Ministry of Defense: tests of military vehicles on Elbrus were completed successfully. Hike to the "roof of Europe": why did Russian military vehicles go to Elbrus Extreme at all latitudes

Can a multi-ton armored car climb to the top of the mountain? Will he get stuck in the sands of a lifeless desert? The Ministry of Defense conducted an extreme test drive of promising military vehicles created in the South Urals. On the expedition, together with the testers, I drove and. He took unique pictures, and also appreciated the comfort and capabilities of the vehicles that could soon be adopted by the army and the National Guard.

The path from Bronnitsy near Moscow, where the Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense is located, to Elbrus through the Astrakhan desert was covered by cars from five Russian factories.

A photo: Eduard Fadyushin (infographic)

The Miass automobile plant "Ural" was presented on the largest scale. He put up two heavy armored vehicles: "Tornado-U", which can be used as a platform (like "Armata") for rifle and anti-aircraft systems, as well as "Typhoon-U", whose "brother" - KAMAZ "Typhoon-K" - is already "Serves" in Syria. Two Ural Next vehicles with Euro-4 and Euro-5 engines, made according to the highest environmental class, are also interesting - they are planned to be put into service with the Russian Guard.

KAMAZ exhibited a new modification of Typhoon-K 4x4. The Bryansk Automobile Plant put up a tractor for the S-400 and S-500 missile systems, Asteys from Naberezhnye Chelny presented the Asteys-Patrul armored car, and the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant showed the new UAZ-Profi, a modification of the well-known UAZ-Patriot.

It is worth noting that the members of the expedition - not just samples that had just rolled off the assembly line, but cars that had already passed, frankly, a survival test - they were fired upon and blown up, and then restored to their original state. Some of the cars last year went on an expedition to the Far North, where they were tested in conditions of extremely low temperatures. This time, the exact opposite conditions - the hot desert in the south of the Astrakhan region, which is not inferior to the Sahara in its harsh conditions. Military vehicles had to overcome the dunes no worse than specially prepared off-road vehicles of the Paris-Dakar rally.

From early morning there was a 30-degree heat, which tested the strength of air conditioners in cars, - said Alexei Kitaev. - For the "iron" the smallest sand, which strove to clog wherever possible, became a real disaster. Do you know how they clean the paint on icebreakers using sandblasting? Approximately the same effect was on the body: when the car was moving, sand from under the wheels hits the frame, cab, wings, gets into various “rubbing” surfaces, acting like sandpaper. That is, there is increased wear.

The next test was Elbrus. Before climbing to a height of four thousand meters above sea level, test drivers climbed there on foot - after all, if an unadapted person becomes ill at the wheel, the car can fly into a cliff and, worse, drag someone else along with it. Further, at the first stage, two Ural Next and two light armored vehicles Patrol and Typhoon-K are raised. At the second stage, the whole expedition climbed up, up to the technical machines, and stayed there until the morning to go down the next day.

The work in the mountains is difficult: the roads are narrow, heavy cars were passing a meter away from me, and there was a cliff behind me. It is worth paying tribute to the filigree skill of the drivers: the wheel will turn almost in the wrong direction and blow me into the abyss, - recalls Alexei Kitaev. - The cars drove back on the brakes, while rocks literally crawled under the wheels. By the way, the cars were loaded - as in combat conditions.

New military equipment tested on Elbrus and in the desert / Photo: Press Service of the RF Ministry of Defense

The Russian Ministry of Defense has completed testing of 15 promising models of military vehicles in hot desert, sandy and mountainous areas in the Astrakhan region and the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria.

To conduct large-scale tests, a two-month special expedition was organized during which the equipment overcame a route with a length of about 4200 km along the route: Bronnitsy - Volgograd - Enotaevka village (Astrakhan region) - Astrakhan - settlement. Terskol (Kabardino-Balkaria) and back.

