Drzonów 2022-07-30
9K52 Łuna-M missile system.
Missile launcher 9P113 Łuna.
In the 1960s, the 9K52 missile system aroused legitimate fear among European societies. Both in the countries of Western Europe and in the countries of Central Europe, because these missiles could be equipped with nuclear warheads. At that time, the name atomic weapon was used.
In the 1950s / 1960s, the Soviets developed several missile systems with different ranges and purposes. The 9K52 Łuna (Łuna-M) system was a short- and medium-range missile system. The basic ground-to-ground system was designed to launch type 9M21 missiles from wheeled launchers. The wheel launchers were designated 9P113. The missile was a single-stage solid-fuel rocket missile with a range of 12 to 68 kilometers, capable of carrying a warhead weighing up to 500 kilograms. Among these warheads were atomic (nuclear) warheads. The first launch of the rocket took place on December 27, 1961, at the Kapustin Jar training ground. Several development versions of the 9M21 rocket were created. The three were the most important. The first is the 9M21F, with a 200 kg accumulation and demolition head. A version of the 9M21B was also created, carrying a single nuclear warhead with a power of up to 100 kT. The next development version was the 9M21K, with a cartridge head. The 9M21 missile system was produced in Chelyabinsk at the Machine Tool Production Plant.
The first prototype copies of the system entered service as early as 1962 and were designated 9K52 Łuna. They probably reached full operational readiness in 1964.
The 9P113 launcher was based on lessons learned from the operation of the 2P16 tracked launcher. The ZiŁ-135LM vehicle became the chassis of the new launcher. The launcher was produced in Volgograd by the Barricade Plant (Баррикады) on the chassis of the ZIL-135LM car, produced by the Bryansk Automobile Plant.
The 9K52 Łuna-M system was purchased, among others, by: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Poland, Romania, and Hungary. The system was used in combat in many armed conflicts during the "Cold War". Warheads with conventional loads have always been used.
The launcher has a monorail guide for one projectile. Thanks to the four-axle chassis, the 9P113 launcher is mobile. The 9M21 missile is ballistic.
All axles of the car are driven. The first and fourth axles are steering. The vehicle had two 180 HP gasoline engines and two transmissions. There is a three-person crew cabin at the front. There are also desktops installed in the cabin for setting and controlling rocket parameters. Before the launch of the rocket, covers were placed on the windshields of the cabin in order to protect them from the rocket engine powder gases. The take-off was made only with the use of a portable desktop. An artillery set consisting of a guide mounted on a rotating bed is mounted on the vehicle. The guide can be lifted vertically from +15 to +65 degrees. Lifting was carried out by means of a hydraulic system – electrically or manually driven. On the right side there is a hydraulic crane for reloading the rockets from the transport car to the launcher. This crane was also used to assemble and disassemble warheads on stands on the ground. Between the crane and the cabin, there is a drum with an electric multi-core cable, which was used to connect the extensible desktop. In the left rear part of the launcher there is a sighting post with sights. In the firing position, the launcher was based on four bases. Two of them were at the rear of the chassis, and two between the first and second axles of the vehicle. The supports ensured stabilization and leveling of the launcher. An additional power generator was installed in the launcher, which was used to heat the atomic head during standstill. The launcher’s service life was designed to launch at least 200 rockets. Preparation time for launching the rocket was 10 minutes.
The set was supplemented by the 9T29 transport vehicle for carrying two 9M21 rockets. There were two more soldiers in this vehicle. This vehicle was also built on the ZiŁ-135 car. Another addition was a radio communication car. The set also included: A weather station, especially for measuring the direction and strength of the wind. These data were necessary for the sights. An autotopograph vehicle was also needed. An autotopograph is a mechanical device installed in a motor vehicle used to determine the position (x, y coordinates) and the direction of movement (azimuth). The device plots the route traveled by the vehicle on the topographic map.
T-T data of the 9P113 launcher:
Length 10.69 m. Width 2.80 m. Height with rocket 3.35 m. Height without rocket 2.86 m. Vehicle weight without rocket 14 890 kg. The range of the vehicle with the collected fuel in additional canisters is 650 km. Top speed 60 km / h on the road. Crossing water obstacles to a depth of 1.20 m.
9M21 rocket.
The 9M21 rocket is a single-stage, ballistic, solid-fuel missile. It consisted of a warhead and a fuselage containing 3 gunpowder engines. At the rear of the rocket there was a starter engine with 16 nozzles. In the front part of the fuselage there was a rotation engine with 4 nozzles positioned transversely to the rocket axis, which gave the rotation speed in the first phase of flight. The remainder of the fuselage was occupied by a marching engine with a central jet. The rocket was stabilized in flight with 4 ballasts.
A 9M21B rocket with a 9N32 nuclear warhead and an AA-22 payload with a power of 3 to 20 kT. 9M21B1 9N38 / 9N38M nuclear warhead with АА-38 charge, power up to 100 kT. 9M21B1 with a 9N32M nuclear warhead with an АА-52 charge with a power of 3 to 20 kT. Using these rockets, it was possible to initiate a nuclear ground or air explosion. Proximity detonators, sensors and radio altimeters installed in the head were used for this purpose. The heads were sensitive to temperature changes. That is why they were stored and transported in special trucks-warehouses. After connecting to the missile system, the warheads were fitted with a heating cover that was removed just before take-off. The required head temperature was 20-30 degrees Celsius.
9M21 rocket T-T data:
Length 8.96 m or 9.40 m depending on the used head. Caliber 544 mm. The span of the back legs 1.70 m. Weight from 2,430 kg to 2,490 kg. Range 12 – 64 km. Maximum speed approx. 1,200 m / s.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman