BZhRK_Barguzin
BZhRK Barguzin
Intercontinental ballistic missile
The RS-27 (?) or SS-X-32Zh (?) Barguzin BZhRK (БЖРК) Project is a rail-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) under development for the Russian RVSN, as a replacement of the previous railway missile train Molodets BZhRK SS-24 Scalpel. BZhRK stands for railway strategic missile train. The missile was expected to enter testing in 2019 and enter service in 2020.[1]
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The Barguzin “railroad combat complex", or BZhRK, will be armed with six RT-## (the missile will be based on Yars, Bulava, RT-23MU, Rubezh Avangard, maybe partially from RT20PUZh, R-39 Rif and R-39M developments) ICBMs, a fifty-five-ton missile that reportedly carries up to 4 nuclear warheads, and is already deployed in fixed silos and mobile truck-mounted launchers. There will be five railroad missile regiments, each consisting of one train and six ballistic missiles. Operational deployment is slated for 2020.[2]
Unlike its decommissioned Soviet counterpart, the RT-23 Molodets (the SS-24 Mod-3 Scalpel), the new train carrying ICBMs will be much lighter, due to the use of the more compact RS-24 Yars ICBM, so that distinguishing it from an ordinary freight train will be impossible.[3]
In December 2017, the Russian state media reported that the project has been frozen due to a lack of financing, saying that the weapon was too expensive. However, the report also states that the project can be quickly revived if necessary.[4][5]