The middle of the 60s was marked by a real boom in rocket science, and missiles were often introduced even in areas that were traditionally occupied by conventional artillery. Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev was especially distinguished in this field. However, there were also such bright sides in such innovation. For example, it was during this period that the USSR laid a solid scientific base for the development of a huge number of missile systems.
Tochka-U also belongs to these: this installation significantly exceeded all its foreign counterparts (and at first there were none at all). Today we will tell about the history of the creation of this weapon.
Creation Background
Around the mid-60s, the Ministry of Defense initiated the start of work on a completely new limited-range ballistic project. For the first time in the history of the domestic weapons complex, the stake was made not on the power of the warhead, but on the accuracy of the rocket. All previous design work clearly showed that this approach should become prevailing in a new, changing world. In particular, it was possible to inflict painful strikes on enemy territory without smashing all the surroundings to shreds.
The development was commissioned by the Fakel ICD. The work was not carried out from scratch: they took rockets from the M-11 "Storm" complex, which was originally installed exclusively on ships, as the basis. The first result was the Hawk complex. It was assumed that it will use a radio-electronic guidance system. Simply put, in this case, one would have to “lead” a rocket from the ground, constantly adjusting its flight accuracy.
Already in 1965, the "Hawk" turned into a project "Point". The missile part was left the same, but the engineers completely redesigned the guidance system. So, they completely abandoned the electronic circuit, proposing to use a relatively simple inertial version. It was well tested and tested on a number of previous Soviet missile systems. But this is not “Tochka-U” yet. The installation went through a rather difficult path of development, as developers were constantly faced with new technical obstacles.
Further work
All projects of the “Torch” never went beyond drawings and sketches. Around 1966, all the developments were transferred to the Kolomenskoye Design Bureau, and the project immediately began to be supervised by S.P. Invincible. However, Kolomna engineers completely agreed with the point of view of their colleagues from Fakel: indeed, an inertial guidance system would be optimal. In fairness, it is worth noting that in the future the project was completely redesigned. In fact, only the name “Point-U” is left of it. The installation was greatly improved, its design was reduced in price.
In general, the active stage of work started only in 1968. This time the project was supported by about 120 of the most diverse scientific and technical enterprises, with which Tochka-U was created. This approach was dictated by the fact that in the shortest possible time it was required to create not only the rocket itself, but also a mechanical chassis, as well as a launch launcher and a huge amount of electronic “stuffing”. A huge contribution was made by the Volgograd Barricades, which created a launcher from scratch, as well as the automobile factory of Bryansk, at the facilities of which all elements of the new chassis were developed and created.
Launcher Work
In general, two variants of the launcher were initially considered at once, from which the Tochka-U ballistic missile would launch. The first of them was created by engineers from Kolomna, but it was used exclusively in field tests. In particular, it was this launcher that was demonstrated during the 1971 tests that took place in Kapustin Yar. Almost immediately, the main role was played by the design developed by the Barricades plant.
The main characteristics of the rocket
In 1973, the assembly of rockets began at the Votkinsk plant in Udmurtia. At the same time, the first stages of state trials started, according to the results of which Tochka-U was adopted. Installation in the army is better known under the index 9K79.
The basis of the entire complex is a 9M79 single-stage solid-fuel rocket. The total length of the ammunition was 6.4 meters, the diameter was 650 mm. To adjust the course, lattice rudders with a range of 1350-1400 mm were used. A rocket starts with a combat weight of the order of two tons, of which at least one and a half tons fell directly on the missile part. The remaining 482 kilograms shared the explosive charge and the electronic control system.
A lot of difficulties caused the correct recipe for solid rocket fuel, which was responsible for accelerating the rocket and bringing it to the target. In the end, we settled on the composition, which included rubber, aluminum powder, as well as a large part of ammonium perchlorate. The fuel reserve burned out in about 18-28 seconds. The missile received an inertial impulse, which was enough for a flight lasting 235 seconds. Because of this, the Tochka-U missile system turned out to be relatively cheap, since the design used the minimum amount of fuel and explosive.
