RD-864
Soviet rocket engine
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The RD-864 (Russian: РакеÑнÑй ÐвигаÑелÑ-864, romanized: Raketnyy Dvigatel-864, lit.â'Rocket Engine 864', GRAU index: 15D177) is a Soviet liquid-fuel rocket engine burning a hypergolic mixture of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) fuel with dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) oxidizer in a gas generator combustion cycle.[1] It has a four combustion chambers that provide thrust vector control by gimbaling each nozzle in a single axis ±55°. It is used on the third stage of the R-36M UTTKh (GRAU index: 15A18) and Dnepr.[5] For the R-36M2 (GRAU index: 15A18M), an improved version, the RD-869 (GRAU index: 15D300) was developed.[1][6][10][11]
| Country of origin | Soviet Union |
|---|---|
| First flight | 31 October 1977 |
| Designer | Yuzhnoye Design Bureau |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhmash |
| Application | Upper stage |
| Associated LV | R-36M UTTKh and Dnepr |
| Successor | RD-869 |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
| Mixture ratio | 1.8 |
| Cycle | Gas-generator |
| Configuration | |
| Chamber | 4 |
| Performance | |
| Thrust |
|
| Chamber pressure |
|
| Specific impulse |
|
| Burn time | Up to 600 seconds |
| Restarts | Up to 25 |
| Gimbal range | ±55° |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 4,020 mm (13 ft 2 in) |
| Diameter | 1,420 mm (4 ft 8 in) |
| Dry mass | 199 kg (439 lb) |
| Used in | |
| R-36M UTTKh and Dnepr third stage | |
| References | |
| References | [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] |
| Country of origin | Soviet Union |
|---|---|
| First flight | March 1986 |
| Designer | Yuzhnoye Design Bureau |
| Manufacturer | Yuzhmash |
| Application | Upper Stage |
| Associated LV | R-36M2 |
| Predecessor | RD-864 |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | N2O4 / UDMH |
| Mixture ratio | 1.8 |
| Cycle | Gas-generator |
| Configuration | |
| Chamber | 4 |
| Performance | |
| Thrust |
|
| Chamber pressure |
|
| Specific impulse |
|
| Burn time | Up to 700 seconds |
| Restarts | Up to 50 |
| Gimbal range | ±55° |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 4,020 mm (13 ft 2 in) |
| Diameter | 1,420 mm (4 ft 8 in) |
| Dry mass | 196 kg (432 lb) |
| Used in | |
| R-36M2 third stage | |
| References | |
| References | [1][5][6][10] |
History
When the Soviet military developed an improved version of the R-36M ICBM, Yangel's OKB-586 developed a new engine for the third stage, the RD-864. Developed between 1976 and 1978 it flew for the first time on October 31, 1977. With the START I and START II the some 150 R-36M and R-36M UTTKh were retired and to be destroyed by 2007.[1][4] So, a civilian application was looked for and during the 1990s, Yuzhnoe Design Bureau (the R-36M designer) successfully developed the Dnepr launch vehicle.[3] It flew for the first time on April 21, 1999, and as of June 2016 it is still operational.[12] So, while the production of the RD-864 has long since been finished, the engine is still to this day operational.[12][13]
The RD-869 was an improved version for the most powerful Soviet ICBM ever, the R-36M2 (15A18M). It had improved efficiency, restart capability and burn life over the RD-864.[1][10] As of January 2016 there are still 46 operational R-36M2 (RS-20V, SS-18) and thus the RD-869 is still in service, if out of production.[13]
Versions
There are two versions of this engine:
- RD-864 (GRAU Index: 15D177): First developed as the third stage engine for the R-36M UTTKh (15A18) ICBM and, by extension, on the Dnepr launch vehicle.[1][5]
- RD-869 (GRAU Index: 15D300): An improved version of the RD-864. It has improved efficiency, restart capability and burn life. It is used on the R-36M2 (15A18M).[1][6]
See also
- RD-843 - A single chamber version of the RD-864
- R-36M UTTKh - The most powerful ever Soviet ICBM for which the RD-864/869 engines were created.
- Dnepr - A Ukrainian small rocket project that uses the RD-864.
- Yuzhnoe Design Bureau - The RD-864/869 designer.
- Yuzhmash - A multi-product machine-building company that's closely related to Yuzhnoe and manufactures the RD-864/869.