SS-8 Sasin

R-9

Type	ICBM
Service history
In service	1964–1976
Used by	Soviet Union
Specifications
Warhead	1
Blast yield	1.65Mt ("light") or 2.3Mt ("heavy") warheads

Engine	two-stage liquid fuel (kerosene + LOX) first stage engine RD-111 (8D716) by OKB-456 of V.P.Glushko. second stage engine RO-9 (8D715) by OKB-154 of S.A.Kosberg
Operational range	16,000 km ^[1]
Guidance system	inertial, Control system by NII-885 of N.A.Pilyugin and M.S.Ryazanski. Gyroscopes by NII-944 of V.I.Kuznetsov.

R-9 ICBM and T-34 tank, on display at the Central Armed Forces Museum (Russia)

The R-9 (NATO reporting name: SS-8 Sasin) was a two-stage ICBM of the Soviet Union, in service from 1964 to 1976.

History

Designed in 1959 and first tested in 1961, the R-9 was a great improvement over previous Soviet missile designs. The missile, capable of delivering a 3,500 lb (1600 kg) payload about 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km) to an accuracy of 1 nautical mile (2 km), was not only very accurate, but was also far more tactically useful to the Soviet Union. Previous Soviet designs, fuelled with cryogenic LOX and kerosene, commonly took hours to fuel and launch. The R-9, on the other hand, could be launched 20 minutes from the time a launch order was given. The missile's control system was designed by NPO "Electropribor"^[2] (Kharkiv, Ukraine).

First put into active service in 1964, the R-9 carried a 1.65 to 5 Mt warhead. Though the last Soviet missile to use cryogenic propellant, this design is one of the most widely deployed ICBMs to use cryogenic fuel. The initial stage of the two-stage missile was a four-chambered closed cycle design developed by OKB-456 (later renamed to NPO Energomash). The second stage, connected by trusses to the first stage (much like the modern Soyuz rocket) was also four-chambered, but utilized open combustion chambers more suited to very high altitudes. This rocket engine was a product of the OKB-154 design team. Guidance of the warhead, like most ICBMs before and after it, was totally inertial save the final ten seconds before detonation of the warhead, which was controlled by a radio-altimeter correction system.

Deployment

The initial design called for a mobile surface-launched system, but a changing cold war situation saw a silo-based R-9 developed in tandem with the ground-based system. The ground-based system, however, would never achieve the hoped-for mobility of the initial design parameters. In total, three launch sites were constructed, but only two were used. "Desna-V", the silo launch area, consisted of three underground silos with the ability to launch the R-9 within 20 minutes, and the ability to store the missile in an unfuelled ready condition for one year. "Valley", the first of two above-ground launch sites, was mostly automated and could fire the R-9 within 20 minutes as well, and repeat the process within two and a half hours. The final launch site, "Desna-N", was also an above-ground site, but was never stocked with R-9s as the site was not automated and needed at least two hours to launch a single missile.

In 1971 the above-ground R-9 launch sites were decommissioned, and by 1976 all R-9 missiles had been decommissioned.

NATO reporting name

SS-8 Sasin is a NATO reporting name that was mistakenly applied to two different Soviet missile systems. The designation was accidentally applied to the R-26 when an example of that missile was revealed in a parade. However, the R-26 program had already been cancelled and no new designation was given by NATO for the R-26 once the error was discovered.

1963 fire

On October 24, 1963, an R-9 missile was being prepared for launch in a silo from Site 70 at Baikonur Cosmodrome. The 11-man launch crew did not realize that an oxygen leak from the missile's fuel system had raised the partial oxygen pressure to 32% (the maximum allowed was 21%). The crew was descending to the eighth level in a lift when a spark from an electrical panel started a fire in the nearly pure oxygen atmosphere, killing seven and destroying the silo. The disaster occurred exactly three years after the Nedelin disaster. October 24 became known as Baikonur's "Black Day", and to this day no launches are attempted on that date.

