Submarine Launched Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

RSM - 50 "Volna"

NATO Designation SS-N-18 "Stingray"





Entered service in1976Range6 500 - 8 000 kmWeight35.3 tType of warheadnuclearGuidanceinertial with astrocorrectionLength14.1 mDiameter1.8 mCarried by"Kalmar" ("Delta III") class submarines
Between the 1976 and 1981 with the Naval fleet of the Soviet Union entered service fourteen 667 BRD "Kalmar" ("Delta III") class nuclear submarines, carrying RSM-50 "Volna" (Wave) submarine launched intercontinental ballistic missiles known as SS-N-18 "Stingray" with NATO countries. Each submarine carried 16 missiles with a range of fire in 6 500 kilometers. Missiles featured combat part with 3 nuclear warheads. The RSM-50 is a Soviet third generation intercontinental ballistic missile. It was the first in the world submarine launched ballistic missile to carry a MIRV warhead with an intercontinental range of fire.
There were developed two more variants of the RSM-50 "Volna" missile with a single RV and with 7 MIRV warheads. Both of them featured extended range of fire. In 1991 Soviet Union operated 60 RSM-50 missiles carried by 5 "Kalmar" class submarines in the North fleet and 144 missiles carried by 9 "Kalmar's" in the Pacific fleet.