The active development of strike systems in the fifties of the last century forced the designers of the leading countries to create means of protection against enemy aircraft and missiles. In 1950, the development of the Berkut air defense system began, which later received the C-25 index. This system was supposed to protect Moscow and then Leningrad from a massive attack using bombers. In 1958, the construction of positions for batteries and regiments of a new anti-aircraft missile system was completed. Having high enough characteristics for its time, the C-25 "Berkut" system could only fight against enemy aircraft. It was required to create a system capable of protecting the capital from the latest weapons - ballistic missiles. Work in this direction started in the mid-fifties.
System "A"
Work on the new project was entrusted to a specially created SKB-30, separated from the SB-1, which created the S-25 air defense system. G. V. was appointed the head of the new design bureau. Kisunko. The project under the letter "A" was intended to determine the technical appearance and general architecture of a promising anti-missile system. It was assumed that system "A" will be built on the landfill and will not go beyond its limits. The project was intended only for the development of general ideas and technologies.
The experimental complex was to include several means designed to detect and destroy targets, as well as to process information and control all systems. The ABM system "A" consisted of the following components:
- Radar station "Danube-2", designed to detect ballistic missiles at a distance of up to 1200 kilometers. The development of this radar was carried out by NII-37;
- Three precision guidance radars (RTN), which include separate radars for tracking the target and the anti-missile. RTN was developed in SKB-30;
- Antimissile launching radar and missile control station combined with it. Created in SKB-30;
- V-1000 interceptor missiles and launching positions for them;
- The main command and computer center of the missile defense system;
- Means of communication between various elements of the complex.
Monument to the V-1000 rocket on the standard SM-71P launcher in Priozersk, Sary-Shagan training ground (https://militaryrussia.ru/forum)
To detect targets - ballistic missiles or their warheads - the Danube-2 radar station was to be used. The station had two separate radars, which were built on the shores of Lake Balkhash at the "A" training ground (Sary-Shagan). It should be noted that the radar "Danube-2" on tests showed higher performance than originally planned. In March 1961, the station detected a training target (R-12 ballistic missile) at a range of 1,500 km, immediately after it appeared over the radio horizon.
It was proposed to escort missiles using the "three-range" method. According to G. V. Kisunko, three radars could provide target coordinates with an accuracy of 5 meters. The construction of a precision guidance radar system began with calculations on paper. The first step in this matter was a circle on the map with a regular triangle inscribed in it, the sides of which were 150 km long. It was proposed to place RTN stations in the corners of the triangle. The center of the circle was designated as T-1. Not far from it was point T-2 - the calculated place of the fall of the warhead of the conditional target. In 50 kilometers from point T-2 it was proposed to place the launching position of interceptor missiles. In accordance with this scheme, the construction of various objects of the "A" system began near Lake Balkhash.
To destroy ballistic targets, it was proposed to develop an interceptor missile V-1000 with appropriate characteristics. The development of the ammunition was taken up by OKB-2 of the Ministry of Aviation Industry (now MKB "Fakel"). The work was supervised by P. D. Grushin. It was decided to build the rocket according to a two-stage scheme. The first stage was supposed to have a solid propellant starting engine, the second - a liquid one, developed under the leadership of A. M. Isaeva. With such a power plant, the V-1000 rocket could fly at a speed of up to 1000 m / s and intercept targets at a distance of up to 25 kilometers. The maximum flight range is 60 km. The anti-missile could carry a fragmentation or nuclear warhead weighing 500 kg. The length of the ammunition was 14.5 meters, the launch weight was 8785 kg.
Sketch of the V-1000 antimissile with the standard PRD-33 accelerator (https://ru.wikipedia.org)
An original warhead was developed specifically for the V-1000, designed to increase the likelihood of destroying a target with one missile. The warhead was equipped with 16 thousand miniature submunitions and an explosive charge for their release. It was assumed that when approaching the target, the scattering charge would undermine and the striking elements would be ejected. Due to their design, the latter received the nickname "nuts in chocolate". Each such "nut" with a diameter of 24 mm had a 10 mm spherical tungsten carbide core covered with an explosive. There was a steel shell outside. The striking elements were supposed to approach the target at a speed of at least 4-4.5 km / s. At such a speed, the contact of the elements and the target led to the detonation of an explosive and damage to the attacked object. An additional destructive effect was exerted by a solid core. The warhead of the intercepted missile, having received damage, had to be destroyed under the influence of the oncoming air flow and high temperature.
The missile was supposed to be guided using the RTN. The interception was to take place with a parallel approach to the target on a collision course. The ground-based automation of the "A" system was supposed to determine the trajectory of the target and accordingly lead the interceptor missile to the point of closest approach.
