Soviet Missile to Arrive at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Soviet surface-to-air missile on loan from the New Mexico Museum of Military History

[Albuquerque, NM] – The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History will receive a V-750 Dvina missile on loan from the New Mexico Museum of Military History (NMMMH) in Albuquerque on Saturday, February 4, 2023. The missile will be on display in the Nuclear Museum’s Heritage Park, a nine-acre outdoor exhibit with artifacts such as the B-29 Superfortress, fighter jets, and a full-scale replica of the 100 ft Trinity test tower.

The demilitarized missile will be transported on its launcher from a storage unit at the New Mexico National Guard in Rio Rancho. Extensive planning and preparations were made for the relocation of the 34 ft 6” missile.

The missile will be part of the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History’s “Operation Preservation,” a multi-year initiative to restore iconic aircraft in Heritage Park.

“We’re excited and extremely proud to have secured the loan of such a unique piece of history for Heritage Park,” said museum curator James Stemm. “We are especially grateful to the board of trustees and volunteers at the NMMMH for helping to establish the loan agreement and to complete the move to Heritage Park.”

“We are thrilled to establish this partnership with the Nuclear Museum,” said Gregg Hartz, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force and on the Board of Trustees with NMMMH. “Equipment like the SA-2 Guideline is of historical military significance. We are honored to share it with the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History so those interested in our military history can visit it and see it preserved.”

About the V-750 Dvina

Developed in the early 1950s, the V-750 Dvina was the first effective Soviet surface-to-air missile developed in response to the U.S. Air Force’s deployment of jet-powered nuclear bombers such as the B-47 and B-52. In the West, the missile was known by its NATO code name, SA-2 Guideline.

Like the American Nike-Hercules missile, the SA-2 could be equipped with a conventional explosive or a nuclear warhead.

The Soviet Union widely exported the SA-2 Guideline. The missile saw extensive use in the Middle East and the wars in Southeast Asia. During the Vietnam war, nearly seven thousand SA-2 missiles were fired at American aircraft. In all, forty nations have used or continue to deploy versions of the Guideline as a part of their air defense systems. Currently, Egypt, Vietnam, and China are the largest users. The Guideline was replaced in Soviet service by the early 1980s.

Specifications:

Missile Length: 34 feet 6 inches

Diameter: 28 inches

Maximum Range: 28 miles

Maximum Altitude: 60,000 feet

Speed: Mach 3.5

Warhead: 440-pound high explosive or nuclear

Rocket Motors: Booster stage: Solid fuel Upper Stage: Storable liquid fuel

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