RS-24 Yars

"RS-24" redirects here. For the American rocket motor sometimes designated RS-24, see Space Shuttle Main Engine.
RS-24 Yars
TypeIntercontinental Ballistic Missile
Place of originRussia
Service history
In service2011–present[1]
Used byRussian Strategic Missile Troops
Production history
DesignerMoscow Institute of Thermal Technology
ManufacturerVotkinsk Machine Building Plant
Specifications
Mass49,600 kg[2]
Length22,500 mm
Diameter2,000 mm
Warhead3 x 200 kiloton MIRV warheads[3]
Enginesolid (third or fourth stage can be liquid)
Operational
range
11,000 km (6,800 mi) - 12,000 km (7,500 mi) [4][5]
Maximum speed Mach 25 (30,600 km/h; 19,000 mph; 8,510 m/s)
Guidance
system
Inertial with Glonass[6]
Accuracy100 m
Launch
platform
Silo, road-mobile TEL MZKT-79221[6]
Combat support vehicle BMS used for driving school and rescue towing of the TEL

The RS-24 Yars (РС-24 Ярс – ракета стратегическая (strategic missile)-modification 24) also known as Topol-MR, NATO reporting name SS-29[7] [dubious – discuss] or SS-27 Mod 2[8][6][1][9]), is a Russian MIRV-equipped, thermonuclear armed intercontinental ballistic missile first tested on May 29, 2007, after a secret military R&D project.[10]

It is essentially the same missile as the Topol-M except the payload “bus” has been modified to carry multiple independently targetable warheads (MIRV). Each missile is thought to be able to carry up to 4 warheads, although there is uncertainty about what is the maximum capacity.[9]

RS-24 is a missile that is heavier than the current RT-2PM2 Topol-M, and which some reports say can carry up to 10 independently targetable warheads.[11] The 2007 tests were publicized as a response to the missile shield that the United States were planning to deploy in Europe.[12][13] The RS-24 has been deployed operationally since 2010, with more than 50 launchers operational as of June 2017.[1]

Yars does not appear to be a Russian word but the Slavic root яр (yar) is present, being a bank or steep ravine, consistent with the nomenclature of another newly fielded Russian missile, the RS-26 Rubezh (РС-26 Рубеж) meaning a boundary or outer limit. According to Sergey Karakaev, commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Yars is an acronym for "Yadernaya Raketa Sderzhivaniya" (Russian: Ядерная ракета сдерживания), meaning "Nuclear Deterrence Rocket".[14]

  1. ^ a b c "Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat". Defense Intelligence Ballistic Missile Analysis Committee. 2017.
  2. ^ CSIS Missile Threat - SS-29 (RS-24 "Yars")
  3. ^ Administrator. - Russia Russian army military equipment vehicles UK https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/rs-24/ - Russia Russian army military equipment vehicles UK. Retrieved 10 May 2015. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ "RS-24 / SS-27 Mod 2".
  5. ^ Today, Military. "Yars Intercontinental ballistic missile". Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "SS-27 Mod 2 / RS-24 Yars – Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance".
  7. ^ Bilyana Lilly (21 August 2014). Russian Foreign Policy toward Missile Defense: Actors, Motivations, and Influence. Lexington Books. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7391-8385-4.
  8. ^ "RS-24 Yars (SS-27 Mod 2)".
  9. ^ a b Kristensen, Hans (7 May 2014). "Russian ICBM Force Modernization: Arms Control Please!". Federation of American Scientists.
  10. ^ "Russian Official Boasts of New ICBM". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 2007-06-02. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
  11. ^ Sweeney, Conor (November 28, 2008). "Russia seeks new missiles due to U.S. shield plans". Reuters. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  12. ^ Luke Harding (2007-05-30). "Russian missile test adds to arms race fears". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  13. ^ "Russian missile test new warning over US shield". Gulf Times. May 31, 2007. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
  14. ^ Военная приемка. Ярс. Ядерная ракета сдерживания. Часть 1 (in Russian), tvzvezda.ru, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 1 December 2019