Buran cruise missile

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The Buran cruise missile, designation RSS-40, was a Soviet intercontinental cruise missile capable of carrying a 3500 kg nuclear warhead. The project was canceled before flight tests began.^[1]

Contents 1 Development 2 Specifications 2.1 General characteristics 2.2 Launch vehicle (M-41) 2.3 Cruise missile (M-42) 3 Related content 3.1 Comparable missiles 4 Referencess

[edit] Development

The project was authorized on 20 May 1954, parallel to the development of the Burya missile. The development however, began in April 1953 as a rocket-aircraft system by Myasishchev OKB with internal designation M-40^[2]. The project was canceled in November 1957, when two prototypes were just ready for flight testing, in favor of the R-7 Semyorka since ICBMs were unstoppable. Like the Burya, the Buran consisted of two stages, the booster rockets designated M-41, and the cruise missile stage designated M-42.

[edit] Specifications

[edit] General characteristics

• Function: Nuclear cruise missile
• Launch mass: 125000 kg
• Total length: 24.0 m
• Launch platform: Launch pad
• Status: Canceled before first flight tests

[edit] Launch vehicle (M-41)

• Engine: 4× RD-213
• Thrust: 4× 55 t
• Length: 19.1 m
• Diameter: 1.20 m
• Oxidizer: Liquid oxygen
• Combustible: Kerosene

[edit] Cruise missile (M-42)

• Engine: 1× RD-020 ramjet
• Speed : Mach 3.1-3.2
• Range: 8,500 km
• Flight altitude: 18-20 km
• Warhead: thermonuclear, 3500 kg
• Length: 23.3 m
• Diameter: 2.40 m
• Wing span: 11.6 m
• Wing area: 98 m²

[edit] Related content

[edit] Comparable missiles

SM-62 Snark - SM-64 Navaho - Burya

[edit] Referencess

1. ^ FAS.org - "Burya / Buran- Russian / Soviet Nuclear Forces". Retrieved on 2006-06-17.
2. ^ "Astronautix.org - "Buran". Retrieved on 2006-06-17.