RT-2
Intercontinental ballistic missile
The RT-2 was an intercontinental ballistic missile deployed by the Soviet Union, which was in service from December 1968 until 1976. It was assigned the NATO reporting name SS-13 Savage and carried the GRAU index 8K98. Designed by OKB-1, about 60 were built by 1972.
01History
The RT-2 was the first solid-propellant ICBM in Soviet service, and was a development of the earlier RT-1 series. It was a three-stage inertially-guided missile comparable to the American Minuteman missile. It was armed with a single 600 kiloton warhead and was silo-launched, although a rail-based version was contemplated by Soviet planners. It was deployed in the Yoshkar-Ola missile field.
The Soviets used the two upper stages of the RT-2 to develop the RT-15 mobile IRBM system. The RT-2PM Topol is supposedly a modernized version of the RT-2
02Operations
The RT-2 was capable of delivering a 540 kg (1,200 lb) class payload to a maximum operational range of approximately 10,000 km (5,500 nautical miles)
Command and Control
A single launch control center (LCC) monitored numbers of launchers. The hardened and dispersed silo concept increased system survivability and provided steady environmental controls from the solid-propellant motors. Headquarters RVSN exercised normal control of the RT-2 missile force, through an intermediate RVSN Army and launch complex headquarters (HCC). A launch complex consisted of an HCC and several LCCs, monitoring numerous underground launchers.
03Flight test history
Test Launches
| RT-2 Test Launches | |||||
| Date | System | Location | Range (NM) | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Feb 1966 | RT-2 Mod | Kapustin Yar | |||
04General Characteristics
- Length: 20,000 mm (65.6 ft)
- Diameter: 1,700 mm (5.57 ft)
- Launch Weight: 34,000 kg (33.46 tons)
- Guidance: inertial guidance
- Propulsion: solid, three-stage
- Warhead: 600kt nuclear
- Range: 6,200 mi (10,000 km)
05Operators
- Soviet Union
- The Strategic Rocket Forces were the only operator of the RT-2.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “RT-2”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- RT-2 (8K98) ICBM in Perm.jpg by Nucl0id, CC BY-SA 3.0
- SS-13 Savage.jpg by Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
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