Building Plant in Dnepropetrovsk in 1956 (the first five missiles were manufactured at the plant at the end of 1954).

Single stage ballistic missile. Equipped with an unstorable propellant rocket engine designed by OKB-456 headed by Valentin Glushko. The ground launch complex was created at GSKB Spetsmash under the leadership of Vladimir Barmin. The flight control of the rocket was carried out by gas and air rudders. The rocket had a technical and launch position. Transport and installation units for the rocket were developed at the Moscow Design Bureau of Transport Engineering under the leadership of Vladimir Petrov. The maximum firing range is 1200 km. Starting weight - 28.61 tons. Mass of an unfilled rocket - 4390 kg. The mass of fuel, hydrogen peroxide and air is 24,500 kg. (including the mass of oxygen - 13990 kg, the mass of alcohol - 10010 kg). The length of the rocket is 20.75 m. The largest diameter of the hull is 1.65 m. The payload mass is 1.35 tons. The power of a nuclear warhead of a monoblock warhead is 80 - 300 kt. The rocket speed at the moment the engine is turned off is 3016 m/s. The top of the trajectory is 304 km. Flight time to the target - 637 s.

On May 10, 1959, the first regiment in the history of the country, armed with R-5M ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads, took up combat duty near the village of Perevalnoye near Simferopol. It was combat duty with departure to field positions. In October of the same year, the duty ended and the regiment returned to its place of permanent deployment. Later, it was decided that combat missiles with nuclear warheads should be on constant combat duty, and not on combat duty with an alarm leaving for field launch positions.

R-5M - the first domestic missile with nuclear charge, which was on combat duty outside the USSR. In 1958, two missile divisions of the 72nd RVGK engineering brigade were transferred to the GDR and at the beginning of 1959 took up combat duty.

Withdrawn from service in 1968 (according to other sources, in 1961).

Experienced medium-range ballistic missile. First guided ballistic solid rocket. The parent organization is OKB-1. Chief designer - Sergey Korolev. Development started in 1959. Flight design tests were carried out at the Kapustin Yar test site from 1962 to 1963. Three-stage ballistic missile. Equipped with propulsion engines running on ballistic fuel. The ground launch complex was created at GSKB Spetsmash under the leadership of Vladimir Barmin. Transport units were developed in the Moscow design bureau of transport engineering under the leadership of Vladimir Petrov and Vsevolod Solovyov.

The maximum firing range is 2000 km. Launch weight - 35.5 tons. Missile length - 18.3 m. The largest body diameter - 2 m. Payload mass - 0.8 tons. According to the project, it should be equipped with a monoblock nuclear warhead. Development was discontinued in 1963. It was not accepted for service.

R-12.8K63.8A63

Medium range ballistic missile. The first domestic mass-produced ballistic missile. The first missile equipped with a thermonuclear warhead. Along with the R-7, the first complex adopted by the Rocket Forces strategic purpose. The head organization is KB Yuzhnoye. Chief designer - Mikhail Yangel. Development started in 1953 at OKB-1 by Sergei Korolev. The preliminary design of the rocket, carried out under the leadership of Mikhail Yangel, was completed in October 1955. Flight design tests took place at the Kapustin Yar training ground from 1957 to 1958. It was put into service in 1959. Serial production was launched at the Southern Machine-Building Plant in Dnepropetrovsk in October 1958, later - in the Omsk association "Flight". Single stage ballistic missile. It is equipped with a high-boiling stored-fuel sustainer rocket engine designed by OKB-456 headed by Valentin Glushko. The ground launch complex was created at GSKB Spetsmash under the leadership of Vladimir Barmin. Transport and installation equipment and ground launch complexes for flight testing were developed at the Moscow Design Bureau of Transport Engineering under the leadership of Vladimir Petrov and Vsevolod Solovyov.

The maximum firing range is 2000 km. Starting weight - 41.7 tons. Length of the rocket - 22.1 m. The largest body diameter - 1.65 m. Payload mass - 1.6 tons. The power of a nuclear warhead of a monoblock warhead - 1 - 2.2 Mt. The combat readiness system of the missile complex included four degrees.

Readiness No. 4 (permanent). The missile is in a checked condition at the technical position. Gyro instruments are not installed. HF is stored separately. In this state, the rocket was stored during the entire warranty period - 7 years. The minimum time to launch is 205 minutes. Readiness No. 3 (increased). Rocket in technical position. Appliances installed. HF is docked. The time spent in this state is 3 years. Start-up time is 140 minutes. Readiness No. 2 (increased first degree). Rocket in combat position, installed on the launch pad. The data necessary for launching have been entered into the control system. Next to the rocket are fuel tankers. The time spent in this state is 3 months. Start is possible in 60 minutes. Readiness No. 1 (complete). The main components of the fuel were filled, except for the starting self-igniting fuel TG-02. Aiming done. The complex could be in this readiness for a month. The launch was made in 30 minutes.

