R-17 Elbrus

R-17 Elbrus
An R-17 missile
Type	Short-range ballistic missile
Place of origin	USSR
Service history
In service	1964-
Wars	Iran-Iraq War, Yom Kippur War, Soviet war in Afghanistan, Libyan Civil War, Gulf War
Production history
Designer	Viktor Makeyev
Designed	1956-1958
Specifications
Weight	5,800 kg (12,800 lb)
Length	11.2 m (37 ft)
Diameter	0.88 m (2.9 ft)
Propellant	UDMH/HNO3

Iran-Iraq War, Yom Kippur War,

The R-17 Elbrus,GRAU index 9K72 is a tactical ballistic missile, initially developed by the Soviet Union. It is also known by its NATO reporting name SS-1C Scud-B. It is one of several Soviet missiles to carry the reporting name Scud; the most prolifically launched of the series, with a production run estimated at 7,000 (1960–1987). Also designated R-300 during the 1970s, the R-17 was derived from the R-11 Zemlya. It has been operated by 32 countries and manufactured in four countries outside the Soviet Union. It is still in service with some.

The first mock-up was designed and built by Makeyev in 1958–1959, before the programme was transferred to the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant in 1959 for mass production. The first launch was conducted in 1961, and it entered service in 1964.

The R-17 featured important improvements over the R-11. The Isayev RD-21 engine used a combination of inhibited red fuming nitric acid (IRFNA) oxidiser and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) fuel, fed into the combustion chamber by fuel pumps that ensured a more consistent thrust. The guidance system, active only during the boosted phase, uses three gyroscopes, that give it a Circular Error of Probability (CEP) of 450m (900m according to western sources.) A nuclear warhead was designed for the R-17, with a selectable yield, from 5 to 70 kilotons. However it could also carry a chemical warhead, containing 555 kg of viscous VX; a conventional weapon, with a single high explosive warhead; or a series of fragmentation payloads, using either high explosive, anti-tank or anti-runway munitions.