D-2 missile complex with SLBM R-13(35-M-4)

The D-2 complex consisted of three mine type launchers, shipborne missile firing control devices and special systems. The ship's navigation systems provided for the preparation of missile firing, giving the missile system data on the place, speed and course, the angles of rocking the submarine. The mine with special systems belonged to the ship's devices (ventilation, system of mine flooding and drainage, the lid of the mine).

R-13 - single-stage surface launch rocket with liquid propellant on stored high boiling fuel. Fuel tanks were made bearing and formed a fuel compartment. Fuel components are self-combustible, oxidizer is a solution of nitrogen four-oxide in concentrated nitric acid, fuel TG-2 is a mixture of xylidine and triethylamine. To increase safety, the oxidizer tank was refueled in the base before the submarine went into military service, and the fuel tank - in the sea from the boat tanks directly during the pre-start preparation. The fuel tanks were placed outside the strong hull of the submarine - in the fence of the deckhouse. The missiles could stay in the mines in the fueled state for up to three months. At the end of this period they had to be unloaded to check their technical condition. The missile complex was served by 10 people.

The rocket propulsion system included a five-chamber liquid propellant rocket engine with a thrust of 25.7 tons. It had a central combustion chamber and four steering chambers, and was designed to be open. The marching engine was developed at the Chemical Engineering Design Bureau under the leadership of Alexey Isaev. The ground equipment complex was developed at the Moscow Transport Engineering Design Bureau under the leadership of Vladimir Petrov.

The control system - inertial - was developed at the Sverdlovsk Design Bureau-626 (NPO automatics) under the supervision of Chief Designer Nikolay Semikhatov and was intended for testing of initial disturbances at launch from a submarine and for launching the missile on a given flight path, for stabilization and program control of the missile, for determination of the head end separation moment. It provided accuracy of firing (CWO) of 4 km.

R-13 carried a detachable monoblock head unit with a thermonuclear charge with a power of 1 Mt, which allowed to strike targets on the ground. The head unit was equipped with stabilisers.

The design of the missile and the launcher allowed the launch of the missile from the upper section of the mine in the surface position of the boat at a speed of up to 15 knots, on any course angle and when the sea waves up to five points. The first missile could be launched 4 minutes after the ascent, not 15 minutes after the R-11FM.

The mechanisms and devices that determined the general scheme and layout of the SM-60 starter unit (see diagram) had original technical solutions. Such devices were among them:

• chain hoist with push-type chains and electro-hydraulic table lift drive;
• starting device with automatic scattering mechanism and information of the posts of this device;
• a system of cushioning and fastening of the missile in a walking mode;
• a device for emergency discharge of a defective missile overboard.

To improve the operating conditions of the complex on the PL, a fixed missile installation on the launch table pins was used, which excludes vertical and azimuth alignment of the missile after its loading on the launch table. The table lift mechanism is made with two pusher chains with guides for chains inside the mine. The table lifting was performed to rigid stops. When approaching the rigid stops, the hydraulic brakes of the lifting drive were automatically engaged, the table was pressed against the stops and reliably held during the rocking and launching of the rocket. The lift table was a welded and cast construction of two thin-walled castings. The table had a rotary table with a drive to point the missile at the azimuth. On the rotary table there was a launch table, a launching device, a mechanism of scattering and information of racks and a device for emergency dropping of the rocket overboard. The weight of the lift-and-turn table with the devices, placed on it and R-13 missile, was 33 t. The lifting height of the table was 12m. The capacity of the electric motor of the lift drive was 110KW.

The corset-type launcher had four props with grips forming an upper belt holding the missile until launch. The four-pillar layout of the launcher ensured that it was equally stiff on the rocker at any azimuth position of the rotary table and that the missile had a reliable mismatch with the upper grips during launch. During the rocket launch and its lifting by 120 mm with the help of copiers located on its body, there was a forced opening of the launch device locks and automatic spread of the racks at an angle of 60 ° under the influence of a powerful spring mechanism. To brake the props, at the end of their folding, hydraulic brakes were provided in the mechanism of scattering of props. After starting, the props were automatically folded down by two hydraulic cylinders when the table was lowered into the shaft using the lift chain guides as copiers.

The verticality of the rocket was ensured by the aligned horizontal plane of the launch table. The starting position in azimuth was provided by the locking pins of the launch table. Emergency dump of the rocket was provided for PL Pr.629 in conditions of constant roll up to 8° and amplitude of lateral rocking up to 5°. In this case the rotary table was set in the "reset" position, at which the missile was dropped on the starboard side. To reset the rocket on the launch table had a frame, and in the rotary table were two pneumatic cylinders, which unfolded the frame, resulting in the rocket, due to the moment of its own weight, fell overboard.

Launch unit SM-60 as part of the D-2 complex was in service with the Navy for 12 years. During this time there were no failures in the launch of the R-13 missile due to malfunctioning mechanisms and devices of the SM-60 installation. During the operation of the complex any comments on the design of SM-60 installation of its reliability and safety from the fleets and management of the Navy did not come.