RS-26 Rubezh
| RS-26 Rubezh | |
|---|---|
| Type | intermediate-range ballistic missile |
| Place of origin | Russia |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Russian Strategic Missile Troops |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology |
| Produced | 2011 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 36,000 kilograms (80,000 lb) |
| Warhead | 4x each 150/300 Kt MIRV, payload; modified version of Avangard 800 kilograms (1,800 lb) |
| Engine | Solid-fueled (last stage or warhead block can have liquid) |
| Propellant | solid, third or fourth stage (warhead block) can be liquid |
Operational range | 5800 km demonstrated |
| Flight altitude | Several tens of km |
| Maximum speed | over Mach 20 (24,500 km/h; 15,200 mph; 6.81 km/s) |
Guidance system | Inertial with GLONASS |
| Accuracy | 90-250 m CEP |
Launch platform | Road-mobile TEL |
The RS-26 Rubezh (Russian: РС-26 Рубеж, meaning frontier or boundary), designated by NATO as SS-X-31, is a Russian solid-fueled intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) with a nuclear warhead, of which the range bracket just barely classifies it as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It is equipped with a thermonuclear MIRV or MaRV payload, and is also intended to be capable of carrying the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle. The RS-26 is based on RS-24 Yars, and constitutes a shorter version of the RS-24 with one fewer stages. The development process of the RS-26 has been largely comparable to that of the RSD-10 Pioneer, a shortened derivative of the RT-21 Temp 2S. Deployment of the RS-26 is speculated to have a similar strategic impact as the RSD-10.