Operation Behemoth
Encyclopedia
Operation Behemoth-1, Behemoth-2 ( - Begemot, Hippopotamus
) were military exercises held by the Soviet Northern Fleet
in 1989 and 1991. Behemoth-2 was the first time ever when a ballistic missile submarine
launched all of its missiles at once.
, K-84 Yekaterinburg, attempted to salvo launch all 16 R-29RM missiles. The operation failed due to a leak of fuel and oxidizer
from missile number six just prior to the start. This leak caused a fire and a pressure boost inside the silo which destroyed the missile.
, under the command of Captain Second Rank Sergey Yegorov, performed a full salvo underwater launch, launching all 16 R-29RM missiles on board. The whole salvo took 224 seconds (3 minutes, 44 seconds) with a 14 second interval between launches. During this 3.7 minutes the submarine expelled more than 650 tons of weight. The 1st and the 16th missiles hit their targets at Kura testing range on the Kamchatka peninsula
, while the rest were self-destructed in flight.
K-407 Novomoskovsk broke the record of the Delta-II class submarine, K-140, which launched 8 missiles on December 20, 1968.
Behemoth-2 was viewed as a possible scenario of a nuclear war against the United States
and was executed to confirm the possibility and safety of a quick underwater salvo.
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
) were military exercises held by the Soviet Northern Fleet
Northern Fleet
The Red Banner Northern Fleet is a unit of the Russian Navy that has access to the Barents and Norwegian Seas, the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, and is responsible for the defense of northwestern Russia. It was established in 1937 as part of the Soviet Navy...
in 1989 and 1991. Behemoth-2 was the first time ever when a ballistic missile submarine
Ballistic missile submarine
A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine equipped to launch ballistic missiles .-Description:Ballistic missile submarines are larger than any other type of submarine, in order to accommodate SLBMs such as the Russian R-29 or the American Trident...
launched all of its missiles at once.
Behemoth-1
On August 6, 1989, the Delta-IV class submarineDelta class submarine
The Delta class is a class of submarines which formed the backbone of the Soviet and Russian strategic submarine fleet since its introduction in 1973...
, K-84 Yekaterinburg, attempted to salvo launch all 16 R-29RM missiles. The operation failed due to a leak of fuel and oxidizer
Dinitrogen tetroxide
Dinitrogen tetroxide is the chemical compound N2O4. It is a useful reagent in chemical synthesis. It forms an equilibrium mixture with nitrogen dioxide; some call this mixture dinitrogen tetroxide, while some call it nitrogen dioxide.Dinitrogen tetroxide is a powerful oxidizer, making it highly...
from missile number six just prior to the start. This leak caused a fire and a pressure boost inside the silo which destroyed the missile.
Behemoth-2
The second attempt took place two years later and succeeded. On August 6, 1991, the Delta-IV submarine K-407 NovomoskovskRussian submarine K-407 Novomoskovsk
Novomoskovsk is a Project 667BDRM Delfin-class ballistic missile submarine of the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet.-Background:...
, under the command of Captain Second Rank Sergey Yegorov, performed a full salvo underwater launch, launching all 16 R-29RM missiles on board. The whole salvo took 224 seconds (3 minutes, 44 seconds) with a 14 second interval between launches. During this 3.7 minutes the submarine expelled more than 650 tons of weight. The 1st and the 16th missiles hit their targets at Kura testing range on the Kamchatka peninsula
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...
, while the rest were self-destructed in flight.
"On August 6, 1991 at 21 hours 07 minutes a volley fire the complete fire unit of RSM-54 rockets from the submarine of the project 667BDRM was carried out the. In the interests of the reduction of expenditures the operation was conducted on the planned combat training of the crew of submarine and the regular flight only of two rockets. The rockets, which start in the volley of the first and last, had to run complete flight program and fall onto the assigned aiming points. The remaining rockets, which participate in the volley, had to from all parameters of launch completely correspond to combat missiles, but the height of their flight could be arbitrary. For conducting the volley by complete fire unit was isolated the submarine “Novomoskovsk” (commander of boat S.V. Yegorov) and 16 rockets RSM-54, prepared by the Krasnoyarsk Machine Building Plant. The launching passed successfully, and until then no one in the world had conducted a shoot of a complete fire unit. "
K-407 Novomoskovsk broke the record of the Delta-II class submarine, K-140, which launched 8 missiles on December 20, 1968.
Behemoth-2 was viewed as a possible scenario of a nuclear war against the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and was executed to confirm the possibility and safety of a quick underwater salvo.