R-12 Dvina
| R-12 | |
|---|---|
Soviet R-12 (NATO designation SS-4) in Kapustin Yar museum, Znamensk, Russia. | |
| Type | Medium-range ballistic missile |
| Service history | |
| In service | 4 March 1959–1993 |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhmash |
| Unit cost | unknown |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Fully loaded: 41.7 t Empty: 3.15 t |
| Length | 22,100 mm |
| Diameter | 1,650 mm |
| Wingspan | 2,940 mm (116 in) |
| Warhead | Thermonuclear |
| Blast yield | 1.0–2.3 Mt |
| Engine | RD-214 635.2 kilonewtons (142,800 lbf) |
| Payload capacity | 1.6 t |
| Propellant | liquid (AK-27I / TM-185) |
| Fuel capacity | 37 t |
Operational range | 2,000–2,500 km (1,200–1,600 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 3,530 m/s (Mach 10) |
Guidance system | autonomous inertial |
| Accuracy | 2.4–5.16 km (1.49–3.21 mi) CEP |
Launch platform | open-launch and silo-based |
The R-12 Dvina was a theatre ballistic missile developed and deployed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Its GRAU designation was 8K63 (8K63U or 8K63У in Cyrillic for silo-launched version), and it was given the NATO reporting name of SS-4 Sandal. The R-12 rocket provided the Soviet Union with the capability to attack targets at medium ranges with a megaton-class thermonuclear warhead and constituted the bulk of the Soviet offensive missile threat to Western Europe. Deployments of the R-12 missile in Cuba caused the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. A total of 2335 missiles were produced; all were destroyed in 1993 under the START II treaty.
As well as the single-stage ballistic technology, the R-12 Dvina had a two-stage capability that allowed payloads to be placed into low Earth orbit.
The Iranian Shahab-4 missile is likely an offshoot of the R-12 Dvina.