Data

Fuel: kerosene + oxygen.
Control system by NII-885 of N.A.Pilyugin and M.S.Ryazanski.
Gyroscopes by NII-944 of V.I.Kuznetsov.
Launcher by GSKB "Spetsmash" of V.P.Barmin.
First stage engine RD-111 (8D716) by OKB-456 of V.P.Glushko.
Second stage engine RO-9 (8D715) by OKB-154 of S.A.Kosberg.
1.65Mt ("light") and 2.3Mt ("heavy") warheads.
Tested at "ground No 51" at NIIP-5 (Baikonur/Tura-Tam) until crash in October 1962.
Serial production at facility No. 1 in Kuibyshev.
Deployed 2 regiments of ground based missiles at Kozelsk, 1 regiment of ground based missiles at Plesetsk, 1 regiment of underground silo missiles at Kozelsk.

Operators

Soviet Union: The Strategic Rocket Forces were the only operator of the R-9.

External links

R-9
R-9A /SS-8 Sasin Czech - More photos
The SS-8 Controversy Discusses the CIA's bewilderment about the new missile, with one camp interpreting it as a 100 megaton weapon, and other analysts interpreting it as a much smaller missile.

Footnotes

Links to related articles

NATO designation for Russian and former Soviet Union missiles

Air-to-air missiles complete list

AA-1 Alkali AA-2 Atoll AA-3 Anab AA-4 Awl AA-5 Ash AA-6 Acrid AA-7 Apex AA-8 Aphid AA-9 Amos AA-10 Alamo AA-11 Archer AA-12 Adder AA-13 Arrow

Air-to-surface missiles complete list

AS-1 Kennel AS-2 Kipper AS-3 Kangaroo AS-4 Kitchen AS-5 Kelt AS-6 Kingfish AS-7 Kerry AS-8 Kokon AT-6 AS-9 Kyle AS-10 Karen AS-11 Kilter AS-12 Kegler AS-13 Kingbolt AS-14 Kedge AS-15 Kent AS-16 Kickback AS-17 Krypton AS-18 Kazoo AS-X-19 Koala AS-20 Kayak AS-X-21 AS-22 AS-23 AS-24

Anti-tank missiles complete list

AT-1 Snapper AT-2 Swatter AT-3 Sagger AT-4 Spigot AT-5 Spandrel AT-6 Spiral AT-7 Saxhorn AT-8 Songster AT-9 Spiral-2 AT-10 Stabber AT-11 Sniper AT-12 Swinger AT-13 Saxhorn-2 АТ-14 Spriggan АТ-15 Springer AT-16 Scallion

Ground based	SA-1 Guild SA-2 Guideline SA-3 Goa SA-4 Ganef SA-5 Gammon SA-6 Gainful SA-7 Grail SA-8 Gecko SA-9 Gaskin SA-10 Grumble SA-11 Gadfly SA-12 Gladiator/Giant SA-13 Gopher SA-14 Gremlin SA-15 Gauntlet SA-16 Gimlet SA-17 Grizzly SA-18 Grouse SA-19 Grison SA-20 Gargoyle SA-21 Growler SA-22 Greyhound SA-23 Gladiator/Giant SA-24 Grinch Morfey S-350E

Naval based	SA-N-1 Goa SA-N-2 Guideline SA-N-3 Goblet SA-N-4 Gecko SA-N-5 Grail SA-N-6 Grumble SA-N-7 Gadfly SA-N-8 Gremlin SA-N-9 Gauntlet SA-N-10 Grouse SA-N-11 Grison SA-N-12 Grizzly SA-N-14 Grouse SA-N-20 Gargoyle

