Engine Model: RD-111. Manufacturer Name: RD-111. Government Designation: 8D716. Designer: Glushko. Developed in: 1959-62. Application: R-9 stage 1. Propellants: Lox/Kerosene. Thrust(vac): 1,628.000 kN (365,988 lbf). Thrust(sl): 1,385.000 kN (311,360 lbf). Isp: 317 sec. Isp (sea level): 275 sec. Burn time: 110 sec. Mass Engine: 1,492 kg (3,289 lb). Diameter: 1.67 m (5.47 ft). Length: 2.10 m (6.80 ft). Chambers: 4. Chamber Pressure: 78.50 bar. Area Ratio: 18.00. Oxidizer to Fuel Ratio: 2.39. Thrust to Weight Ratio: 112.23. Country: Russia. First Flight: 1961. Last Flight: 1969. Flown: 69. The 121-140,000 kgf RD-111 was developed for combat missiles. It had special flexible pipelines and gimbals (simpler than bellows). You’d expect pre-launch pressurisation to be simple and quick with a military missile but the LOX on the R-9 missile took two hours to load. It was just too complicated for military use and would have been knocked out by bombers let alone missiles before it could be used. The final version took just 20 minutes to prepare and veterans claimed just 10 minutes in their tests. It was used in both silo and pad based missiles. Diameter is per chamber.
RD-111 used on Rocket Stages
Bibliography:- Kudryavtseva, V M, ed., Zhidkostnikh Raketnikh Dvigatley, Visshaya Shkola, Moscow, 1993.
- Salmon, Andrew, The Story Of Russian Rocket Engines - Energomash Museum, Commentary by the guide at the Energomash rocket engine museum in Khimki, April 1998 at YSC98..
- Haeseler, Dietrich, Information from NPO Energomash museum exhibit, Nov. 1992 via Dietrich Haeseler.
- Glushko, V P, Albom Konstruktsiy ZhRD, Vol. 1 1968, Vol. 3 & 4 1969 via Dietrich Haeseler.