The purpose of the expedition was to confirm the indicators of technical characteristics and the possibility of military operation of promising models of military vehicles in conditions of high temperatures, high dust content and mountainous terrain, to identify the main directions for improving the design of samples to increase their technical level, as well as to gain experience in using them when performing by units of military units tasks for their intended purpose in real conditions of military operation in hot desert and mountainous areas.

New military equipment tested in the desert / Photo: Press Service of the RF Ministry of Defense

The four support vehicles included a unique mobile laboratory for assessing the performance of the ground clearance of vehicles based on KAMAZ-5350 and the ChMZAP 83352 trailer with box bodies. In the course of work in a hot desert and dusty area, laboratory road tests and a 300 km test march were carried out to assess the average and maximum speeds, fuel and oil operating costs, cross-country ability and maneuverability when driving on various types of roads and terrain, and the effectiveness of cross-country means.

The possibility of moving the column under dusty conditions in the daytime and at night, the temperature conditions of operation of engines, transmissions, tires, batteries, the reliability of starting and operating engines on the main fuel and on the mixture (multi-fuel), microclimate parameters in cabins and habitable compartments, technical features maintenance of machines under these conditions. The estimated indicators are included in the basic requirements for promising military vehicles of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

In the course of work in high-altitude conditions, the possibility of overcoming mountain passes, average speeds of movement on the ascent and descent when the engines were running on the main and reserve fuel, the efficiency of starting from a standstill on the ascent of the pass without a trailer and with a trailer, maneuverability indicators, the efficiency of the engine, brake and steering systems in typical driving modes, the reliability of starting a cold and hot engine at the top of the pass and a number of other requirements of the Ministry of Defense for a promising BAT were evaluated.

New military equipment tested on Elbrus / Photo: Press Service of the RF Ministry of Defense

In the course of the work, the route and conditions of movement in the mountains were determined by the specialists of the NIIC AT together with the High Mountain Ecological Observatory OJSC, which has a research base in the village. Terskol. In the course of testing in high-altitude conditions, laboratory work was carried out up to a height of 3800 m, some samples climbed to a height of 4500 m. The expedition completed the test program and is currently marching to the place of permanent deployment of machines.

It should be noted the high scientific and practical significance of the work carried out. The most important indicators of the technical and operational properties of advanced military vehicles in the most critical and actual modes and conditions of use are evaluated. At the same time, the methodological base for conducting such studies, which have not been carried out in natural conditions for the past 20 years, has been restored, the corresponding school of work has been restored by the efforts of scientists from the NIIC AT, and interaction with the main consumers of equipment in such conditions and specialists in the field of high-altitude research has been organized.

The Main Armored Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense has laid the organizational and methodological basis for a better formation and assessment of the requirements for equipment accepted for supply in the RF Armed Forces, as well as important practical steps have been taken towards organizing such a winter (Arctic) expedition this year.

The expedition includes 15 samples of testing and testing equipment. In particular, the all-terrain vehicle 4x4 of the JSC Russian Mechanics, which is undergoing state tests, 2 special vehicles of the company NPO TREKOL LLC, special vehicles of Zashchita Corporation CJSC Skorpion (LSHA-2) and (LSHA-2B) that have passed state acceptance tests , a large group of promising equipment of JSC AZ "Ural": Ural-542301-10 and Ural-63704 with imitation of the load on the tractor saddle, protected car Typhoon-U, Ural-432009 (Ural-VV); vehicles of OJSC KAMAZ KAMAZ-53501-399 and a shift bus NEFAZ-4208-24. In addition to specialists from the Russian Ministry of Defense and the NIITs AT 3 Central Research Institute, representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and manufacturers were involved in the expedition, Deputy Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation General of the Army Dmitry Bulgakov told reporters.

MOSCOW, Press Service and Information Department of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

More than a dozen special and armored vehicles have been put up for testing: their capabilities are being tested during a 1,700-kilometer march along a route that includes the most inaccessible terrain. Including - the international observatory "Peak Terskol", located at an altitude of 3150 meters near the highest peak in Europe - Mount Elbrus. Based on the results of this unique campaign, military experts will decide whether the vehicles are ready for military service (military operation) or whether they will have to be finalized.

