Raduga was a Soviet submarine-launched thermonuclear missile test yielding 1.45 megatons, demonstrating early SLBM nuclear capability.
Key Facts
- Test date
- October 20, 1961
- Yield
- 1.45 megatons
- Detonation altitude
- 1,000 m
- Missile type
- R-13
- Launch platform
- Submarine K-102
- Conducting force
- Soviet Northern Fleet
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Soviet Union sought to demonstrate a submarine-launched ballistic missile nuclear capability using the R-13 missile. The test was conducted by the Northern Fleet as part of ongoing nuclear weapons development during the Cold War arms race, with K-102 deployed to a designated position in the Barents Sea.
On October 20, 1961, submarine K-102 fired two R-13 missiles toward Mityushikha Bay on Novaya Zemlya. Poor weather prevented precise navigation, causing the first unarmed missile to miss widely. The second armed missile, though still off-target, detonated at 1,000 metres altitude and yielded 1.45 megatons.
The test, codenamed Raduga, validated the Soviet submarine-launched ballistic missile as a nuclear delivery platform despite adverse weather conditions. Though accuracy was limited by the conditions, the successful detonation confirmed the viability of deploying thermonuclear warheads via submarine-launched R-13 missiles.