Кавказская война (1817–1864) как полигон боевого применения ракетной артиллерии

Abstract

The article is devoted to the experience of using combat missiles in the Caucasian War (1817–1864). Today, rocket artillery is one of the most advanced and rapidly developing branches of artillery, but this type of weapon has come a long way to take its place in the arsenals of the world’s armies . The purpose of this article is to analyze the use of rocket artillery by all parties to the Caucasian War of 1817-1864. The research objectives are: to consider the features of the missile weapons production and identify the course of rocket artillery participation in military campaigns in the Caucasus in the 19th century. The methodological basis of the article is the methods of historicism and objectivity. The author turns to a systematic scientific analysis that allows us to consider the entire complex of factors. As European powers developed the production of military rockets, Russia also became interested in them. The military considered rocket artillery as a promising weapon capable of replacing all land smooth-bore artillery. The Military Scientific Committee promoted developments in domestic rocket science. But the issue of industrial production of missiles for the needs of the army was not resolved for a long time due to their low military efficiency compared to European counterparts. The impetus for the creation of the first rocket manufacturing enterprise - the St. Petersburg Rocket Establishment - was given by the war that started in the Caucasus. Light and mobile combat missiles demonstrated their undeniable superiority in the mountainous terrain. Shamil, the Imam of the Caucasus, was also interested in rocket artillery. He tried to establish the production of this type of weapon. The production of gunpowder and iron casting was organized in the Imamate, but they failed to succeed in this endeavor. Most of the rocket artillery of Shamil's army was captured shells. For a long time, military rockets were used exclusively in the Caucasus, but with the development of tactical and technical qualities of weapons, many military districts began to form permanent missile companies. With the defeat in the Crimean War (1853–1856), interest in rockets waned, and by 1886 the production of rocket artillery had declined. But the theoretical and practical developments made during this period became the basis of international and domestic rocket science.