Technical documentation R-12 was transferred to China. In 1962, during the Caribbean crisis, R-12 missiles with nuclear warheads were deployed in Cuba. In the same year, they were taken out of Cuba.

By May 21, 1990, 79 deployed, 6 non-deployed launchers and 149 R-12 missiles were eliminated in accordance with the Soviet-American treaty on the elimination of intermediate and shorter range missiles.

Created on the basis of the R-12 rocket space launch vehicle"Cosmos" 11K63.

R-12U. 8K63U

Unified ballistic missile for mine and ground launchers. Along with the R-14U, the first domestic medium-range silo ballistic missile. The head organization is KB Yuzhnoye. Chief designer - Mikhail Yangel. Development began in 1960. Flight design tests were carried out at the Kapustin Yar test site from 1961 to 1962. On December 30, 1961, the first launch was made from an experimental mine launcher "Mayak-2" by chief designer Vladimir Barmin. In December 1963, the tests were completed. Adopted by the Dvina silo on July 15, 1963. The first regiment with R-12U missiles took up duty near the town of Plunge (Lithuania). Serial production is deployed at the Southern Machine-Building Plant in Dnepropetrovsk and the Omsk association "Polyot". Single stage ballistic missile. It is equipped with a high-boiling stored-fuel sustainer rocket engine designed by OKB-456 headed by Valentin Glushko. Mine launcher "Dvina" 8P763 was created at GSKB Spetsmash under the leadership of Vladimir Barmin. The mine complex includes four silos and a command post.

The maximum firing range is 2000 km. Launch weight - 41.7 tons. Rocket length - 22.1 m. The largest body diameter - 1.65 m. Payload mass - 1.6 tons. The power of a nuclear weapon of a single-block warhead - 2.2 Mt. In 1988, the last R-12 complexes were eliminated in accordance with the Soviet-American treaty on the elimination of intermediate and shorter-range missiles.

R-14.8K65

Medium range ballistic missile. The head organization is KB Yuzhnoye. Chief designer - Mikhail Yangel. Development started on July 2, 1958. The preliminary design was developed in December 1958. Flight design tests were carried out at the Kapustin Yar training ground from June 1960 to December 1960. Missile launches were carried out in the region of Bratsk. Adopted in April 1961. Mass production launched at the Southern Machine-Building Plant in Dnepropetrovsk and the Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant. In September 1962, the first experimental launch of a rocket equipped with a nuclear warhead was made. The launch was carried out from the area of ​​the city of Chita at the Novaya Zemlya test site.

Single stage ballistic missile. It is equipped with a high-boiling stored-fuel sustainer rocket engine designed by OKB-456 headed by Valentin Glushko. The ground launch complex was created at GSKB Spetsmash under the leadership of Vladimir Barmin. Transport and installation equipment and ground launch complexes for flight testing were developed at the Moscow Design Bureau of Transport Engineering under the leadership of Vladimir Petrov and Vsevolod Solovyov.

The maximum firing range is 4500 km. Starting weight - 86.3 tons. The length of the rocket - 24.4 m. The largest body diameter - 2.4 m. Payload mass - 1.5 - 2.1 tons. The power of a nuclear warhead of a monoblock warhead - 2.2 Mt. The missile warranty period is 30 days.

In 1962, during the Caribbean crisis, according to the plan of the Soviet leadership, R-14 missiles with nuclear warheads were to be deployed in Cuba. The missiles were sent to the island by sea, but were not deployed. In 1982-1984 The Cosmos 11K65M carrier rocket, created on the basis of the R-14, carried out 5 space test launches of the Bor-4 orbital aircraft, the predecessor of the Buran orbital ship.

The missile was removed from combat duty in 1981. Removed from service in 1984.

By May 21, 1990, 6 launchers and R-14 missiles were eliminated in accordance with the Soviet-American treaty on the elimination of intermediate and shorter-range missiles.