Journalist Aleksey Egorov will tell about how the army’s wheeled assistants are tested, how the characters of cars and people are tested in difficult, and sometimes dangerous situations, in the next issue of the Military Acceptance program on the Zvezda TV channel.

Extreme at all latitudes

"Military Acceptance" has already participated in such extreme travels twice. Both times in winter, and both times - to the Far North. First, there was an expedition on armored cars to the area of ​​​​the village of Varandey (the coast of the Arctic Ocean), then - the conquest of the ice of the Laptev Sea on military caterpillar vehicles. In the current campaign, the participants of the raid are waiting for the heat and sand of the Astrakhan region, the mountains of the Caucasus. Starting point - near Moscow Bronnitsy, Research Automobile Center of the Russian Ministry of Defense. From here to Elbrus - 2229 kilometers. This is two and a half weeks of travel, 16 large settlements, thousands of liters of diesel fuel. And a whole series of tests.

Testing equipment for the army is a complex and harsh process. Cars that are to be put into service, especially armored ones, are blown up, burned with napalm, they are shot at, their driving performance is tested on uncompromising off-road. One of those who have already passed these tests is the largest vehicle participating in the campaign, the Tornado truck. In fact, this is a new platform on which it will be possible to place not only the cargo compartment, but also weapons. Also, the "classic" armored cars "Typhoon-U" and "Typhoon-K" are sent on a campaign. Another vehicle is called "Patrol", and perhaps the most exotic of the armored cars in the convoy is the KDMB, first presented at the recent Army forum, and now also sent to this expedition.

Testing with a long march is also waiting for a novelty of army wheeled vehicles - UAZ "Patriot-Profi". This is something more than a standard army UAZ. At the same time, its obvious plus is maintainability in any conditions. As the head of the expedition, Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Sibilyaev, notes, such a UAZ in mass production does not yet exist, in any case, there are no serial samples.

Test routes

From Bronnitsy, a convoy of motor vehicles of the Russian Defense Ministry will pass through Tambov, Volgograd, Astrakhan, Elista, Budennovsk, Pyatigorsk. The final point of the route is the village of Terskol in the Elbrus region of Kabardino-Balkaria. Multifunctional armored vehicles Ural-63096 "Typhoon-U", KAMAZ-4386 "Typhoon-VDV", KAMAZ-53949 "Typhoon-K", "Asteys-70201" (4x4), off-road trucks Ural-63706-0120 " Tornado-U", Ural-4320 "Next", KAMAZ-53958 "Tornado-K", Ural-6361, KAMAZ-53501, KAMAZ-6560, wheeled road vehicle KDBM, special wheeled chassis BAZ-69092-021 and BAZ-6909 -015, truck UAE-236022-154 "PROFI 1500".

Everyone goes on their own, including armored cars. "Typhoon-K" is intended for a motorized rifle squad. The safety standards of the machine correspond to the sixth, maximum level of protection. There are also five-point belts, and anti-mine seats, and a V-shaped bottom of the car (helps to level the force of undermining). It is worth noting that all the vehicles participating in the trip are loaded with ballast: this is how the regular load is simulated, with which the vehicles will have to work during the service.

By the way, if we talk about Typhoon, then a real combat vehicle went to Elbrus, which is now undergoing state tests. Before the expedition, these armored cars were tested for survival - including the method of detonating a land mine. The vehicles that participated in the testing survived five such explosions: not a single fragment penetrated either the cockpit or the armored capsule. Withstood the blow and bulletproof glass.

It is worth noting that today a wide range of armored vehicles is offered for law enforcement agencies. Some of the vehicles could be seen at the recent Army-2017 International Military-Technical Forum. For example, the Medved vehicle (it looks like a Typhoon) was developed for the National Guard and is intended for operations in urban areas. Bulletproof protection here is differentiated, that is, during operation, you can change the internal armor panels, change the protection class. Another novelty for law enforcement officers is an elongated version of the Patrol. As noted by the head of the testing department of the company "Asteys" Sergey Ivanov, this car can be used, if necessary, for example, to transport the wounded - both lying and sitting, as well as medical personnel.

