And about Sarmat ICBM (part I)

 When we talk about the failure of flight test plans for the new 15A28 “Sarmat” heavy liquid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile the first thing that comes to mind is that the industry did not issue flight samples of the missile for testing. Is this possible?

The main developer of the 15A28 "Sarmat" ICBM is the Makeev State Rockets Center from Miass (Ural). Accordingly, the main cooperation for the creation of a rocket looks like this:

• complex, rocket - SRC named after Makeev (Miass)
• rocket production - PA Krasmash (Krasnoyarsk)
• missile control system - Scientific and Production Center of Automation and Instrumentation named after Academician Pilyugin (I must to correct this later)
• the stage of breeding warheads and the actual warheads - NPO Mashinostroyenia (Reutov) in conjunction with the Makeev State Regional Center
• 1st stage engines - development - NPO Energomash named after academician Glushko, production - Proton-PM
• 2nd stage engines - presumably Design Bureau of Chemical Automatics
• solid fuel generators and probably PAD - FTsDT "Soyuz"
• launch facility - design bureau of special mechanical engineering
• TPK - JSC "Avangard"
• transport and transport-loading units - Central Design Bureau of Transport Engineering and Design Bureau "Motor" TSENKI.

 It should be noted that for all the participants in the cooperation, the entire Sarmat project in modern conditions is a new and rather difficult test. The experience that was gained by the participants of the cooperation during the Soviet era when working with the R-36M2 Voevoda missiles of this class has probably already been lost either partially or completely. It is quite possible that problems are possible at many stages of cooperation - this was very clearly seen when the production cooperation of the Bulava sea ballistic missile was put together. And, by the way, it is quite possible that in the case of “Sarmat” the level of control of components is noticeably higher - this is what caused a noticeable shift to the right of the start of flight tests. In theory, this should also ensure trouble-free missile launches during the flight test program.

Are there any problems with mass production of missiles for flight tests at PA Krasmash? Quite possibly. It seems that at least 6 missiles samples (L1-L6) should be prepared for flight tests. Nevertheless, in the footage of the chronicle from the final assembly of Sarmat ICBMs at Krasmash for August 2021, we do not see a single missile.

The assembly building for new ICBMs was built in record time in 2019-2020. - a modern and clean workshop for the final assembly of the new heavy Sarmat missiles. Back in April 2019, there were the backyards of Krasmash, and in June 2019, a new workshop was already under construction.

The territory of "Krasmash" where the workshop for the final assembly of the "Sarmat" ICBMs is located in 2013 - before the production modernization program began at the plant.

       

In April 2019, work is already planned at the site of the future workshop, but in fact they began only in May-June 2019.

The construction of the new workshop by the end of 2019 was in full swing.

The roof was closed by April 2020. And finally, by the end of 2020, the shop was completed.

It can be assumed that in 2021 Krasmash completed the workshop equipment and began assembling flight samples of Sarmat missiles, but did not manage to complete the assembly of the first missiles by the end of autumn 2021.

By the way, earlier in 2016 at Krasmash, the rearmament of production had already been “completed”, which was one of the reasons for the delay in the Sarmat's launch launches, according to the Russian media. In the course of that rearmament, Krasmash probably received new instrumental systems for high-tech processing of parts for future 15A28 missiles. As of 2015, it was planned to complete all the reconstruction and re-equipment of production at Krasmash by 2019.

Elements of 15A28 "Sarmat" throw missiles in the shops of "Krasmash" (2016)

In general, of course, there could be delays due to problems with the assembly of missiles, but components that are produced by other members of the cooperation - not Krasmash, are used to assemble the missiles. And of course there are many risks. Although, of course, the risks should have been minimal - in the components of the Sarmat rocket, many systems originate in the constituent parts of the Voevoda. It seems this was supposed to reduce the riskiness of the project.

Yours Missiles Underground
To be continued