R-14U. 8K65U

Unified missile for ground and mine launchers. Along with the R-12U, the first domestic medium-range silo ballistic missile. The head organization is KB Yuzhnoye. Chief designer - Mikhail Yangel. Development began in 1960. Flight design tests took place at the Kapustin Yar test site from January 12, 1962 to 1963. On January 12, 1962, the first launch of a rocket from a ground-based launcher was carried out. On February 11, 1962, the first launch was made from an experimental mine launcher. Adopted by the Chusovaya silo 8P764 on July 15, 1963. Serial production was launched at the Southern Machine-Building Plant in Dnepropetrovsk and the Krasnoyarsk Machine-Building Plant. The first mine R-14Us were put on combat duty near the Latvian city of Priekule (the division's headquarters was stationed near the city of Siauliai) in 1964. A single-stage ballistic missile. It is equipped with a high-boiling stored-fuel sustainer rocket engine designed by OKB-456 headed by Valentin Glushko. Mine PU "Chusovaya" was created in GSKB Spetsmash under the leadership of Vladimir Barmin. The mine complex includes three silos located at a distance of 100 m from each other and a command post.

The maximum firing range is 4500 km. Starting weight - 86.3 tons. The length of the rocket - 24.4 m. The largest body diameter - 2.4 m. Payload mass - 1.5 - 2.1 tons. The power of a nuclear warhead of a monoblock warhead - 2.2 Mt. The maximum time spent by the missile in a state of full combat readiness is 30 days.

Withdrawn from service in 1984

In 1988, the last R-14 complexes were eliminated in accordance with the Soviet-American treaty on the elimination of intermediate and shorter-range missiles.

Experienced medium-range ballistic missile. The development was carried out in the Perm Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering under the leadership of Chief Designer Mikhail Tsirulnikov. Chairman of the Council of Chief Designers - Sergei Korolev. Start of work - April 4, 1961

Two-stage ballistic missile with sustainer engines on solid mixed fuel. The design maximum firing range is 5000 km. Development was discontinued in the mid-60s. It was used as the first and third stages of the RS-12 ICBM (RT-2 and RT-2P) by the chief designer Igor Sadovsky (chairmen of the board of chief designers Sergey Korolev and Vasily Mishin), as well as the second stages of an experimental ballistic missile RT-15.

Self-propelled launcher and rocket complex RT-15

RT-15. 8K96

The first experimental mobile complex with a medium-range ballistic missile. The development was carried out at TsKB-7 (design bureau of the Arsenal plant) under the leadership of Pyotr Tyurin. The first stage was developed in TsKB-7. The second stage was developed by Mikhail Tsirulnikov, Chief Designer of the Perm Machine Building Design Bureau. Chairman of the Council of Chief Designers - Sergei Korolev. Start of work - April 4, 1961. Start of flight design tests at the Kapustin Yar range - 1965. Two-stage medium-range ballistic missile equipped with engines on solid mixed fuel. PU is located on tracked chassis. The design maximum firing range is 2500 km. The maximum firing range shown in the tests is 4500 km. Launch weight - 20 tons. Rocket length - 12.6 m. Maximum body diameter - 1.4 m. The power of a nuclear weapon of a monoblock warhead - 1 Mt.

Development stopped in 1970 after 19 test launches

"PIONEER" (RSD-10). 15ZH45

The first domestic mobile missile system with a medium-range solid-propellant ballistic missile. The first non-strategic complex equipped with MIRV. Developed at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering under the direction of Alexander Nadiradze on the basis of the first and second stages of the Temp-2S ICBM. Work began on March 4, 1966. Flight design tests were carried out at the Kapustin Yar test site from September 21, 1974 to January 9, 1976. The complex was put into service on March 11, 1976. Preparations for mass production of the rocket began in 1973.

Serial production was launched at the Botkin Machine-Building Plant in 1976. A two-stage ballistic missile equipped with a solid propellant rocket engine. The autonomous inertial control system was developed at the Research Institute of Automation and Instrumentation under the leadership of Nikolai Pilyugin and Vladimir Lapygin. The launcher was developed under the guidance of Valerian Sobolev, chief designer of the Design Bureau of the Volgograd PO "Barricades" (now the Central Design Bureau "Titan"). Rocket steering hydraulic drives and self-propelled launcher hydraulic drives were developed at the Moscow Central Research Institute of Automation and Hydraulics. Composite materials and a transport and launch container were developed at the Central Research Institute Spetsmash under the leadership of Viktor Protasov. The aiming system was developed under the guidance of the chief designer of the Kyiv plant "Arsenal" Sergey Parnyakov. Serial production of launchers has been launched at the Barrikady plant. The launcher is located on the MAZ-547A wheeled all-terrain vehicle. The maximum firing range is 5000 km. Launch weight - 37 tons. Missile length - 16.5 m. Maximum hull diameter - 1.79 m. Payload weight - 1.74 tons.

From 1988 to 1991, in accordance with the terms of the Soviet-American treaty on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles, 728 Pioneer missiles of all modifications were destroyed (405 combat deployed in positional areas; 245 combat in storage; 42 inert training; 36 missiles under production), as well as 405 deployed and 104 non-deployed launchers.