Guidance System Characterization
The complex includes a large number of electronic and mechanical equipment responsible for targeting: a command-gyroscopic device, an analog heading calculator, many speed sensors, etc. The basis of the system was a command-gyroscopic device of the brand 9B64. He was responsible for stabilizing the platform during the flight. In general, the Tochka-U missile system ensured that the projectile hit the target at a distance of 50 kilometers and with dispersion of not more than 30-40 meters already during testing, which at that time bordered on science fiction.
From all instruments, data was quickly transferred to the 9B65 calculator, which was responsible for automatically plotting the flight course. This was done quite simply: the device compared the information received with the reference indicators that were laid in it at startup, and, if necessary, corrected the flight. As we already mentioned, this was done with the help of trellised rudders located at the end of the projectile. If at the time of correction the fuel supply had not yet burned out, gas-dynamic rudders were also used, using the energy of the gases released by the burning composition.
This Tochka-U missile system was also significantly different from its few foreign counterparts, in which the control and course correction system was many times more complex.
Other technical solutions
Since the combat and engine parts of the complex were inextricably linked throughout the flight, the engineers concentrated on developing a correction system that would begin to work directly when approaching the target. At this stage, the sensitive gyroscope had to hold the projectile at an angle of 80 ° to the horizon. In general, the Tochka-U ballistic missile, despite its comparative simplicity and cheapness, shows excellent results in accuracy.
Entering data on the location of the target was carried out before lifting the rocket into a vertical position on the launcher. The control equipment and the Argon converter automatically calculated and formed the flight mission, after which it was transmitted to the rocket.
Very interesting was the method of checking the gyroscopic stabilization system that the Tochka-U ballistic missile used. In particular, in its design there was a special multifaceted prism connected to an optical heading recognition system. There was a small window in the missile body, the light from which fell on this polyhedron and was reflected exactly on the verification equipment.
Work on the creation of a self-propelled chassis
At the first stage, the engineers believed that the chassis would be made on the basis of some kind of machine developed at the Kharkov plant. However, after comparing the characteristics of all the proposed samples, preference was given to the instance created at the Bryansk Automobile Plant. Based on this floating chassis, the 9P129 was created. Oddly enough, according to the documents, the work on the project "Tochka-U complex" was supervised by the Barricades Volgograd plant. Serial launchers and many other important elements of the chassis were generally produced by the Peter and Paul Plant.
Chassis Specifications
The car was equipped with a diesel engine, which developed a power of up to 300 horsepower. A powerful engine made it possible to fully launch the unit to drive along the highway at a speed of up to 60 km / h. Off-road limited the speed to 10-15 km / h. In case of need, the Tochka-U complex could overcome water barriers on its own, while developing a speed of up to 10 km / h. Since the total mass of the chassis did not exceed 18 tons, it could be transported using almost all military transport aircraft.
The rocket compartment was pretty originally made. So, in front of it was mounted a massive insulating casing, which reliably protected the warhead from the effects of excessively high or too low temperatures. What else is remarkable for “Tochka-U”? The characteristics of the pre-launch preparatory work clearly distinguish it from all other missile systems due to the simplicity and high speed of all operations.
Preparation for combat use, countdown
The standard for preparing for launch from the course assumed full combat readiness for a maximum of 20 minutes. At the same time, the lion's share of the time was spent to ensure maximum stability of the chassis itself. All other procedures were performed by trained calculation many times faster. Thus, only the Tochka-U installation (the photo is in the article) is a real challenge.
It took literally a couple of seconds to transmit commands to the control system, lifting the launcher into a vertical position took exactly 15 seconds, after which it was immediately possible to start. The elevation of launch stocks could reach 78 °. Thus, the Tochka-U complex is a formidable weapon, the deployment of which under favorable conditions takes less than two minutes.
In the horizontal plane, the guidance mechanics made it possible to turn the launcher 15 ° to the right and left relative to the central axis of the self-propelled chassis. When firing at a maximum range of 70 kilometers, the rocket flew this distance in just a couple of minutes. During this time, the Tochka-U launcher was supposed to be put in the stowed position and start moving away from the “lit” position. Recharging the complex took about 19-20 minutes.
