R-12

8K63 SS-4 Sandal (NATO)

Mission Profile

The R-12 (8K63, SS-4 Sandal) was a single-stage Soviet medium-range ballistic missile in the R-12 family, the first Soviet missile designed from the outset to use storable propellants for rapid launch capability. Standing 22.1 m tall with a 1.7 m diameter and a liftoff mass of 41.7 tonnes, it generated 628 kN of thrust. First flying in June 1959, the R-12 became infamous when its deployment to Cuba triggered the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and served as the basis for the Kosmos launch vehicle family.