UR-100N (SS-19 Stilleto) Russian Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
This is the competitive partner to SS-17. One report suggest SS-19 is "less advanced technically" than SS-17, but one should not undervalue this missile. It gets results at least as impressive as SS-17, albeit by being fractionally larger. According to one report SS-19 is hot launched, but most DoD and other literature is agreed on cold launching. Again, the British annual, whose sources are excellent, refers to "a refinement of the traditional Soviet 'fly the wire' technique", whereas other reports indicate pure inertial guidance in an advanced form. The DoD emphasized the complete success of SS-19 flight testing and in 1977 commented "We are convinced that the SS-19 is clearly intended to achieve high accuracy; the Soviet designers have done everything right to attain that goal". The two stages, both with parallel tanks that fill the silo as completely as possible, use storable liquids; and the American plastic display model of this missile shows twin gimbaled chambers projecting completely below the first-stage skirt, an unprecedented feature in a Russian ballistic missile and one that suggest the cold-launch sabot thrusts on the airframe above the chambers. Mod 1 SS-19, first deployed in 1974 at 400-500 kiloton per head and in 1978 at 800 kilotons to 1 megaton. Mod 2 has flown with a single super-accurate high yield reentry vehicle, but is not known to have reached IOC. In mid-1978 about 250 Mod 1 were in service, and it appeared that most of the 1,000 odd SS-11 silos would be occupied by this ICBM.
Dimensions: Length about 88 feet 6 inches; diameter 8 feet 3 inches.
Launch weight: Estimated at 171,958 pounds
Range: Over 6,214 miles.
