Soviet RT-15 Ballistic Missile

By Crusader1307

The Soviet Russian RT-15 was part of the Family of “Theater” Ballistic Missiles deployed by The Soviet Union during The Cold War. Variants are still deployed throughout Russia today. With the increasing superiority of American and NATO Long Range ICBM Systems, The Soviet Union at first, relied on the very “size” of it's Country as a form of defense. One such counter developed to fill in the defensive “gaps” was the use of a Mobile System by which to quickly move large scale ICBM Devices. The RT-15 was one of the first such deployed.

Nicknamed “Scamp” by NATO, The RT-15 was a dual tracked Armored Vehicle (T-10) which supported a crew of (4). It deployed it's payload via a hydromatic mechanism which could position it's Silo Tubed Missile in a suitable (traditional) launch configuration. As a Mobile Launch System, NATO found these “targets” very difficult to assess and hit. The Nuclear Device was rated at 1-Megaton and was 35,000-pounds. The RT Missile was 40-feet long with a 4-foot width. They were comparable to a mid-ranged (in size) American “Minuteman II'' ICBM. A (2) staged, solid fueled propelled Rocket. The RT-15 could achieve 1,600-miles in striking distance.