Transport and loading machine
What else is part of the Tochka-U complex? The characteristics of her rocket, if you have not forgotten, assume a projectile weight of two tons. So it is impossible to do without a transport-loading machine, which was created on the basis of the BAZ-5922 chassis. In its body there is a place for two missiles, the warheads of which are closed by a heat-insulating casing. The installation of shells on the guides is carried out using a cargo crane, which is included in the design of 9T128.
In principle, missiles can be stored in a transport-loading machine for a relatively long time, but it is much better to use specially designed metal containers for this purpose. What is the reason for this? If the Tochka-U installation (the photo of which is repeatedly found in the article) was stored in inappropriate conditions, the rocket can fly anywhere, but not at the target.
To transport installations over long distances, special machines 9T222 or 9T238 are used, which are almost standard tractors. On one such machine, two containers / missiles or four warheads can be transported. No matter how good the "Tochka-U", its characteristics began to deteriorate more and more noticeably over time. Of course, work began on the modernization of technology.
Modifications and upgrades
The result of the work was the adoption of the Tochka-R complex in 1983. In principle, it differs from the old system only in a new way of pointing the missile at the target. More precisely, the designers again returned to the idea of a radar guidance system. The new complex can automatically capture the target at a distance of 15 kilometers, after which standard control mechanisms inherited from the old "Point" are launched. However, the new installation may well use the entire range of missiles that were released in past years.
Since 1984, a new round of work has begun, since even the characteristics of the Tochka-U installation of the new generation did not really satisfy the military. The tests took place in 1986. Three years later, the updated complex was put into service and mass production began. As in the past case, the main changes affected directly the missile part. As a result, the mass of the “Point” grew by about 250 kilograms.
But not only this is characterized by the new installation "Point-U". The radius of the lesion has also been increased. The new rocket received a solid fuel engine weighing one ton. The flight range after that immediately increased to 120 kilometers, which allowed the creation of nuclear versions of shells.
New ballistic missile options
Before modernization, the complexes received warheads of new types. In general, today there are the following types of shells for "Points":
9M79 . This missile model is the very first, it appeared along with the installation itself.
9M79M . The first option is modernization. In this case, the production technology itself was seriously changed. In addition, it was fully compatible with the new automatic targeting system. The upgraded missile has an index of 9M79P.
9M79-1 . A projectile of this name is characterized by a significantly increased flight range.
9M79-GVM . This is a training model of a combat missile, which is used in training combat calculations. In appearance, they almost perfectly reproduce their fighting “grandparents”.
Types of warheads
The warheads of the missiles themselves are no less diverse. Here we give the most common.
- 9H123 . High-explosive fragmentation shell type. Development was completed in the late 60s. In its design there are almost 163 kilograms of explosive and 14.5 thousand half-finished fragments. They can cover an area of up to three hectares. It should be noted here that during the design process a huge number of calculations were made, according to the results of which the TNT mass is located at an angle to the central axis of the rocket, which ensures the most uniform distribution of the fragmentation mass over the area.
It is for this shell that it is unloved in the Tochka-U infantry environment. The defeat of manpower when using it approaches 100%. You can hide from heavy damaging elements only in very good shelter.
- 9H123K. What is remarkable about this Tochka-U rocket? Its characteristics are quite simple: a cluster fragmentation shell with 50 submunitions. Each of them is a separate small shell weighing 7.5 kilograms, with one and a half kilograms occupying an explosive charge. Some “grenades” scatter about 316 fragments, but due to their dispersion at an altitude of about two kilometers, they cover up to seven hectares at a time. To disperse the cassettes more evenly, their fall is stabilized by tape parachutes.
- Nuclear warheads with an index of 9H39. Power - an impressive 10 kilotons. But there is also a 9H64 model, the power of which is already 100-200 (according to various sources) kilotons. All missiles that were equipped with a nuclear warhead were marked with the letter "B". Over the entire existence of the complex, they have never been used.
That's what the Tochka-U missile system is characterized by. Photos, which are presented in the proper amount in the article, will allow you to create your own idea about it.