FLIGHT,

3 August 1961

149

The three stand-off strategic missiles for bombers

RUSSIAN
AIR-LAUNCHED
MISSILES

EFERENCES to Russian missiles appear almost every day in many parts of

the world, and more than 30 types of
weapon have so far been named and
described in varying detail. But hardly any
of this information is backed up by evidence
of its veracity, and for this reason Flight
refrains
from parrot-like repetition of
long strings of data pertaining to "Golem
III," "Komet II," "RS-132A" and their
equally doubtful companions. What we have
done is to infer whatever may reasonably be
inferred from the increasing number of "types of weapon which
have been shown publicly.
The air display at Tushino on July 9, featured in our past four
issues, drew back the curtain on Russian air-launched missiles. Three
types of strategic stand-off device were hung beneath the bombers,
four types of guided weapon were carried by the fighter and attack
aircraft and a small air-to-surface missile was carried by the new
turbine-powered Kamov helicopter. None of these weapons had
been predicted in advance of the show, although one may expect
fictitious designations and specifications to be published in Western
journals before long. What can be relied upon is the fact that these
eight types of guided weapon have appeared, flying on various types
of aircraft, and usually in quantity.
Until last month no Russian air-launched missile had been publicly illustratedapart, that is, from the unguided, spin-stabilized
rockets which the Soviet Union pioneered from 1940 onwards.
The earliest such missiles were subsonic, and carried a slipstreamdriven fan to arm the fuze. Spin-stabilized missiles are still much used
in Russia, both for surface and air launching, and current aircraft
armament includes a number of types with calibres from about 2in
up to at least 5in. The smaller rockets are rippled or salvoed from
streamlined containers housing multiple launch tubes, as in Western
aircraft; and in the display on July 9 the supersonic fighter/bomber
code-named "Fitter" was seen with four or six such packages.
In contrast, the missiles drawn here are undoubtedly guided. It is
convenient to discuss their appearance and probable function under
two main headings, corresponding to the two illustrations.
Strategic: Three types of strategic bomber took part in the display
carrying large stand-off missiles. Each missile design appeared to be
tailored to the aircraft, and in each case a single example was carried
beneath the aircraft centreline. The latter fact is worthy of note, for
the Tupolev Bear and Badger appear to be capable of carrying several
missiles, on structural, aerodynamic and weight-lifting grounds.
Doubtless the Russians consider it better to buy two bombers to attack
two targets, rather than follow the example of Strategic Air Command
The four short-range weapons for supersonic aircraft
(f> Iliffe Transport Publications Ltd

Iliffe Transport Publications Ltd

and make each bomber capable of launching up to four missiles as well

as free-falling bombs and decoys.
All three of the strategic weapons displayed at Tushino are winged
devices which cruise like an aeroplane. This reduces their speed and
range, in comparison with a ballistic Skybolt-type missile of the same
weight; but it confers the ability of manoeuvre, and of following any
chosen flight path and altitude profile to the target. In any case, even
though no ALBM was displayed, it would be surprising if the Soviet
Union were not developing one. All the evidence suggests that they
are going for everythingand in most cases having more than one
design for each mission.
Largest of the stand-off missiles is that carried by the Bear. Aerodynamically it is reminiscent of Snark, apart from the fact that it has a tailplane. Overall length is of the order of 58ft, considerably greater than
that of any other airborne weapon ol" which details are known. Range
and payload are interdependent, but a warhead of several megatons
yield should be transported at least 1,000 miles. Snark, only fractionally larger, takes such a warhead 5,500 miles from a standing start on
the ground. The greatest puzzle posed by the big Russian missile is
that no engine intake is visible. Despite Blue Steel, it seems probable
that the powerplant is an air-breather, and it is likely that a single
large turbojet is employed, fed by a dorsal intake near the trailing edge
of the sharply swept wing. Flight speed is probably supersonic, although
the weapon has a shape best fitted for cruising at about M0.9. The
nose of every example seen last month was white, suggesting a large
radome; and new radar was fitted to the noses of the parent Bears.
The second stand-off missile is a counterpart of Hound Dog, and is
superficially similar in appearance apart from the fact that it is not a
canard. Scaling against the 118ft Badger which carries it gives a length
of some 34ft, a little less than the more slender Hound Dog. Propulsion
is by an air-breathing package underslung at the rear and aspirated by
a pitot intake. There seems to be a single afterburning turbojet, but
the blanking covers over the intakes (see picture on page 71 of Flight
for July 20) appears to be slightly elliptical, with major axis horizontal;
and it has a projection which could fit over an intake centrebody. Range
with a thermonuclear warhead could be of the order of 300 miles, as
we suggested last week. The parent aircraft again has a nose full of
new radar, although one would not expect the bomber to continue
towards the target after release of its missile.
The third bomber-launched missile is of exceptional interest, for it is
carried by the so-called "Beauty," itself capable of at least M2. Only
one of the ten examples of this shapely aircraft was fitted with the
missile, which gave the impression of being an inert dummy. Painted a
dark colour, it must be faster than its parent aircraft, although a
cruising speed of around M3 would ideally demand a rather different
configuration. The stubby wing and cruciform tail are merely based
upon the evidence of five photographs of indifferent quality; likewise,
the turbojet or ramjet intake is only the arrangement which best fits
the available evidence. Range is certainly at least 200 miles.
Short-range: Surprising variety is evident, and, in addition to those
illustrated, the Russians displayed an air-to-surface missile weighing
about 2001b, two of which are carried by the new Kamov turbinedriven helicopter. Looking rather like a miniature Honest John, it
may be a beam-rider, since the helicopter has a large nose radar.
The top sketch depicts the large, high-performance missile carried
by the very fast twin-engined delta. The wings are smaller than the tail
surfaces, and could well act as the controls. Next comes the ''Russian
Sidewinder," the similarity of which to Sidewinder 1A is perhaps more
than coincidence. It appears to be in large-scale service on a variety
of types of day fighter/bomber.
Next is the canard weapon carried beneath the wings of the advanced Yak-25" and one of the Sukhoi deltas. Both are all-weather
aircraft, and the missile should be capable of fulfilling both air-to-air
and air-to-surface functions. Finally we have drawn the big weapon
carried by the new supersonic multi-purpose machine code-named
"Blinder." Having a configuration rather like a cross between Super
Falcon and Seacat 2, it clearly has a high performance and probably
carries a warhead of at least 701b. The examples displayed appeared not
to have any radar or IR seeker in the nose, suggesting beam-riding or a
command system. Aspect ratio of the control surfaces is high.