RT-23 Molodets

RT-23
BZhRK three-car autonomous launching module
TypeICBM
Place of originUSSR
Service history
In service1987–2005[1]
Production history
ManufacturerYuzhnoye Design Bureau
Specifications
Mass104,500 kg (230,400 lb)
Length23,400 mm (920 in)
Diameter2,410 mm (95 in)
Warhead10 × 550 kt MIRVs[2]
EngineFirst stage: 15D305,[3]
Second stage: 15D339[3]
15D305: 3,040 kN,[4]
15D339: 1,470 kN[5]
PropellantSolid fuel
Operational
range
10,000–11,000 km (6,200–6,800 mi)[2]
Guidance
system
Inertial, autonomous
Accuracy150–500 m[2]
Launch
platform
Railcar TEL or silo
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The RT-23 Molodets (Russian: РТ-23 УТТХ[6] «Мо́лодец», lit. "brave man" or "fine fellow"; NATO reporting name: SS-24 Scalpel) was a cold-launched, three-stage, solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile developed and produced before 1991 by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in Dnipro, Soviet Union.[7] It came in silo- and rail-based variants, and was armed with 10 MIRV warheads (GRAU index: 15Ф444)[8] of 550 kt yield.[2] All missiles were decommissioned by 2005 in accordance with the START II.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Ракеты на рельсы не встанут" (in Russian). rg.ru. 2 December 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference RT-23 FAS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "Some important Soviet solid fuel missiles". b14643.de. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  4. ^ "15D339". astronautix.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  5. ^ "15D305". astronautix.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  6. ^ "UTTKh" or "UTTH", i.e. "Improved tactical and technical characteristics".
  7. ^ "Inside a Soviet ICBM Silo". Air & Space/Smithsonian. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  8. ^ "Боевой Железнодорожный Ракетный Комплекс (БЖРК)" (in Russian). bastion-opk.ru. Retrieved 5 December 2019.