Since the range of Ukrainian ballistic missile had become known (600-700 kilometers), another question arose: what might it look like? We are not talking about its visual appearance, but about dimensions and certain technological nuances.
It is possible to consider current and older ballistic missiles. It should be noted that not many countries in the world currently have their own ballistic missiles, and even fewer are developing them. The level of technological development available in a country is also very important.
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For example, russian 9M723 ballistic missile for Iskander short-range ballistic missile system, with a range of 400-500 km and a warhead weight of up to 480 kg, has a launch weight of 3800 kg, a length of 7.2 meters and a diameter of 92 cm. At the same time, the Israeli Lora ballistic missile, with a similar range and warhead weight, is 5 meters long, 61 cm in diameter, and has a launch weight of 1.8 tons.
We should also mention PrSM missile, which has a range of over 500 km and is launched from HIMARS. It reaches such range due to its dimensions: length - 4 meters, diameter - 43 cm, while its launch weight is estimated at 1 ton. Its warhead weighs about 100 kg, but such a range with such dimensions means that the energy content of solid fuel is very high. This necessitates the use of resistant to overload components and materials that also makes the missile more complex and expensive.
Given the current state of Ukraine's defense industry, it would be more correct to focus on the indicators achieved by countries such as China or India. For instance, China has had the DF-15A ballistic missile since the mid-1980s, which has a range of 600 kilometers and carries a 500-kg warhead.
With a launch weight of 6200 kg, it has a length of 9.1 meters and a diameter of 1 meter. Despite the fact that the missile was developed several decades ago, Beijing continues to develop it. For example, the DF-15B, which was demonstrated in 2009, has a maneuverable mode and active radar seeker, while the DF-15C is a bunker buster variant equipped with a deep-penetration warhead, with a range of 700 km. The accuracy also increased from +/-200-300 meters in the late 80s to +/-30 meters in the 2000s.
India has a very specific ballistic missile that called Dhanush. It is a variant of Prithvi ballistic missile. Dhanush missile appeared in 2000. Its range has increased to 400 km compared to previous variant. The weight of its warhead is between 500 and 1000 kg. Missile dimensions: launch weight - 5.6 tons, length - 8.5 meters, diameter is about 1 meter. It is known to be a surface-to-surface or ship-to-ship missile for the Indian Navy.
India also has the Agni-I ballistic missile, which has a range of 700 km and was the first Indian ballistic missile to carry a nuclear warhead. This missile has been in development since the 1980s and has been in service since 2007. It has also become the basis for a whole branch of Indian missiles. With a warhead weight of 1 ton, this single-stage missile is 15 meters long, 1 meter in diameter and has a launch weight of 12 tons.
The example of Soviet ballistic missiles can also be considered. For example, the OTR-23Oka missile system that was developed in the 1970s, had 9K714 single-stage solid-propellant missile. It had a range of up to 450 km in the conventional variant with a 450-kg warhead. These parameters were achieved with dimensions of about 7.5 meters in length, a diameter of about 1 meter and a launch weight of about 4.5 tons.
All these examples are about solid-fuel single-stage missiles. However, the use of a two-stage scheme allows increase missile's range, although it leads to its increased costs and complications. For example, Temp-S solid-fueled two-stage ballistic missile had a range of up to 900 km, with a warhead weight of 530 kg, a length of 12-13 meters, a diameter of up to 1 meter, and a launch weight of 9.3 tons.
Given these examples, it can be assumed that if Ukrainian ballistic missile carries a warhead weighing about 500 kg, then with a single-stage system and solid fuel, it will have a launch weight of 5-6 tons and will be about 8-9 meters in length with a diameter of 1 meter. This is only an assumption, and it should be noted that with a smaller warhead weight, the size of the missile will also be smaller.
For comparison, the Tochka-U 9M79M Soviet tactical ballistic missile has a range of up to 120 km, with a warhead weight of up to 482 kg, dimensions of 6.4 meters in length, 65 cm in diameter, and a launch weight of 2010 kg. American ATACMS missile in M39A1 Block I variant with the range of 300 km has 174 kg warhead, dimensions of 3.97 meters, 61 cm in diameter and launch weight of 1318 kg.
Earlier Defense Express reported that new Ukrainian missile could reach Moscow, Saratov and Sochi.
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