Mobile complex "Pioneer" (photo from the magazine "Military Parade")

"PIONEER UTTH" (RSD-10). 15ZH53

A mobile missile system with an upgraded medium-range solid-propellant ballistic missile. It has an increased firing range and an expanded area for breeding MIRV warheads. Developed at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering under the leadership of Alexander. Work began on July 19, 1977. Flight design tests were carried out at the Kapustin Yar test site from August 10, 1979 to August 14, 1980. During flight tests, 10 launches were carried out. The complex was put into service on April 23, 1981. Serial production was launched at the Votkinsk Machine-Building Plant.

A two-stage ballistic missile equipped with a solid propellant rocket engine. The autonomous inertial control system was developed at the Research Institute of Automation and Instrumentation under the leadership of Nikolai Pilyugin and Vladimir Lapygin. The launcher was developed under the guidance of Valerian Sobolev, chief designer of the Design Bureau of the Volgograd PO "Barricades" (now the Central Design Bureau "Titan"). Serial production of launchers has been launched at the Barrikady plant. The launcher is located on the MAZ-547 wheeled all-terrain vehicle. The maximum firing range is 5500 km. Launch weight - 37 tons. Missile length - 16.5 m. Maximum hull diameter - 1.79 m. Payload weight - 1.74 tons.

Medium-range missile RSD-10. Photo: RIA Novosti

In 1976, the Soviet Union adopted the RSD-10 Pioneer medium-range mobile missile system. NATO called the new Soviet missile SS-20. It had multiple reentry vehicles with three nuclear warheads. The flight range exceeded five thousand kilometers.

In January 1977, Leonid Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, spoke in Tula and said that it was absurd to believe that the Soviet Union was striving for military superiority. A few months later, the installation of new missiles began. They replaced outdated models that took too long to prepare for launch.

The Soviet military wanted to place the "Pioneers" also in Chukotka, so that the territory of the United States would be under attack. But there is permafrost, uninhabited territory. Still, they did not go for such unbearable expenses for the country. But the installation of "Pioneers" along the western borders proceeded at a rapid pace. The Americans recorded that two new missiles appeared every week. A total of 650 missiles were put into service.

In Moscow, recalled Georgy Arbatov, director of the Academic Institute for the USA and Canada (Yuri Andropov's recent consultant to the Central Committee), rejoicing began: that's what we are - we scared the Americans and NATO.

Europe rallied

The European powers did not understand the logic of the Soviet leaders: why does Moscow need new medium-range missiles? In the field nuclear weapons The Soviet Union competes with the United States. But these missiles are aimed at Western Europe. Does the Soviet Union not intend to launch a preemptive strike on NATO military installations, destroy ports and airfields in order to prevent the American army from coming to the aid of the Europeans, and then capture the entire continent?

The SS-20 missiles frightened and rallied Western Europe.

For the first time since the post-war times, the leaders of France, England and West Germany united against the Soviet Union, who actually strongly disliked each other.

German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt was considered an expert on military issues in the Social Democratic Party, he was Minister of Defense for three years. He began to sound the alarm about the new Soviet medium-range missiles aimed at Western Europe.

Chancellor Schmidt asked Moscow to stop deploying the SS-20. He tried to explain to the Soviet leadership:

- The only target of your new missiles can be the FRG, and I am obliged to take some measures. These missiles upset the balance of power in Europe. If you continue to install missiles, I will demand that the Americans take action.

The Soviet leaders let the Chancellor's words fall on deaf ears.

Schmidt recalled:

- I later asked Mikhail Gorbachev: “You were a member of the Politburo when you deployed SS-20 missiles. Each carried three individually targetable warheads. With one rocket, you could wipe out three German cities at once - Hamburg, Bremen and Hanover. Why did you have to threaten us?" Gorbachev replied - and I have no reason to doubt his words: “The Politburo did not decide this. Brezhnev did it himself together with the army.” New Soviet medium-range missiles changed the balance of power, most of them were aimed at the FRG.

Photo: RIA Novosti

— Were you afraid that the Russians would use them? journalists asked Schmidt.

- Under Brezhnev, most likely, this would not have happened. I knew that he was really afraid of the war. But I understood that under a different Soviet leader, things could go differently.

The Iron Lady

Moscow hoped to split the West, get along with Europe and leave the United States isolated. But in three key capitals — Bonn, Paris and London — the hardliners have come to the fore.

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has just won resounding victory over Argentina in the Falklands War. She became the main figure of British politics and remained in power for another 8 years.

