OTR-23 Oka
theater ballistic missile
The OTR-23 Oka (Russian: OTP-23 «Ока»; named after Oka River) was a mobile theatre ballistic missile (Russian: оперативно-тактический ракетный комплекс) deployed by the Soviet Union near the end of the Cold War to replace the obsolete R-17 Elbrus. It carried the GRAU index 9K714 and was assigned the NATO reporting name SS-23 Spider. The introduction of the Oka significantly strengthened Soviet theatre nuclear capabilities as its range and accuracy allowed it not only to strike hardened NATO targets such as airfields, nuclear delivery systems, and command centers, but moving targets as well. It also had a fast reaction time, being able to fire in approximately five minutes, and was nearly impossible to intercept, thereby allowing it to penetrate defenses.
Development
During the mid-1960s the Soviets began developing a replacement for the R-17 Elbrus (NATO reporting name: SS-1C Scud B), which had some serious drawbacks including slow launching time, dangerous fuel, and poor accuracy. After starting with some design concepts in 1965−1971, development of the 9M714 missile started in 1972 at the Machine Industry Design Bureau (KBM) in Kolomna led by Sergey Nepobedimy, the same design bureau that developed the OTR-21 Tochka. The 9M714, designed as an extended range version of the Tochka, used solid fuel which could be quickly loaded and fired with a smaller crew and less support vehicles. The Oka could be readied for launch in less than 30 minutes in comparison to the Scud-B, which takes about 90 minutes to be prepared for launch.
Description
The 9K714 Oka used a 9P71 transporter erector launcher built on the BAZ-6944 8×8 truck chassis and the missile was fully enclosed during travel, which not only provided some protection against enemy attacks but also kept the missile under a controlled temperature. The TEL was 11.76 m (38.6 ft) long, 3.13 m (10.3 ft) wide, and when fully loaded it had a total mass of 24,070 kg (53,070 lb).
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