The development of the Albatross intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was carried out by specialists from NPO Mashinostroyenia from the city of Reutov. The work was initiated by a decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated February 9, 1987. Herbert Efremov became the chief designer. In 1991, it was planned to start testing the complex, and in 1993 to begin mass production of this ICBM, but these plans were never implemented.
The development in the Soviet Union of a new missile system capable of overcoming an echeloned anti-missile defense system was supposed to be our asymmetric response to the creation of a missile defense system in the United States as part of the SDI program. The new complex was supposed to receive maneuvering, gliding (winged) warheads with hypersonic speed. These blocks were supposed to be able to maneuver up to 1000 kilometers in azimuth when entering the atmosphere on the "Karman line" at speeds of about 5, 8-7, 5 km / s or 17-22 Mach. At the heart of the entire project "Albatross" were proposals for a controlled warhead (UBB), which was able to evade anti-missile missiles. UBB was supposed to record the launch of the enemy's anti-missile and carry out a programmed evasion maneuver. The development of such UBBs began back in 1979-1980, in the USSR, work was underway to design an automation system for performing such an anti-missile maneuver.
The new rocket was supposed to be a three-stage, it was planned to equip it with a cruise unit with a nuclear charge, which was able to approach the target at low altitude and maneuver near it. Most of the elements of the missile itself and the installation for its launch were planned to be equipped with serious protection against laser weapons and nuclear explosions in order to ensure the maximum probability of striking the enemy at any level of opposition from his side. The control and guidance system of the Albatross ICBM was autonomous inertial.
As noted above, G. A. Efremov was appointed the project developer. At the same time, the Soviet government attached special state significance to the project, since at that time it seemed a serious problem to overcome the anti-missile defense, on the creation of which the United States was working. Against this background, it is surprising that the work on the creation of a new strategic complex was entrusted to an enterprise that had never previously worked with mobile missile systems and solid-propellant missiles. The creation of a winged warhead was generally completely new.
Initially, Soviet designers were looking for the possibility of creating a warhead that could evade anti-missiles, it was from this idea that the project for the development of the Albatross rocket was born. The combat unit of this ICBM not only carried a nuclear charge, but also had to detect the start of the enemy's anti-missile missile in time and activate its own evasion complex. At the same time, the maneuvers had to be very diverse, which was supposed to ensure sufficient unpredictability of the trajectory of movement. A distinctive feature of the new intercontinental missile was to be that its course was formed at altitudes that did not exceed 300 km. At the same time, it was quite possible to fix the launch, but it was impossible to accurately predict the trajectory and lay an adequate path to counter the missile's warheads. The rocket was supposed to be equipped with one or more (no exact information) gliding winged units (PCB) with nuclear charges. By inertia, the PKB performed a controlled flight in the atmosphere (gliding) and was able to reach the target of attack in a wide range of altitudes and from any direction.
By the end of 1987, the preliminary design of the Albatross ICBM was ready, but it drew criticism from the country's Ministry of Defense. The design of the complex continued until early 1989. The main reason for the termination of development on this topic was doubts about the timing of the implementation of this project, including because of the problems that accompanied the technical solutions included in the project. The collapse of the USSR also negatively affected the project.
In June 1989, at a meeting held at NPO Mashinostroyenia, General Director of NPO G. A. Efremov put forward a proposal to transform the Albatross complex into a universal complex for the country's Strategic Missile Forces - for mobile and mine types of basing. However, such a proposal provoked strong opposition from other ICBM developers in the country - the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering (MIT) and the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau from Dnepropetrovsk. And already on September 9, in addition to the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of February 9, 1987, a new decision was issued, which prescribed the creation of two new missile systems instead of the Albatross complex - a stationary silo and a mobile ground based on the basis of a universal three-stage solid-propellant rocket created by MIT for the mobile soil complex "Topol-2". This topic of research work received the code "Universal" (rocket RT-2PM2 / 8Zh65, later - "Topol-M"). The complex based in a silo launcher was created at the Yuzhnoye design bureau, and the MIT was involved in the development of a mobile ground-based missile system. The active development of the Albatross complex in the interests of the Strategic Missile Forces of the Soviet Union was stopped after the conclusion of the START-1 treaty in 1991, but testing of UBB prototypes still continued. According to other, officially unconfirmed information, work on the Albatross complex was stopped even after the preliminary design was considered by representatives of the Ministry of Defense, approximately in 1988-1989.
One way or another, with a high degree of probability, we can say that flight tests of prototypes of the UBB of this complex were carried out in 1990-1992. The launches were carried out from the Kapustin Yar test site using the K65M-R launch vehicle. The first launch was carried out on February 28, 1990 "without separation" of the combat load. Later, using the developments on the Albatross complex, NPO Mashinostroyenia began work on the creation of aeroballistic hypersonic combat equipment (AGBO) project 4202.
In part, the Albatross ICBM, together with the hypersonic units, fell victim to the general decline of the country's military-industrial complex in the early 1990s, which occurred against the backdrop of the collapse of the USSR. But, at the end of the 1990s, using the existing groundwork for this project, work began, which ultimately led to the appearance of Topol-M and hypersonic units for its more advanced Yars modification, as well as for other ballistic missiles related to the new generation - Bulava and Sarmat.
Drawing of apparatus SLA-1 and SLA-2 of the "Call" system
They tried to use the experience on maneuvering warheads of the Albatross complex for purely peaceful purposes. So, together with specialists from TsNIIMASH, NPO Mashinostroyenia engineers proposed to create an ambulance rocket and space complex called "Call" on the basis of the UR-100NUTTH ICBM. The complex, which was supposed to be created by 2000-2003, was planned to be used to provide emergency emergency assistance to sea vessels that were in distress in the water area of the world's oceans. It was planned to mount special aerospace rescue aircraft SLA-1 and SLA-2 as a payload on this ICBM. Thanks to the use of these devices, the efficiency of delivery of the emergency kit to the ship in distress could be from 15 minutes to 1.5 hours, and the landing accuracy was ± 20-30 meters. The weight of the cargo, depending on the type of the ALS, was 420 and 2500 kg, respectively.
Thus, the rescue aircraft SLA-1 was able to deliver up to 90 life rafts or an emergency kit. And the rescue aircraft SLA-2 could deliver rescue equipment for sea vessels (drainage module, firefighting module, diving module). In another version, it is a rescue robot or a remotely piloted aircraft.