In the Soviet Union, Margaret Thatcher was called the "iron lady", and she really liked it. Speaking from the podium, she said:

“Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you in evening dress, my hair is carefully styled, I do not neglect makeup, and this is me—” The Iron Lady» Western world? That's what the Russians call me. They are right! I am who I am because I defend the values ​​and freedoms that form the basis of our way of life.

Margaret Thatcher. Photo: RIA Novosti

Thatcher decided to deploy 144 cruise missiles on the territory of her country and thus proved that England is the most reliable American ally in Europe. Anti-nuclear and anti-missile sentiments did not bother her. She believed that unilateral disarmament was dangerous and made nuclear war more likely.

“We need to have at our disposal as many nuclear weapons as the Soviet Union has,” she said in the House of Commons, “as many medium-range nuclear missiles as the Soviet Union has.

This was not expected from Mitterrand

France during cold war balancing between West and East. Paris flirted with Moscow and held firm with Washington. The French liked to flash an anti-American phrase and annoy the United States in order to show their independence.

Socialist leader Francois Mitterrand waited in the wings for 23 years. His perseverance was rewarded on May 10, 1981, when he won the presidential election. They celebrated in Moscow. If we were friends with the Gaullist presidents, what will happen now that power has passed to a socialist, who, moreover, brought several communists into the government?

Mitterrand said that he would not look back at the opinion of the United States: "The more independently France behaves, the more it is respected."

But Moscow did not have time to rejoice at his anti-Americanism. The socialist François Mitterrand took a tough stance against the USSR. On April 5, 1983, he ordered the expulsion from the country large group Soviet diplomats who were accused of espionage. The Soviet leaders refrained from retaliatory action so as not to quarrel with the socialist president.

Francois Mitterrand. Photo: RIA Novosti

Mitterrand stood in line with Thatcher and Schmidt. Likewise immediately supported the placement American missiles in Europe - as a response to new Soviet missiles:

“The Soviets with their SS-20 missiles are destroying the balance of power in Europe. I can't accept it. We must arm ourselves to restore the balance. Anyone who tries to tear Europe away from America interferes with the preservation of peace.

He followed the example of his predecessor Charles de Gaulle. In October 1962, at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, de Gaulle told a representative of President John F. Kennedy:

“I don't need to look at photos of Soviet missiles in Cuba to make a decision. I support President Kennedy."

So did Mitterrand.

Return move

In Moscow, they counted on the anti-war movement, they hoped to set public opinion Western Europe versus the United States. Warned that in the event of war, the Soviet Union would have to strike at densely populated Europe, which unwisely allows the Americans to host new missiles. But this only gave rise to a surge of anti-Soviet sentiment. And fear.

Photo: T. Kulbitskaya / Newsreel TASS

In December 1979, NATO made a retaliatory move: it decided to deploy 464 new ground-based Tomahawk cruise missiles in Western Europe and replace 108 obsolete Pershing missiles with modernized Pershing-2 missiles.

But until the missiles were installed, the NATO countries offered Moscow to enter into negotiations and reduce the number of nuclear weapons in Europe. President Ronald Reagan proposed a "zero solution": the Soviet Union removes its Pioneer missiles, the United States refuses to install Pershings and Tomahawks.

The Soviet military indignantly rejected this proposal. Marshal Sergei Akhromeev, Chief of the General Staff, explained to diplomat Yuli Kvitsinsky, who was assigned to deal with the missile problem, that the number of Pioneers would be increased. In addition, there is a plan to deploy several hundred more short-range operational-tactical missiles.

Kvitsinsky was amazed:

- How so? Just now, in accordance with the directives approved by the Politburo, I stated that the number of missiles would not increase, that their number should be frozen.

“Then it was impossible to talk about it, but now it needs to be said,” Marshal Akhromeev answered indifferently. Say “yes” today and “no” tomorrow. You never know what you say there, you are not Brezhnev.

Leonid Ilyich publicly said that the installation of new missiles was frozen, and the entire propaganda machine was put into action in order to prove the peacefulness of the Soviet Union, and the military was building up its nuclear potential in Europe. Akhromeev showed Kvitsinsky a map of NATO facilities, which should be marked nuclear strike; it listed more than 900 targets. Several nuclear warheads were aimed at each target for fidelity.

Members of the Politburo will not reach the bunker

In 1983, the deployment of American missiles began. It put the Soviet Union in a very disadvantageous position.

"Pershing-2" - precision missiles capable of destroying underground command posts of the country and the Armed Forces. Cruise missiles "Tomahawk" fly relatively slowly, but at ultra-low altitudes they copy the terrain and easily move away from the fire of the air defense system.

