RT-20P
ICBM
The RT-20P was an experimental intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed but not deployed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The control system for it was designed at NPO "Electropribor" (Kharkiv, Ukraine). It was assigned the NATO reporting name SS-15 Scrooge and carried the GRAU index 8K99. The RT-20 was the first mobile ICBM designed by the Soviet Union. Its launch platform was based on the T-10 tank.
01History
In the late 50s, the USSR started studying the usage of solid rocket motors and other modern technologies such as turbojets in ICBMs to improve their performance. From 1961 to 1962, several concepts of the missile were proposed at OKB-586 and in 1963 development was transferred to their R&D, with the ultimate goal of creating an ICBM with a total mass of no more than 30 tons. In 1964, preliminary design of the missile was completed and test firings of the engines commenced in 1965. On September 27, 1967, the missile had its first test flight and from October 1967 onward, flight tests of the missile were carried out at the 53rd Scientific Research Proving Ground (53rd NIIP). On October 6, 1969, development of the missile was discontinued to unwillingness of the Strategic Rocket Forces to work with a missile containing both liquid and solid propellant.
Despite never being deployed, the missile provided the groundwork for other mobile ICBMs, such as the RT-21 Temp 2S and the RT-2PM Topol.
02Operator
- Soviet Union
- The Strategic Rocket Forces was the only operator of the RT-20.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “RT-20P”, 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:
- SS-15 ICBM.JPEG by Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
- Defe44-163-fig8-SS15-Scrooge-stitched.jpg by This image photographed by Brian Burnell with permission was uploaded to Commons by George Hutchinson. To see his entire portfolio, click here. Permission to upload photographs by Brian Burnell is archived in the OTRS system as shown below each image. This image is protected by copyright! If you would like to use it outside Wikipedia, please read THIS first. The copyright holder of this file allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided that the copyright holder is properly attributed. Redistribution, derivative work, commercial use, and all other use is permitted. Attribution, CC BY-SA 3.0
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