ABMs	ABM-1 Galosh ABM-3/53T6 Gazelle S-500

Ground based	SS-1 Scud SS-2 Sibling SS-3 Shyster SS-4 Sandal SS-5 Skean SS-6 Sapwood SS-7 Saddler SS-8 Sasin SS-9 Scarp SS-10 Scrag SS-11 Sego SS-12 Scaleboard SS-13 Savage SS-14 Scamp/Scapegoat SS-15 Scrooge SS-16 Sinner SS-17 Spanker SS-18 Satan SS-19 Stiletto SS-20 Saber SS-21 Scarab SS-22 Scaleboard SS-23 Spider SS-24 Scalpel SS-25 Sickle SS-26 Stone SS-27 Sickle B SS-28 Saber 2 SS-29 Yars SS-X-31 Rubezh SS-X-32Zh Barguzin SS-X-30 Sarmat

Naval based	SS-N-1 Scrubber SS-N-2 Styx SS-N-3c Shaddock SS-N-3a Shaddock 3b Sepal SS-N-4 Sark SS-N-5 Sark/Serb SS-N-6 Serb SS-N-7 Starbright SS-N-8 Sawfly SS-N-9 Siren SS-N-12 Sandbox SS-NX-13 SS-N-14 Silex SS-N-15 Starfish SS-N-16 Stallion SS-N-17 Snipe SS-N-18 Stingray SS-N-19 Shipwreck SS-NX-20 Sturgeon SS-N-21 Sampson SS-N-22 Sunburn SS-N-23 Skiff R29RM SS-N-23A Skiff SS-N-23B Skiff SS-NX-24 Scorpion SS-N-25 Switchblade SS-N-26 Strobile SS-N-27 Sizzler SS-N-30A 3M-14 SS-NX-28 SS-N-29 SS-N-32 SS-NX-30? SS-NX-34

Russian and former Soviet military designation sequences for radar, missile and rocket systems

Radar
systems

Land-based	A-100 P-3 P-8 P-10 P-12 P-14 P-15 P-18 P-19 P-20 P-30 P-35 P-37 P-40 P-70 P-80 P-100 Kabina 66 Kasta 2E RSN-225 Azov SNR-75 SA-6 30N6 36D6 64N6 76N6 96L6E 9S15 9S19 9S32 Duga Dnestr Dnepr Daryal Dunay Volga Don 2N Voronezh Container

Ship-borne

Airborne	N001 N002 N005 N006 N007 N008 N010 N011 N012 N014 N019 N025 N035 N036

Missiles

ICBM	GR-1 R-7 R-9 R-16 R-26 R-36 R-36M R-46 RS-24 RS-26 RSS-40 RT-2 RT-2PM RT-2PM2 RT-20 RT-21 RT-23 RS-28 UR-100 UR-100MR UR-100N UR-200

IRBM	R-14 RSD-10

MRBM	R-5 R-12 RT-15 RT-25

SRBM	9K720 R-1 R-2 R-11 R-11A R-17 OTR-21 OTR-23 TR-1

SLBM	R-13 R-15 R-21 R-27 R-29 R-39 RSM-45 RSM-56

Surface-to-surface (cruise)

Surface-to-surface (naval)	P-1 P-5 P-15 P-70 P-120 P-270 P-500 P-700 P-750 P-800 P-900 P-900A P-1000 RKV-500A RPK-2 RPK-6 RPK-7 URPK-3 URPK-4 URPK-5

Air-to-surface	KSR-5 KS-1 K-10S Kh-11 Kh-15 Kh-20 Kh-22 Kh-23 Kh-25 Kh-25MP Kh-26 Kh-28 Kh-29 Kh-31 Kh-35 Kh-41 Kh-55 Kh-58 Kh-59 Kh-59M Kh-80 Kh-90 9M114V

Air-to-air	R-3 R-4 R-8 R-23 R-27 R-33 R-37 R-40 R-60 R-73 R-77 R-172

Anti-tank	9M15

Unguided
rockets

Air-launched	RP-1 RP-5 RP-6 RP-9 RP-15 RP-21 RS-82 RS-132

Surface-launched	BM-21 BM-27 BM-30 TOS-1

Engines

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