New American nuclear weapons in Europe have increased our country's sense of vulnerability. The military sounded the alarm. Defense Minister Dmitry Ustinov gloomily explained to the Politburo that the flight time of the Pershing missile was less than six minutes. The Soviet leadership will not even have time to hide in a bunker. And our ballistic missiles will fly to the territory of the United States through North Pole significantly longer. If at all there will be someone to give the order and they will have time to launch ...

American rocket "Pershing". Newsreel TASS

Yuri Andropov, who after the death of Brezhnev led the country, said in his circle:

Americans want to break strategic parity to be able to deliver the first disarming strike. And our economy is in a deplorable state, it needs to be accelerated, but our hands are tied by the Afghan war. We failed to prevent the deployment of their missiles in Europe. Here we must be honest - we lost.

All the economic possibilities of the state were mobilized for retaliatory military efforts. Additional missiles were supposed to be installed on the territory of Czechoslovakia and the GDR. Soviet military fleet - surface and submarine nuclear missiles on board - they were preparing to move closer to the American shores.

At the joint exercises of the countries of the Warsaw Pact "Soyuz-83", plans for a war with the West were worked out. After the mass processing of nuclear weapons in the areas where NATO troops were deployed, the shock groups of the five fronts were supposed to break into the West German defenses. In two weeks it was supposed to crush the FRG and reach the French border. If NATO does not capitulate, the second stage of the operation will begin - the defeat of France. One front will continue its offensive towards the English Channel, the second will turn south and reach the border of Spain. The duration of the second stage is a month.

On November 24, 1983, on behalf of Andropov, it was reported that launchers of Temp-S operational-tactical missiles would be deployed on the territory of the GDR and Czechoslovakia, and Soviet submarines and ships with nuclear weapons would be advanced to the shores of America.

One of the formations of strategic missile submarines of the Northern Fleet received a special task. Project 667A submarines with ballistic missiles were on combat duty closer to the territory of the United States, in the area bermuda triangle. The missiles launched from these boats were supposed to reach the United States as quickly as Pershings and Tomahawks to Soviet cities.

The creation of a new mobile missile system "Speed" began, which was going to be installed closer to the borders of the Western powers. The task is to destroy the starting positions of American missiles in Europe before they take off.

Boss missile troops and artillery ground forces Lieutenant General Vladimir Mikhalkin received an order to deploy two missile brigades in the GDR and one in Czechoslovakia. At zero o'clock Moscow time on June 25, 1984, he reported from the buried command post of one of the launch batteries to the new Chief of the General Staff, Marshal Nikolai Ogarkov, that "rocketmen of the Ground Forces combat duty to protect the borders of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the countries of the socialist commonwealth have begun.

The USSR developed an anti-aircraft missile system with a nuclear warhead, which was guaranteed to destroy the American Pershings.

True, it turned out that for this it was necessary to arrange nuclear explosion over Moscow... This was horrified only later, under Gorbachev, but for now the military industry was mastering the billions allocated to it.

Petr Sarukhanov / Novaya Gazeta

Missiles in reserve

Under Mikhail Gorbachev, negotiations began on the fate of the missiles. The Soviet diplomats had a hard time also because the military regarded the Foreign Ministry employees as their henchmen and did not consider it necessary to give any information to the diplomats who were conducting the most difficult negotiations on disarmament topics. For example, Julius Kvitsinsky negotiated medium-range missiles, but never saw a Pioneer (SS-20) missile.

The exclusion of diplomats from real information gave rise to serious foreign policy complications. The Soviet military claimed to have one number of medium-range missiles, Western diplomats gave a different number. Gorbachev demanded that the Ministry of Defense report exactly how many medium-range missiles are in combat positions and how many are in warehouses. It turned out that no one had exact data, Leonid Zamyatin, the former head of the foreign policy propaganda department of the Central Committee of the CPSU, later said.

The military objected to Gorbachev's intention to eliminate medium-range missiles in Europe. Marshal Akhromeev told Kvitsinsky: if missiles are cut, then there will simply not be enough nuclear warheads for all the targets planned in Europe. The General Staff was preparing to wage a nuclear war of annihilation in Europe...

Reagan loved Russian folklore

In December 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev signed the Treaty on the Elimination of an Entire Class of Weapons—the Elimination of Intermediate and Shorter Range Missiles.

Newsreel TASS

Ronald Reagan, who adored proverbs and sayings, did not miss the opportunity to show off his linguistic knowledge.

“I want to recall one Russian wisdom,” the American president said at the solemn signing ceremony. - Mr. General Secretary, you will, of course, be confused by my pronunciation ...

And Reagan, looking at the paper, uttered in Russian with some difficulty:

- Trust but verify.

