Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

V.P.Barmin Design Bureau of General Machine-building (KB OM)

The Design Bureau of General Mechanical Engineering named after V.P. Barmin [KBOM] started its work since 1941, when a special design bureau was set up at the Moscow factory "Compressor", the main task of which was the development of technical documentation necessary for mass production at various factories of the country of launchers for launching powder guns, Katyusha. Vladimir Pavlovich Barmin was appointed chief designer of the SKB. In July 1944, the factory SKB was transformed into a specialized SKB to develop new models of combat launchers. In May 1946, it received the status of the Union Design Bureau and became the leading country in the creation of launching, lifting and transporting, refueling and auxiliary equipment for ground-based ballistic missile objects (GSKB Spetsmash).

Over the next few years, the KB set up mobile launch complexes for ballistic missiles R-1, R-2, R-12, R-14, and also for the B-300 surface-to-air missile. The rapid development of rocket technology led to an increase in the staff of the design bureau from 47 employees in 1946 to 450 in 1955, which made it possible to create, in the shortest possible time, an IC for the R-7, R-7A (and later modifications of this missile) and for the R- 9A, as well as stationary ground and mine missile systems for a number of combat missiles.

In the second half of the 1950s, the search engine design and calculation and theoretical works on the creation of various types of ground-based complexes protected from a nuclear attack were deployed at GSKB Spetsmash. Based on the results of the review of the materials submitted by GSKB Spetsmash, it was decided to create mine launching complexes protected from the impact of a nuclear explosion by a shock wave pressure of several kilograms per cm2. Such silo-launching complexes provided for the maintenance of missiles in a state of combat readiness, routine maintenance, preparation for launch and successive launch of missiles at any time of the year and day under any meteorological conditions. Combat protected group launch complexes received the names "Dvina", "Chusovaya" and "Desna" (and missiles respectively R-12U, R-14U and R-9A).

In April 1962, the team of the SSKB Spetsmash was entrusted with the leading role in the creation in a short time of launch and technical complexes for the heavy combat intercontinental missile UR-500. At the same time, for the UR-500 rocket, it was envisaged to create both ground and mine variants of launching complexes.

In 1962, GSKB Spetsmash received a new building and its own production and experimental base at Berezhkovskaya embankment, where it is based now. The number of employees had reached 1000 people. By this time, work was completed on ground and group mine PU for R-12, R-14 and R-9A missiles. Here, in the mid-1960s, a starter complex was developed for the Soviet N-1 lunar rocket, as well as for the UR-500 heavy-duty missile (and the Pro-K K-type UR-500K), the UR-100 and UR- 100K. In the late 1960s, the first in the country protected group DK "Dvina", "Chusovaya" and "Desna" were transferred to service, as well as the first "Mayak-2" for launching low-weight spacecraft with a 63C1 carrier rocket.

In 1963, GSKB Spetsmash was identified as the lead developer of the combat launch position for the UR-100 rocket. When selecting the schematic diagram of the launcher, a "container" scheme for the UR-100 rocket was developed and proposed, which was previously developed by the GSKB Special-Purpose missile for the TR-1 missile, which allowed the missile to be in the transport-launch container at all technological stages, before the start-up.

In 1965, ground launch complexes for the R-9A missile were put on combat duty. The main developer was GSKB Spetsmash. These were the first automated automated missile systems created in the world, which was a significant step in the development of rocket technology.

Missile launch complexes

· during 1947-1956 the Bureau developed transportable launch complexes for the R-1, R-2 and R-5M missiles, designed by NII-88 under S.P.Korolyov as well as launch pads for the V-300 SAMs of the S-25 Berkut Moscow air defense system (deployed by 1954);

· during 1953-1957 developed the launch complex for the R-7 ICBM at Baykonur test range (in 1958-1961 3 more complexes with 4 launch pads were built at Baykonur and Plesetsk);

· during 1953-1965 developed transportable and stationary launch complexes for R-12, R-12U (SS-4), R-14 and R-14U (SS-5) IRBMs;

· during 1958-1963 developed silo-based launch complexes Dvina, Chusovaya and Desna for the R-12U, R-14U IRBMs and R-9A ICBM;

· in 1963 created the first in the USSR automated launch complex Dolina for the R-9A ICBM, which excluded all manual operations with the missile on the launch pad;

· during 1963-1966 developed silo launch complex for UR-100 (SS-11) ICBM.