The most unusual vehicle in the convoy of equipment of the Russian Ministry of Defense is an armored wheeled road vehicle, or KDMB. Here is a powerful bucket and an armored cab - it is specially designed for engineering troops. The task of the KDMB is to clear the road in front of the column from stones during the ascent to Elbrus. By the way, ten days before the start of the expedition, a powerful mudflow came down due to a breakthrough in a mountain lake in Kabardino-Balkaria. Rumors immediately spread that the expedition would be cancelled. Here, more than ever, the KDMB came in handy: the idea of ​​​​taking it with you on a hike turned out to be visionary.

Protection without compromise

The current trend of military automotive technology is a special emphasis on the protection of the crew and passengers. In Syria, only armored cars move as part of military columns. There are even armored road vehicles, armored fuel trucks. The Tornado car, which is being tested during the march to Elbrus, is considered an armored truck. Interestingly, with its weight of 14 tons, it can carry 16 tons of cargo. “This is the real automotive future of our army,” says Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Sibilyaev. “This machine, in principle, should replace all machines of this purpose that are now present in the troops.”

In order for this heavy truck to get into service, he only had to successfully complete the state tests. "Tornado" is specially designed for the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, is available in two versions - with frame-panel and armored cabs. In the car - air conditioning, autonomous heating system, automatic tire pressure control system, fire extinguishing system.

The most powerful in terms of protection are Typhoons. They withstand directional blasting, blasting under the bottom, as well as the shooting of wheels from small arms. If we talk about unarmored vehicles participating in the raid, then the Ural-Next car attracts attention. In the current campaign, this machine performs the functions of support: it carries spare parts, has a crane, and other devices. As the testers say, if this sample proves itself positively, then it can be offered for full use. By the way, the engine of the new "Ural" - category Euro-5 - that is, the highest environmental class. This is the first car of such purity, which will enter the army. By the way, the car was specially taken on an expedition to understand how the Euro-5 engine would behave in the mountains, in rarefied air conditions. In general, the campaign should justify the main goal of the tests - confirmation of the tactical and technical characteristics and capabilities of existing vehicles, as well as determining the main directions for improving modern and promising models of military automotive equipment for the Russian army.

In March 1962, the 9K72 Elbrus operational-tactical missile system was adopted by the Soviet Army. Over the past half century, the complex, which received the NATO designation SS-1C Scud-B (Scud - "Gust of Wind", "Squall"), managed to take part in a number of military conflicts, from the Doomsday War (1973) to the second Chechen campaign in 1999 -2000 years. Moreover, the R-17 missile, which is the basis of the Elbrus complex, for several decades abroad has been a kind of standard ballistic target for tactical missile defense systems - almost always missile defense capabilities are evaluated precisely by the ability to intercept Scud-B missiles.

The Elbrus complex began in 1957, when the Russian military wanted to get an upgraded version of the R-11 ballistic missile. Based on the results of studying the prospects for improvement, we decided that it would be wiser to take advantage of the existing developments and create a completely new design based on them. This approach promised a twofold increase in the range of the missile. At the end of February 58, the Military-Industrial Commission under the Council of Ministers and the Council of Ministers issued resolutions necessary to start work in this direction. The creation of a new rocket was entrusted to SKB-385 (now the State Missile Center, Miass), and V.P. Makeev. In September of the same year, a preliminary design was ready, and by the end of November, all design documentation had been collected. Until the end of 1958, preparations began at the Zlatoust Machine-Building Plant for the manufacture of the first rocket prototypes. In May of the following 1959, the GAU of the Ministry of Defense approved the requirements for a new missile and assigned it the index 8K14, and the entire complex - 9K72.

