R-1 (missile)

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This article is about the Soviet missile. For other uses, see R1.
R-1
1-пуску-посвящается 1S.jpg
Replica R-1 at Znamensk City
TypeTactical ballistic missile
Place of originUSSR
Service history
In serviceNovember 1950
Production history
ManufacturerOKB-586 (Dnepropetrovsk) [1]
ProducedMay 10, 1951 [1]
Specifications
Mass13,430 kg (29,610 lb)[2]
Length14 m (45 ft 11 in)
Diameter1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
EngineLiquid rocket engine
27,200 kgf (267,000 N; 60,000 lbf)[2]
Wingspan3.56 m (11 ft 8 in)
Propellant
  • 3,810 kg (8,400 lb) 75% ethanol
  • 25% water
  • 4,910 kg (10,820 lb) liquid oxygen
[2]
Operational
range
270 km (170 mi)[2]
Accuracy5 km

The R-1 rocket (NATO reporting name SS-1 Scunner, Soviet code name SA11, GRAU index 8A11) was a tactical ballistic missile manufactured in the Soviet Union based on the German V-2 rocket.[2] Even though it was a copy, it was manufactured using Soviet industrial plants and gave the Soviets valuable experience which later enabled the USSR to construct its own much more capable rockets. The R-1 missile system entered into service in the Soviet Army on 28 November 1950.

History[]

In 1945 the Soviets captured several key V-2 rocket production facilities, and also gained the services of some German scientists and engineers related to the project. In particular the Soviets gained control of the main V-2 manufacturing facility at Nordhausen, and had 30 V-2 missiles assembled there by September 1946.

In October 1946 the Soviets transferred the German missile engineers working for them to a special research facility near Moscow, where they were forced to remain until the mid-1950s. The Soviets established a missile design bureau of their own (OKB-1), under the direction of Sergei Korolev. This team was directed to create a Soviet capability to build missiles, starting with a Soviet copy of the German V-2 and moving to more advanced, Soviet-designed missiles in the near future.[3]

Description[]

Drawing of the Soviet R-1 missile, NATO code SS-1 Scunner

In April 1947 Stalin authorised the production of the R-1 missile, the designation for the Soviet copy of V-2.[4] The first tests of the missile began in September 1948. The system was accepted by the Soviet army in November 1950. The R-1 missile could carry a 785-kilogram (1,731 lb) warhead of conventional explosive to a maximum range of 270 kilometres (170 mi), with an accuracy of about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi).[5]

The first A4 rocket (from German stocks) is transported to the launch site on a truck trailer. It was launched on 18 October 1947 from the Kapustin Yar test site

The first V-2 rocket was transported to the Kapustin Yar test site and launched on 18 October 1947. It flew 206.7 km then left for 30 km.[6] The R-1A was tested, a variant with a separable warhead later in 1947.

High-altitude scientific experiments were conducted with two of the R-1As, and later a series of specialized scientific rockets were built on the basis of the R-1: The R-1B, R-1V, R-1D, A-1, and R-1E. These carried dogs, and experiments to analyze the upper atmosphere, measure cosmic rays and take far-UV spectra of the Sun.

The R-1 missile system entered into service in the Soviet Army on 28 November 1950.[7][8]

The R-1's insulated electrical wiring attracted vermin. In one January 1953 incident, thousands of flood-displaced mice disabled many rockets by eating the insulation, requiring "hundreds of cats and repairmen".[9]: 116 

Operators[]

 Soviet Union
  • Soviet Army

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Kudryashov, V. A. Baikonur cosmodrome: Chronicle of the main events (Baikonur Chronicle). Yandex.
  2. ^ a b c d e "РКК "Энергия" - История" [Rocket R-1 – Combat missile systems]. www.energia.ru.
  3. ^ Ivkin, Vladimir (May 2006). "Решение На Прорыв - Постановление Совмина CCCP От 13 Мая 1946 Г. Стало Ключевым Для Развития Ракетостроения" [The decision on the breakthrough - the resolution of the USSR Council of Decisions from may 13, 1946 became the key for the development of the rocket]. VPK (in Russian). 19 (135). Archived from the original on 2008-03-25.
  4. ^ Wade, Marc. "R1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  5. ^ Zak, Anatoly (May 18, 2016). "R-1 rocket". RussianSpaceWeb.com.
  6. ^ "Kapustin Yar". structure.mil.ru. 2006. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  7. ^ Zaloga, Steven J. (20 March 2013). V-2 Ballistic Missile 1942–52. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-4728-0299-6.
  8. ^ Zaloga, Steven J. (20 March 2013). "R-11: the Scud A". Scud Ballistic Missile and Launch Systems 1955–2005. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 6–15. ISBN 978-1-4728-0306-1.
  9. ^ Siddiqi, Asif A. Challenge To Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945–1974. NASA.

Further reading[]

  • Naimark, Norman (1995). The Russians in Germany. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-78405-5.
  • Kurt, Magnus (1999). Raketensklaven. Deutsche Forscher hinter rotem Stacheldraht. Elbe-Dnjepr-Verlag. ISBN 3-933395-67-4.

External links[]


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