RSM-45 R-31Korabli VMF SSSR, Vol. 1, Part 1, Yu. Apalkov, Sankt Peterburg, 2003, (NATO designation - SS-N-17 Snipe) was a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

submarine-launched ballistic missile A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a nuclear warhead ...

. Development for the missile began in June 1971 at the

Arsenal Design Bureau Arsenal Design Bureau (russian: Конструкторское бюро «Арсенал», Konstruktorskoye byuro Arsenal) is an engineering company active in the fields of space technology, ship artillery and civilian machine building. The co ...

.Podvig, P. Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces.p.329 It was fitted on only one

Yankee II class submarine The Yankee class, Soviet designations Project 667A ''Navaga'' (navaga) and Project 667AU ''Nalim'' (burbot), was a series of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines built in the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy. In total, 34 units were bui ...

, originally for evaluation purposes. A first test flight took place from the Yankee II Class submarine K-140br>(photo)
in December 1976. The RS-16 was the first solid-fueled

ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons ...

in the Soviet Union's strategic arsenal. It was a two-stage delivery device armed with a single 500 kt nuclear warhead. A particular practical benefit of the design was the quiet submerged launch system, which used the missile's own buoyancy to lift it to the surface. The missile entered service in March 1980, but was never installed in any other submarine other than the K-140, and was out of service by 1991. Apparently this missile was also capable of performing the duties of SLCMs, as the targeting distance could be varied drastically. It was the first Soviet ballistic missile using

astro-inertial guidance Missile guidance refers to a variety of methods of guiding a missile or a guided bomb to its intended target. The missile's target accuracy is a critical factor for its effectiveness. Guidance systems improve missile accuracy by improving its P ...

Users

; * Soviet Navy

References

Sources

SS-N-17
at MissileThreat
MILNET: Strategic Missiles
{{Russian and Soviet missiles, SSM R-031 Arsenal Design Bureau products Arsenal Plant (Saint Petersburg) products Military equipment introduced in the 1980s