The assembly of the first missiles began in mid-1959, and flight tests began at the Kapustin Yar test site in December. The first stage of testing ended on August 25, 1960. All seven launches were successful. Shortly thereafter, the second stage of testing began, during which 25 launches were made. Two of them ended in an accident: during the first flight, the R-17 rocket with the C5.2 engine flew in the opposite direction from the target, and the third ended in self-destruction of the rocket due to a short circuit in the active flight segment. The tests were considered successful and the 9K72 Elbrus operational-tactical missile system with the 8K14 (R-17) missile was recommended for adoption. On March 24, 1962, the recommendation was implemented by the corresponding resolution of the Council of Ministers.

The composition of the complex

The basis of the 9K72 complex is a single-stage ballistic missile 8K14 (R-17) with an inseparable warhead and a liquid engine. One of the measures to increase the range of the rocket was the introduction of a pump into the fuel system of the rocket to supply fuel and oxidizer. Thanks to this, the pressure inside the tanks, necessary for optimal engine operation, decreased by more than six times, which, in turn, made it possible to lighten the design due to thinner walls of the fuel system units. With the help of separate pumps, fuel (starting TG-02 "Samin" and the main TM-185), as well as the oxidizer AK-27I "Melange" is fed into a single-chamber rocket engine S3.42T. To simplify the design of the engine, it is started using starting fuel, which ignites on its own upon contact with an oxidizing agent. The approximate thrust of the C3.42T engine is 13 tons. The first series of R-17 missiles were equipped with S3.42T rocket engines, but since 1962 they began to receive a new power plant. The C5.2 single-chamber engine received a different design of the combustion chamber and nozzle, as well as a number of other systems. The engine upgrade entailed a slight (by about 300-400 kgf) increase in thrust and a gain in weight of about 40 kg. The C5.2 rocket engine operated on the same fuel and oxidizer as the C3.42T.

The control system is responsible for the flight path of the R-17 rocket. Inertial automation stabilizes the position of the rocket, and also makes adjustments to the direction of flight. The missile control system is conditionally divided into four subsystems: motion stabilization, range control, switching and additional equipment. The motion stabilization system is responsible for maintaining the programmed course; for this, the 1SB9 gyrohorizon and the 1SB10 gyroverticant collect information about the rocket accelerations along three axes and transmit it to the 1SB13 calculating and decisive device. The latter issues commands to steering machines. In addition, the control automation can issue a command to the automatic missile detonation system if the flight parameters differ significantly from the specified ones, for example, the deviation from the required trajectory exceeds 10 °. To parry emerging drifts, the rocket was equipped with four gas-dynamic rudders installed in the immediate vicinity of the engine nozzle. The range control system is based on the 1SB12 calculator. Its tasks include monitoring the speed of the rocket and giving a command to turn off the engine when it reaches the desired one. This command terminates the active flight mode, after which the missile reaches the target along a ballistic trajectory. The maximum range of the rocket is 300 kilometers, the maximum speed on the trajectory is about 1500 meters per second.

A warhead was mounted in the bow of the rocket. Depending on the tactical need, one of several options could be used. The list of main warheads for the R-17 looks like this:
- 8F44. high-explosive warhead weighing 987 kg, approximately 700 of which accounted for the TGAG-5 explosive. The high-explosive warhead for the R-17 is equipped with three fuses at once: a nasal contact fuse, a bottom barometric fuse for detonation at a certain height, and a self-destruct fuse;
- 8F14. Nuclear warhead with an RDS-4 charge with a capacity of ten kilotons. A training version of 8F14UT was produced without a nuclear warhead;
- chemical warheads. They differed from each other in the amount and type of poisonous substance. So, 3N8 carried about 750-800 kg of mustard-lewisite mixture, and 8F44G and 8F44G1 each carried 555 kg of V and VX gas, respectively. In addition, it was planned to create an ammunition with viscous soman, but the lack of production space did not allow the development to be completed;
- 9N33-1. Thermonuclear warhead with a charge of RA104-02 with a capacity of 500 kilotons.

