This vengeful Russian rocket "Satan"

Since the moment when the main geopolitical players - the USSR and the USA - have appeared unmanned means of delivery of nuclear munitions, a special phase of the arms race has begun. Each of the countries aspired to possess such technical means that would allow to inflict an unpunished blow.

This competition had the downside: if a nuclear conflict does begin, the enemy, regardless of the success of his actions, should be punished. And this means that even if all the structures of command and control of the troops, the death of the General Staff and the government, are destroyed, deadly carriers can fly up from the underground mines, go through all the boundaries of the anti-missile defense, and bring down a barrage of retribution on the aggressor's head.

The "Satan" rocket, created in the USSR and standing from 1975 to this day on combat duty, is able to fulfill this task.

Actually, it is called otherwise R-36M, and its complex includes, in addition to the rocket itself, many devices, including a protective container and various means of protection, allowing to maintain combat capability even in the event of a repeated nuclear strike in the area of deployment of the launch system. There is also a classification adopted in NATO, according to which all Soviet strategic means of delivery are indicated by SS letters and a two-digit number. According to her, the rocket "Satan" carries the code SS-18.

It is not easy to deserve this name. The personification of universal evil inspires unlimited horror. To the question "why did the Americans call the R-36M complex?" You can find the answer if you become acquainted with the characteristics of this weapon. At the same time, more attention should be paid not to the lethal charges in the head part of the rocket (this is not surprising to anyone), but those qualities that make it practically invulnerable, both on the ground (or rather under it) and at all stages of the flight.

If the world reigns and Russia is not threatened by a nuclear strike, the intercontinental rocket Satan (our name is Voevod) can be in a special storage or stand on alert. In the latter case, it must be fueled, which theoretically reduces its service life. In order for the duration of the action to be as long as possible, the fuel used in the steps is ampulized. Activation of the tank contents occurs only after the command to start the engine.

Strategic missile "Satan" refers to the class of heavy, its mass exceeds two hundred tons. Accordingly, the weight that it can deliver to the target is also considerable - 7.3 tons. Modern nuclear munitions are relatively light, and even eight charges (and this possibility is provided for by the design) will easily lift a less powerful carrier.

The "Satan" rocket is made large because in its combat compartment, in addition to the main cargo, there are distracting targets designed to mislead the missile defense forces of a likely enemy. The total impact of the equipment elements is able to inform the computer resources of any missile defense, not only modern, but also promising.

To maintain the combat capability of weapons, the stability of its control system to electromagnetic impulses is very important . The "Satan" rocket will keep its combat course regardless of the intensity of the created jamming, and will create its own.

At the talks on START II, the US delegation persistently proposed to exclude the R-36M from the Russian arsenal, which suggests that this complex is causing them anxiety. Nevertheless, at present more than one hundred and fifty launcher launchers of 308 Soviet type remain on alert. While the rocket "Satan" is not obsolete (and this will happen, apparently, not soon), Russians can be sure that any aggressor will be careful to attack. However, there is reason to hope that the next generation of strategic weapons will be able to guarantee the reliable protection that is so necessary in today's complex world.