R-16

The R-16 was the first successful intercontinental ballistic missile deployed by the Soviet Union. In the West it was known by the NATO reporting name SS-7 Saddler, and within Russia, it carried the GRAU index 8K64.

Description

The missile was over 30 m long, 3.0 m in diameter and had a launch weight of 141 tons. The maximum range was 11,000 km with a heavy warhead of 5-6 Mt of TNT and 13,000 km with a light warhead of 3 Mt of TNT, with circular error probable (CEP) of 2.7 km.

History

During development, a massive failure occurred on October 24, 1960, when a prototype rocket exploded on the pad killing over 100 personnel. After decades of government coverup, this Nedelin disaster was finally revealed.

After the delays associated with the deaths of most people working on the project, the first flight of the missile took place on 2 February, 1961. Initial operational capability was achieved on 1 November, 1961. The missile continued to serve until 1976, with maximum deployment numbers reached in 1965 with 202 missiles deployed. The Soviets had fewer than 50 of these missiles deployed in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is possible that only around 20 interim R-16 launchers were operational during the height of the crisis.

The R-16 was a true first-generation intercontinental missile and a vast improvement over the largely experimental 'zeroth' generation R-7, but it was still inferior to contemporary American missiles. [cite web|url=http://www1.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/postsecondary/features/F_Rockets_and_People.html|title=Boris Chertok (author), Asif Siddiqi (editor). "Rockets and People", 2005] It was initially deployed at soft sites which were not shielded from nuclear attack. On normal duty the missiles were stored in hangars, and it took one to three hours to roll them out, fuel them, and reach launch readiness. The missiles could remain fueled for only a few days due to the corrosive nature of the nitric acid fuel oxidant. After this, the fuel would have to be removed and the missile sent back to the factory for rebuilding. Even when fueled and in an alert posture, the Soviet missiles still needed to wait up to twenty minutes to spin up the gyroscopes in their guidance systems before launch was possible. Despite these shortcomings, the R-16 was unquestionably the first truly credible rocket based strategic nuclear deterrent developed by the Soviet Union.

The Soviets were aware of the missile's vulnerability, and from 1963 onward some R-16U missiles were based in silos, with around 69 silo launchers put into service. Each launch complex consisted of three silos clustered together for economic reasons to allow them to use a common refueling system, making them vulnerable to a single U.S. missile.

Operator

; USSR: The Strategic Rocket Forces were the only operator of the R-16.

References

*"The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword", Steven J. Zaloga, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London, 2002.

See also

* Intercontinental ballistic missile
* List of missiles

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