Gorbachev remarked, not without irritation:

You repeat this every time.

“I like that saying,” Reagan laughed.

The love of the American president for Russian folklore was understandable. After the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the Americans raised the question of verifying its implementation: let's send inspectors to each other.

In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, the directorate for problems of arms limitation and disarmament was headed by Viktor Karpov (later he would become deputy minister). Karpov went to the missile factory to make sure that American inspectors could be brought there. By that time, the Americans had already been told the exact number of missiles. Karpov returned from the factory shocked and reported to the Minister of Foreign Affairs:

- There are still about two hundred unaccounted missiles in the factory warehouses.

It turns out that the director kept a small supply - just in case of a fire. Suddenly, he can’t cope with the plan, or there is a problem with the supply of components, or some other nuisance - he will take it from the stock. But how to explain the features of the functioning of the Soviet economic system to the Americans?

The installation of a huge number of expensive Pioneer missiles not only did not strengthen the country's security, as the military assured, but, on the contrary, undermined it. All medium-range missiles had to be destroyed. A lot of money and effort was wasted.

Who would have thought then that in a few decades everything would start anew ...

Recently, the media broadcast another message about new Russian cruise missiles Oh. If they are true, then they are probably talking about a violation of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range Missiles (INF Treaty) thirty years ago. After its signing, all of Europe literally breathed a sigh of relief, but now, as it seems, this treaty is becoming a historical relic with no special prospects for the future.

Let me briefly remind you that it all started in 1976, when the Soviet Union began to deploy RSD-20 Pioneer missiles, known in the West as SS-20, with a range of almost five thousand kilometers. This was followed by OTP-23 Oka missiles with a range of 480 kilometers, and before that, Temp-S missiles with a range of 900 kilometers had already been developed. The Americans already had Pershing missiles, but they responded to Soviet weapons with a new type of Pershing II. The Americans also deployed ground-based Griffin cruise missiles, close to the famous sea-based Tomahawks.

Then, in the first half of the 80s, a very dangerous situation developed in Central Europe, because missiles were deployed on both sides of the Iron Curtain, which could destroy Europe in a few tens of minutes. The psychological pressure was greater than in the case of intercontinental missiles, which were placed somewhere far away in the USA and the USSR. The medium-range missiles were located directly in Central and Western Europe. And it is not surprising that people were seized with fear.

A large-scale campaign was launched in NATO countries against American missiles, which, however, completely ignored soviet weapons- in particular, due to the fact that these protests were generously sponsored by the KGB. The population of the Warsaw Pact countries, of course, could not protest, but only had the opportunity to resort to black humor, as a very popular joke once confirms: “Mom, dad, I'm afraid of the Pershings! Don't be afraid, dear child, the SS-20 will save you!"

Although since 1980 the two superpowers have been discussing the reduction of the arsenals of this type of weapon, the situation changed only with the arrival of Mikhail Gorbachev. He reached an unusually quick agreement with US President Ronald Reagan, and in 1987 the INF treaty was signed. It forbade the production and deployment of missiles with a maximum range of 500-5500 kilometers and ordered the destruction of a total of 2,692 American and Soviet missiles. Until now, this treaty has been considered a great success in the disarmament process because, in fact, an entire category of nuclear warhead carriers has been abolished.

However, the reality turned out to be less rosy. The US and USSR destroyed their medium-range missiles, but they remained in service with other NATO and Warsaw Pact countries, including Czechoslovakia, which had Oka missiles. The treaty did not affect sea- and air-based missiles, so technology development continued. During several conflicts, the Americans proved that their Tomahawk missiles are in fact very accurate and destructive weapons.

Context

Is the INF Treaty dead?

The National Interest 03/11/2017

End of the INF Treaty?

Defense24 16.02.2017

AP: An "aggressive" response is being prepared for possible violations of the INF treaty

Voice of America Russian service 06/06/2015 This, naturally, forced the Russians to develop analogues, or rather, to improve their sea-based Granat missiles. Initially, they served only as carriers of nuclear warheads, while the Tomahawk turned into a fearsome traditional weapon. Therefore, the Russians have developed a "family" of cruise missiles "Caliber", also known by the export name of the Club, and includes several anti-ship missiles and missiles against ground targets, which are equipped with surface ships, submarines, aircraft and ground systems.

Range export modifications limited by the MTCR (Missile Technology Control Mode), therefore, it reaches a maximum of 300 kilometers, while the Kalibr missiles in service Russian army, have a much greater range. This was confirmed fighting in Syria, where Islamist targets were hit by rockets that took off from ships in the Caspian Sea and flew 2,500 kilometers. However, it has been known for several years that Russia also has a ground-based version of the Kalibr, also called the R-500 Iskander-K, because it is part of the so intimidating Iskander missile system.

