The R-25 Vulkan () was a

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...

(SAM) designed by Serbian engineer Obrad Vučurović and built in the

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

(SFRY) in the late 1950s, early 1960s.

Development

The mid-1950s saw the emergence of viable SAMs for the purpose of air defence. Due to their inability to import foreign SAM systems, in 1958 Yugoslavia initiated a program to develop an indigenous missile at the Belgrade Military Technical Institute. Designated the R-25 Vulkan (Volcano), this completely original Yugoslavian design brought together a team of experts led by engineer Obrad Vučurović to design the missile, with the prototypes being made in the

SOKO Soko ( sh-Cyrl, Соко) was a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav aircraft manufacturer based in Mostar, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina. The company was responsible for the production of ...

aircraft factory in

Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...

. Two versions of the missile were developed: one that had a booster-rocket engine with seven rockets and a second one with four rockets. Although, initial prototypes used a

liquid fuel rocket A liquid-propellant rocket or liquid rocket uses a rocket engine burning liquid propellants. (Alternate approaches use gaseous or solid propellants.) Liquids are desirable propellants because they have reasonably high density and their combusti ...

engine developed for a rocket-powered torpedo, later operational production missiles would use a solid-fueled engine with twice the thrust. The development of the launcher and radar system was inspired by the Japanese Kappa meteorological

sounding rocket A sounding rocket or rocketsonde, sometimes called a research rocket or a suborbital rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The rockets are often ...

imported into Yugoslavia. The target detection and information collection system was supplied by Yugoslav-made OAR M-61 “Fruška Gora” S-Band surveillance and acquisition radar, and in-course guidance was supplied by a British No. 3 Mk. 7 aiming radar. For operational use, there existed the possibility of using more sophisticated radar equipment, and for terminal guidance the missile would switch to independent homing by

infrared Infrared (IR; sometimes called infrared light) is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than that of visible light but shorter than microwaves. The infrared spectral band begins with the waves that are just longer than those ...

sensors in its nose cone. The advanced guidance system of the R-25 was automatic after launch with no further operator input needed.

Use

The first launch of the missile was conducted in November 1962, revealing problems with the liquid-fueled

sustainer rocket A sustainer engine is a rocket engine which remains with a spacecraft during its ascent after booster engines have separated from the spacecraft. See also *Multistage rocket A multistage rocket or step rocket is a launch vehicle that us ...

motor. Concurrently, with the R-25 testing in 1962 the SFRY acquired

S-75 Dvina The S-75 (Russian: С-75; NATO reporting name SA-2 Guideline) is a Soviet-designed, high-altitude air defence system. It is built around a surface-to-air missile with command guidance. Following its first deployment in 1957 it became one of the ...

(Russian: С-75; NATO reporting name: SA-2 Guideline), missile systems from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. As such, by the end of 1964 the decision was made to abandon the Vukan project that produced a total of twelve missiles. The knowledge and experience gained during this project were later incorporated into other projects for production of other armaments for the

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...

(JNA).

Survivors

A single R-25 Vulkan missile is preserved at the Museum of Aviation Museum in Belgrade; intended for in-flight testing, the warhead has been replaced by

measuring Measurement is the quantification of attributes of an object or event, which can be used to compare with other objects or events. In other words, measurement is a process of determining how large or small a physical quantity is as compared to ...

and

telemetry Telemetry is the in situ collection of measurements or other data at remote points and their automatic transmission to receiving equipment (telecommunication) for monitoring. The word is derived from the Greek roots ''tele'', 'far off', an ...

equipment.

External links

Seven-boostered version images

References

{{reflist Surface-to-air missiles of the Cold War Weapons of Yugoslavia Japan–Serbia relations