The main element of the ground equipment of the Elbrus complex is the launch unit (launcher) 9P117, developed at the Central Design Bureau of Transport Engineering (TsKB TM). The wheeled vehicle is designed for transportation, pre-launch checks, refueling with starting fuel and directly launching the R-17 rocket. All units of the launcher are mounted on a four-axle MAZ-543 chassis. The launch equipment of the 9P117 machine consisted of a launch pad and a lifting boom. These nodes are fixed on the axis and can be rotated 90 °, transferring the rocket from a horizontal transport to a vertical launch position. The rocket is lifted using a hydraulic cylinder, other mechanics of the boom and table are driven by electromechanical drives. After lifting to a vertical position, the R-17 rocket rests with its back on the details of the launch pad, after which the boom is lowered back. The launch pad has a frame structure and is equipped with a gas baffle shield, which prevents damage to the structure of the undercarriage of the 9P117 machine by hot gases from the rocket engine. In addition, the table can rotate in a horizontal plane. In the middle part of the launch unit 9P117, a cabin is installed with additional equipment and jobs for three people at the rate of the complex. The equipment in the wheelhouse is mainly designed to provide start-up and control over the operation of various systems.

In addition to the rocket and the launcher, the Elbrus complex included several other machines for various purposes. Because of this, the composition of the missile division looked like this:
- 2 launch vehicles 9P117;
- 5 command and staff vehicles based on the GAZ-66;
- 2 topographic surveyors 1T12-2M on the GAZ-66 chassis;
- 3 washing and neutralization machines 8T311 based on ZiL trucks;
- 2 tankers 9G29 (based on ZiL-157) with two refuelings of the main fuel and four launchers on each;
- 4 tank trucks for the oxidizer AKTs-4-255B based on the KrAZ-255 truck, each carrying two Melange filling stations;
- 2 truck cranes 9T31M1 with a set of related equipment;
- 4 2T3 soil carts for transporting a stock of missiles and 2 2Sh3 containers for combat units;
- 2 special vehicles based on "Ural-4320" for the transportation of warheads;
- 2 maintenance vehicles MTO-V or MTO-AT;
- 2 mobile control points 9С436-1;
- material support platoon: tankers for cars, field kitchens, auxiliary trucks, etc.

Modifications

Without waiting for the complex to be put into service, the Central Design Bureau TM began to develop an alternative 2P20 launcher based on the MAZ-535 chassis. Due to insufficient structural strength, this project was canceled - no one saw the point in strengthening one chassis in order to replace another with sufficient strength and rigidity. A little more successful was the "Object 816" on the tracked chassis of the Design Bureau of the Leningrad Kirov Plant. However, the production of this self-propelled launcher was limited to only an experimental batch of several units. Another original project of an alternative launcher reached the stage of trial operation, but was never put into service. The 9K73 installation was a lightweight four-wheeled platform with a lifting boom and a launch pad. It was understood that such a launcher could be delivered by an aircraft or helicopter of the appropriate carrying capacity to the desired area and from there launch a missile. During the tests, the experimental platform showed the fundamental possibility of rapid landing landing and firing of a ballistic missile. However, in the case of the R-17, it was not possible to use the full potential of the platform. The fact is that in order to launch and guide a missile, the calculation needs to know a number of parameters, such as the coordinates of the launcher and target, the meteorological situation, etc. In the mid-sixties, the determination of these parameters required the participation of specialized complexes on an automobile chassis. In addition, such preparation significantly increased the time required for launch. As a result, the 9K73 was not put into service and the idea of ​​a "stripped down" light airborne launcher was not returned to.