By the way, the latter is also in its own way a response to the INF treaty: the Russians were very sorry for the destroyed Oka missiles. It was they who developed the Iskander-M ballistic missiles to replace them, with a range of 480 kilometers. It does not exceed the limit established by the INF Treaty. However, some experts believe that the true potential of these missiles is higher, and that with better fuel, the Iskander can fly over 700 kilometers, or maybe a thousand. In addition to these ballistic missiles, the system also includes the R-500 (9M728), the declared range of which also does not exceed the established limit - less than 500 kilometers.

However, many people doubt the veracity of this information. The control mechanisms of the INF treaty are actually weak, and it is impossible to check whether the range of the R-500 exceeds the allowable one. Since, from a technical point of view, this rocket is a modification of the Caliber, its potential exactly reaches 2.5 thousand kilometers. Perhaps the range of the 9M728 was deliberately limited, as in the case of the Club export missile, but recently there have been reports of a new 9M729 missile, whose range again reaches about 2.5 thousand kilometers. Thus we return to where we came from. In general, apparently, Russia is violating the INF Treaty.

But it's not just about Caliber and Iskander. Questions are also raised by the new RS-26 Rubezh missile, which officially belongs to the category of intercontinental missiles. However, it seems that by design it is two stages from the three-stage Topol-M. The maximum range of this missile (allegedly) reaches more than 6 thousand kilometers, which formally removes it from the INF Treaty. But it is clear that a weapon with similar parameters can be ideally used in the same way as a "forbidden" missile.

If in the case of Kalibr and Iskander the treaty was secretly violated, the Rubezh missile is a resourceful way to bypass the upper limit of restrictions set by the INF treaty. The range of 5.5 thousand is actually not chosen by chance - this is the distance between the territory of the United States and the USSR in the Atlantic direction, so longer-range missiles are formally already classified as intercontinental. One way or another, the question arises as to what goals Moscow is pursuing by taking such steps.

After all, despite the tension between the West and Russia, there is reason to doubt that the Kremlin is primarily interested in developing missiles against NATO countries. As already mentioned, the INF treaty was not quite what it was given out for. Intermediate-range missiles have not completely disappeared and have even been flourishing for several years, but mainly in other countries. China, India, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea and Saudi Arabia these missiles are more than enough, and they are considered important means of regional rivalry, intimidation and intimidation.

After all, this is what Vladimir Putin was talking about when he hinted in 2007 that Russia might withdraw from the INF Treaty in order to create an arsenal to counter Asian states that have thousands of medium-range missiles (like China, for example). Therefore, it is possible that Russia really put everyone before the fact: it can withdraw from the treaty and soon after that announce that it has a new generation of medium-range missiles.

AT Russian media there are even certain statements that may be preparation for such a step. These are, in particular, accusations against the United States that they are also violating the treaty. The Russians claim, for example, that ground-based missile defense silos in Romania contain Tomahawk missiles, among other things, and that training targets for testing missile defense systems have the parameters of medium-range missiles. Claims are also made against American drones, which allegedly need to be regarded as a kind of "carriers" that fall under the INF Treaty. It is unlikely that other countries will join the treaty, but hypothetically, there may be talk of amending the treaty between Russia and the United States.

If Moscow's actions are aimed at countering China, then the West, of course, should not put obstacles in its way. The suggestion recently made by a Czech expert on nuclear weapons Peter Suhi. According to him, the US and Russia could agree to deploy medium-range missiles again, but only in Asia. If Russia insisted on their deployment, for example, to the west of the Urals, this would clearly indicate that the INF treaty simply lost all meaning.

The United States may already be secretly preparing for this scenario. Three senators, including former presidential candidate Marco Rubio, introduced the INF Treaty Preservation Act. In fact, it contains measures that are designed to force Moscow to return to the implementation of the treaty. Paradoxically, the financing of the “response” to new Russian missiles, and in extreme cases - counteraction, that is, their own weapons of this category.

The latter option will probably mean a complete rejection of the INF Treaty, from which, apparently, both parties will withdraw in this case, and new round an arms race that could undoubtedly affect Europe as well. With Moscow's motivation still unclear, it's impossible to say exactly what to expect. One thing is clear: if they still want to keep the INF Treaty, changes will be inevitable. However, NATO members should definitely prepare for the option of terminating the treaty - more precisely, for an unfavorable scenario in which medium-range missiles return to Europe again.

The materials of InoSMI contain only assessments of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the editors of InoSMI.