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R-17 Elbrus
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R-17 Elbrus
The R-17 Elbrus (Russian: Р-17, 9К72 «Эльбрус», named for Mount Elbrus), GRAU index 9K72 is a tactical ballistic missile, initially developed by the Soviet Union. It is also known by its NATO reporting name SS-1C Scud-B. The R-17 is one of several Soviet missiles to carry the reporting name Scud, and the most prolifically launched of the series, with a production run estimated at 7,000 (1960–1987). Also designated R-300 during the 1970s, the R-17 was derived from the R-11 Zemlya. It has been operated by 32 countries and manufactured in four countries outside the Soviet Union. It is still in service with some. The North Koreans reverse-engineered it as the Hwasong-5.
The first mock-up was designed and built by Makeyev in 1958–1959, before the programme was transferred to the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant in 1959 for mass production. The first launch was conducted in 1961, and it entered service in 1962, mounted on the 2P19 tracked transporter erector launcher (TEL).
During the 1960s the Soviets exported the R-17 missiles and 2P19 launchers to Warsaw Pact allies, though none of their armies had access to nuclear warheads, which were stored on their soil in Soviet-controlled Missile Technical Bases (RTB). After the 9P117 TEL was introduced, Warsaw Pact Scud brigades were re-equipped with these. About 140 TELs were exported to Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. Most of their Scud brigades were disbanded in the 1990s as their equipment was wearing out and ineffective without a nuclear warhead.
The Soviet Union made little effort to export Scud-B systems outside of the Warsaw Pact, since it was complex, expensive, and not military effective without a nuclear warhead, but several Middle Eastern countries showed interest in obtaining some systems, partly for propaganda purposes, giving their militaries a veneer of modernity and partly for the possibility of carrying deep strikes inside Israel, since their air forces proved to be incapable of conducting ground attack missions when faced against the better-trained Israeli Air Force.
The exact number of systems exported is not known, with one Russian account stating that 2,300 missiles were sold to 11 countries through 1989, while Zaloga states that Warsaw Pact inventories had over 1,000 missiles, and more than 3,000 were exported to the Middle East and Afghanistan between 1970 and 1990.
Faced with the Soviets refusal to supply R-17 missiles, the North Koreans set up a rogue production line with Egyptian assistance, locally producing it as the Hwasong-5.
According to a 1988 CIA report, Egypt have probably assembled Hwasong-5 missiles locally from knock-down kits, though its unknown if their efforts to build them locally were successful. Iran have also locally assembled Hwasong-5s, giving them the local designation of Shahab-1. Syria have also locally produced Scud-B and Scud-Cs with North Korean and Iranian assistance. Prior to the Syrian civil war, it was estimated that Syria was capable of building 30 Scud-B/C missiles per year, under the designation Golan-1 and Golan-2.
The R-17 featured important improvements over the R-11. The Isayev RD-21 engine used a combination of inhibited red fuming nitric acid (IRFNA) oxidiser and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) fuel, fed into the combustion chamber by fuel pumps that ensured a more consistent thrust. The guidance system, active only during the boosted phase, uses three gyroscopes, that give it a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of 450 m (490 yd) (900 m (980 yd) according to western sources). A nuclear warhead was designed for the R-17, with a selectable yield, from 5 to 70 kilotons. However it could also carry a chemical warhead, containing 555 kg (1,224 lb) of viscous VX; a conventional weapon, with a single high explosive warhead; or a series of fragmentation payloads, using either high explosive, anti-tank or anti-runway munitions.
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R-17 Elbrus
The R-17 Elbrus (Russian: Р-17, 9К72 «Эльбрус», named for Mount Elbrus), GRAU index 9K72 is a tactical ballistic missile, initially developed by the Soviet Union. It is also known by its NATO reporting name SS-1C Scud-B. The R-17 is one of several Soviet missiles to carry the reporting name Scud, and the most prolifically launched of the series, with a production run estimated at 7,000 (1960–1987). Also designated R-300 during the 1970s, the R-17 was derived from the R-11 Zemlya. It has been operated by 32 countries and manufactured in four countries outside the Soviet Union. It is still in service with some. The North Koreans reverse-engineered it as the Hwasong-5.
The first mock-up was designed and built by Makeyev in 1958–1959, before the programme was transferred to the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant in 1959 for mass production. The first launch was conducted in 1961, and it entered service in 1962, mounted on the 2P19 tracked transporter erector launcher (TEL).
During the 1960s the Soviets exported the R-17 missiles and 2P19 launchers to Warsaw Pact allies, though none of their armies had access to nuclear warheads, which were stored on their soil in Soviet-controlled Missile Technical Bases (RTB). After the 9P117 TEL was introduced, Warsaw Pact Scud brigades were re-equipped with these. About 140 TELs were exported to Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. Most of their Scud brigades were disbanded in the 1990s as their equipment was wearing out and ineffective without a nuclear warhead.
The Soviet Union made little effort to export Scud-B systems outside of the Warsaw Pact, since it was complex, expensive, and not military effective without a nuclear warhead, but several Middle Eastern countries showed interest in obtaining some systems, partly for propaganda purposes, giving their militaries a veneer of modernity and partly for the possibility of carrying deep strikes inside Israel, since their air forces proved to be incapable of conducting ground attack missions when faced against the better-trained Israeli Air Force.
The exact number of systems exported is not known, with one Russian account stating that 2,300 missiles were sold to 11 countries through 1989, while Zaloga states that Warsaw Pact inventories had over 1,000 missiles, and more than 3,000 were exported to the Middle East and Afghanistan between 1970 and 1990.
Faced with the Soviets refusal to supply R-17 missiles, the North Koreans set up a rogue production line with Egyptian assistance, locally producing it as the Hwasong-5.
According to a 1988 CIA report, Egypt have probably assembled Hwasong-5 missiles locally from knock-down kits, though its unknown if their efforts to build them locally were successful. Iran have also locally assembled Hwasong-5s, giving them the local designation of Shahab-1. Syria have also locally produced Scud-B and Scud-Cs with North Korean and Iranian assistance. Prior to the Syrian civil war, it was estimated that Syria was capable of building 30 Scud-B/C missiles per year, under the designation Golan-1 and Golan-2.
The R-17 featured important improvements over the R-11. The Isayev RD-21 engine used a combination of inhibited red fuming nitric acid (IRFNA) oxidiser and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) fuel, fed into the combustion chamber by fuel pumps that ensured a more consistent thrust. The guidance system, active only during the boosted phase, uses three gyroscopes, that give it a Circular Error Probable (CEP) of 450 m (490 yd) (900 m (980 yd) according to western sources). A nuclear warhead was designed for the R-17, with a selectable yield, from 5 to 70 kilotons. However it could also carry a chemical warhead, containing 555 kg (1,224 lb) of viscous VX; a conventional weapon, with a single high explosive warhead; or a series of fragmentation payloads, using either high explosive, anti-tank or anti-runway munitions.
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