Rocket 8K14 of the 9K72 complex with SPU 9P117 (photo by V.P. Makeev Design Bureau)

The situation was similar with the new modifications of the R-17 rocket. Its first modernized version was to be the R-17M (9M77) with increased capacity tanks and, as a result, a greater range. The latter, according to initial calculations, was to reach 500 kilometers. In 1963, at the Design Bureau of the Votkinsk Machine-Building Plant under the leadership of E.D. Rakov began designing this rocket. The original R-17 was taken as the basis. To increase the range, it was proposed to replace the engine and type of fuel, as well as to carry out a number of alterations in the design of the rocket itself. Calculations have shown that while maintaining the existing principle of flight to the target and further increasing the range, the angle between the vertical and the trajectory of the missile decreases on approach to the target. At the same time, the conical nose fairing of the rocket created a noticeable moment for pitching up, because of which the rocket could significantly deviate from the target. To avoid such a phenomenon, a new warhead was designed with a perforated fairing and a cylindrical casing of equipment and warhead inside. Such a system made it possible to combine both good aerodynamics in flight and almost completely eliminate the tendency of the rocket to pitch up. At the same time, I had to tinker with the selection of the type of metal for the fairings - the previously used ones could not withstand the temperature loads in the final flight segment, and the perforation of the fairing did not give a protective coating. Under the name 9K77 "Record", the updated operational-tactical missile system was sent to the Kapustin Yar test site in 1964. Test launches were generally successful, but still there were enough problems. The tests were completed only in 1967, when the R-17M project was closed. The reason for this was the appearance of the Temp-S missile system, capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 900 kilometers.

In 1972, the design bureau of the Votkinsk Machine-Building Plant was given the task of making a target based on the R-17 missile for testing new anti-aircraft missile systems with limited anti-missile defense capabilities. The main difference between the target and the original missile was the absence of a warhead and the presence of a number of specialized systems for collecting and transmitting information about flight parameters and the course of interception to the ground. It is noteworthy that in order to avoid premature destruction, the main equipment of the target missile was placed in an armored box. Thus, the target, even for some time after the defeat, could maintain contact with ground equipment. Until 1977, R-17 target missiles were mass-produced; later, they were probably converted from mass-produced missiles with an ending warranty period.

Complexes 9K72 with SPU 9P117M on the march (photo by KBM named after V.P., Makeev)

Since 1967, specialists from the Central Research Institute of Automation and Hydraulics (TsNIIAG) and NPO Gidravlika have been working on the creation of photo reference guidance systems. The essence of this idea is that an aerial photograph of the target is loaded into the homing head and the target, having entered a given area, is guided using an appropriate computer and a built-in video system. Based on the results of the research, the Aerofon GOS was created. Due to the complexity of the project, the first test launch of the R-17 missile with such a system took place only in 1977. The first three test launches at a distance of 300 kilometers were completed successfully, conditional targets were hit with a deviation of several meters. From 1983 to 1986, the second stage of testing took place - eight more launches. At the end of the second stage, state tests began. 22 launches, most of which ended in the defeat of a conditional target, became the reason for the recommendation to accept the Aerofon complex for trial operation. In 1990, servicemen of the 22nd missile brigade of the Belarusian Military District went to Kapustin Yar to get acquainted with the new complex, called 9K72O. A little later, several copies were sent to the brigade. There is no information about the trial operation, moreover, according to various sources, the 22nd brigade was disbanded before the expected date for the transfer of missile systems. According to reports, all unused missiles and equipment of the complexes are in storage.

Service

The first batches of 9K72 Elbrus complexes entered service with the Soviet army. After completing the domestic armed forces, Elbrus was finalized for deliveries abroad. The R-17 missile went abroad under the designation R-300. Despite the large number of 9K72 in the Warsaw Pact countries, Egypt was the first to use it in practice. In 1973, during the so-called. During the Yom Kippur Wars, the Egyptian military fired several P-300 missiles at Israeli targets in the Sinai Peninsula. Most of the fired missiles hit the target without exceeding the calculated deviation. However, the war ended with an Israeli victory.

