/ world today news/ Intercontinental ballistic missiles, a key element of the “nuclear triad”, remain the basis of Russia’s nuclear deterrent forces to this day. They are located in underground shafts or on mobile platforms and are on round-the-clock duty over a vast area from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. The presence of a missile shield is a guarantee for the safety of the country, for its service in the Russian military industry a separate branch has been created.
The main component of Russia’s missile shield is the Votkin plant, located in the foothills of the Urals. On March 11, 2016, during the day of acceptance of military production, which took place under the presidency of Vladimir Putin, the plant was named as one of the most successful enterprises in the industry.
Homeland of “Poplars” and “Iskanders”
The Votkin plant is one of several Russian enterprises engaged in the production of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and the only one producing the entire range of carriers in service with the Russian military. These are the main land-based missiles “Topol-M” and “Yars”, the missile “Bulava” created for nuclear submarines, and the system “Iskander-M” – the latest tactical complex for the ground forces. The production of this complex technique is ensured thanks to the developed technical base, which has no analogue in Russia.
In essence, the Votkin Plant is a collective name for several enterprises: metallurgical, tool assembly, welding. All of them, taken together, form a whole industrial area, thanks to which a city of a hundred thousand people has emerged, and every tenth of its inhabitants works in this factory
Modernization
Photo: TASS
Until recently, many of the plant’s capacities fell into the category of technically obsolete, but in recent years they have undergone significant modernization. A new thermal workshop was put into operation, where the entire production of the plant is tempered. After the renovation of production in 2012, new electric furnaces were delivered to it, the cost of their installation reached 10 million dollars. Metal cutting is done using modern nanotechnology.
The metal casting laboratory makes it possible to achieve a high quality of the alloys used for the production of rockets. All these innovations have significantly increased the reputation of the Votkin plant’s production, in recent years the possibility of a technical defect has been practically completely excluded.
The modernization of the enterprise opened new niches for him, which until now had nothing to do with military production. It also previously produced civilian products, including exotic ones, such as baby carriages. The conversion of the VPK in the 1990s forced the plant’s staff to master fundamentally new directions. Today, among the manufactured products are lathes, equipment for the oil, gas and nuclear industries. In 2009, the enterprise mastered the production of hydraulic shock absorbers for nuclear power plants, and the following year produced the equipment for the country’s first floating nuclear power plant.
History and prospects
Video: RIA “Novosti”
Today’s modern factory workshops are almost in no way reminiscent of those forges and foundries, with the construction of which in 1759 began the history of the Votkin Factory. Originating as a private enterprise, they were located in an area rich in timber, which provided cheap energy, and crossed by high-flowing rivers that provided convenient transportation highways. Soon after, the plant became state-owned and for the next 100 years it specialized in the production of high-quality armor steel. In 1858, his craftsmen made the metal arrow for the Peter and Paul cathedral in St. Petersburg, which has not been replaced to this day.
At the turn of the century, the plant became the center of military engineering, but it reached its peak during the time of the Soviet Union. Until the middle of the 20th century, it invariably held the crown as the main Russian artillery arsenal. The cannons produced by Votkinsi were actively used in the Soviet army.
After 1957, the company’s capacities absorbed rocket production. When the Intermediate-Range Missile Elimination Treaty was signed in 1987, the Votkin enterprise was specifically mentioned in the text of the agreement: the American side received the right to constantly inspect its workshops and control its strategically important production. Nowadays, the Votkin Plant, as before, is owned by the state and is one of the key participants in the implementation of the state defense order. Since 2013, it has practically doubled production of ballistic and tactical missiles.
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