SPU 9P117 from the 112th missile brigade of the GSVG (Gentsrode, 1970-1980s, photo http://militaryrussia.ru)

The following facts of the combat use of R-17 missiles occurred during the war in Afghanistan. Operational-tactical missiles proved to be useful in attacks on Dushman fortifications or camps. According to various sources, Soviet rocket launchers made from one to two thousand launches, while several characteristic features of operation were revealed. So, the deviation from the target, which reached a hundred meters at the 8K14 rocket, sometimes did not allow it to reliably hit targets with a blast wave and shrapnel. For this reason, already in combat units, a new method of using ballistic missiles was invented. Its essence was to launch a rocket at a relatively short range. The engine was switched off relatively early, and some fuel remained in the tanks. As a result, hitting the target, the rocket sprayed around itself a mixture of TM-185 fuel and AI-27K oxidizer. The expansion of liquids with subsequent ignition significantly increased the area of ​​damage. At the same time, in a number of cases, the remnants of fuel and oxidizer caused a long-term fire in the shelled area. This ingenious method of using a missile with a standard HE warhead has given rise to rumors of the existence of some sort of volumetric explosion warhead. However, the existence of such a charge for the Elbrus complex has no documentary evidence.

Shortly after the first use of Elbrus in Afghanistan, he took part in the Iran-Iraq war. It is worth noting that R-300 missiles were launched by both sides of the conflict, although in different numbers. The fact is that Iraq bought export versions of the 9K72 complex directly from the USSR, and Iran acquired them through Libya. According to various sources, Iraq fired from 300 to 500 R-300 missiles at targets in Iran. In 1987, tests began on the Al Hussein missile, which is an Iraqi upgrade of the R-300. The Iraqi development had a lightweight warhead weighing 250 kg and an increased launch range - up to 500 kilometers. The total number of El-Hussein rocket launches is estimated at 150-200. The response to the Iraqi shelling was the purchase by Iran from Libya of a number of similar Elbrus complexes, but their use was on a much smaller scale. In total, about 30-40 missiles were fired. Just a few years after the end of the Iran-Iraq war, export R-300 missiles again took part in the hostilities. During Operation Desert Storm, the Iraqi military carried out attacks on targets in Israel and Saudi Arabia, and also fired on advancing American troops. During this conflict, the US military was able to put into practice the new Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, which have limited missile defense capabilities. The result of the interception attempts is still a matter of controversy. Various sources give figures from 20% to 100% of destroyed missiles. At the same time, only two or three missiles caused significant damage to the enemy.

Reloading of the 8K14 rocket from the 2T3M1 transport vehicle to the 9P117M SPU using the KS2573 truck crane, 22nd RBR of the Belorussian Army, Tsel settlement, 1994-1996. (photo from the archive of Dmitry Shipuli, http://military.tomsk.ru/forum).

In the nineties of the last century, the 9K72 Elbrus complexes were almost never used in combat. No more than two dozen missiles were fired during several local conflicts. One of the latest uses of R-17 missiles refers to the second Chechen campaign. There is information about the formation in 1999 of a special unit armed with Elbrus. Over the next year and a half, Russian rocket scientists made two and a half hundred launches, including missiles with an expired warranty period. No major problems were recorded. According to reports, in the spring of 2001, the 9K72 complexes were transferred for storage.

With the exception of the former Soviet republics, which got the Elbrus complexes after the collapse of the USSR, the R-17 and R-300 operational-tactical missiles were in service with 16 countries, including Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Vietnam, East Germany, North Korea, Libya, etc. .d. After the demise of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, part of the missiles produced ended up in the newly independent countries. In addition, Russia's loss of its former positions in the international arena led to the fact that, with the direct assistance of NATO countries, some operators of the Elbrus complexes removed them from service and disposed of them. The reasons for this were the approaching end of the service life of the missiles, as well as the pressure of Western states, which still consider the 9K72 an object of increased threat: the possibility of installing even obsolete nuclear warheads on the missile affects. However, in some countries, the Elbrus complexes are still in service and in operation. Their number is small and constantly decreasing. It seems that within the next few years one of the oldest operational-tactical missile systems will be completely decommissioned throughout the world.

According to the websites:
http://rbase.new-factoria.ru/
http://vpk-news.ru/
http://militaryrussia.ru/
http://janes.com/
http://kapyar.ru/
http://rwd-mb3.de/
http://engine.aviaport.ru/
http://globalsecurity.org/