The construction of all elements of the "A" system at the landfill in Kazakhstan continued until the fall of 1960. After checking various systems, tests began with the interception of conditional targets. For some time, the training targets for the anti-missile system have been R-5 ballistic missiles. On November 24, 1960, the first test interception took place. The V-1000 interceptor missile, equipped with a weight simulator of the warhead, successfully approached the target at a distance sufficient to destroy it.
Radar station TsSO-P - CAT HOUSE, Sary-Shagan (https://www.rti-mints.ru)
The following tests were less successful. Several interceptor missiles were wasted in a few months. For example, at launch on December 31, 1960, target tracking was stopped due to system malfunctions. On January 13, 61st, the failure occurred due to the failure of the onboard missile transponder. Nevertheless, the next four launches of V-1000 anti-missile missiles against R-5 missiles were successful.
On March 4, 1961, the first launch of a V-1000 rocket with a standard warhead equipped with "nuts in chocolate" took place. The R-12 ballistic missile was used as a training target. The R-12 rocket with a weight simulator of the warhead took off from the launching position at the Kapustin Yar range and headed for the “A” range. Radar "Danube-2", as already mentioned, was able to detect a target at a distance of 1,500 kilometers, immediately after its appearance over the radio horizon. The ballistic missile was destroyed at an altitude of about 25 kilometers inside the triangle formed by precision radars.
On March 26 of the same year, the following tests of the "A" system took place, in which an R-12 ballistic missile with a standard high-explosive fragmentation warhead was used. The target was destroyed at high altitude. Subsequently, 10 more test interceptions of ballistic missiles were made. In addition, from 1961 to 1963, a variant of the V-1000 missile with an infrared homing head was tested at the "A" test site. The system, developed at the Leningrad State Optical Institute, was intended to improve the accuracy of targeting the anti-missile missile. In 1961, test launches of the V-1000 missile with a nuclear warhead not equipped with fissile material were carried out.
V-1000 anti-missile missile on SM-71P launcher (https://vpk-news.ru)
By the middle of 1961, the "System A" project had reached its logical end. The tests showed the advantages and disadvantages of the applied solutions, as well as the potential of the entire anti-missile system. Using the experience gained, a draft design of a promising missile defense system was created, which was to be used to protect important objects.
A-35 "Aldan"
In June 1961, SKB-30 completed work on a draft design of a full-fledged combat anti-missile system called the A-35 Aldan. It was assumed that a promising missile defense system would be able to deal with American ballistic missiles of the Titan and Minuteman families.
To ensure the protection of Moscow, it was proposed to include the following components in the A-35 system:
- command post with means of collecting and processing information, as well as managing all other means;
- 8 radar stations "Danube-3" and "Danube-3U". The view sectors of these radars were supposed to overlap, forming a continuous circular field;
- 32 firing complexes with launchers and missiles.
Launch of an early version of the 5V61 / A-350Zh / ABM-1 GALOSH rocket with ailerons with gas-dynamic engines (V. Korovin, Fakela missiles. M., Fakel MKB, 2003)
The defense of this version of the project took place in the fall of 1962. However, in the future, the architecture of the A-35 anti-missile system has changed significantly. So, it was proposed to reduce the number of firing complexes by half (to 16), as well as equip an interceptor missile not with a high-explosive fragmentation, but with a nuclear warhead. Soon, new proposals appeared, which led to another change in the appearance of the entire system. The final composition of the A-35 complex looked like this:
- The main command and computer center (GKVTs) with the main command post and the 5E92B computer. The latter was a two-processor system based on discrete semiconductor circuits and was intended to process all incoming information;
- Radar early warning system based on radars "Danube-3U" and "Danube-3M";
- 8 shooting complexes. The complex included a command post, one radar of the RKTs-35 target channel, two radars of the RKI-35 anti-missile channel, as well as two firing positions with four launchers each;
- Antimissiles A-350Zh with transport and launch containers.
The A-350Zh interceptor missile had a length of 19.8 m and a launch weight of 29.7 tons (late series missiles were heavier up to 32-33 tons). The rocket was built on a two-stage scheme and was equipped with liquid engines. The first stage had four engines, the second one. For maneuvering, the second stage was equipped with gas and aerodynamic rudders. The second stage carried a warhead weighing 700 kg. According to reports, the A-350Zh missile could destroy ballistic targets at altitudes from 50 to 400 kilometers. The maximum target speed is 5 km / s. The rocket was delivered to the position in the transport and launch container from which the launch was made.
A transport vehicle on a MAZ-537 chassis with a TPK with a 5V61 / A-350Zh missile layout at the Parade in Moscow on November 7, 1967 (photo from the archive of Marc Garanger, It was proposed to guide the missile using the "three-range" method. The missile control automatics made it possible to direct the ammunition to the target, as well as to retarget it in flight, after identifying false targets. Interestingly, initially, it was proposed to use three or four radar stations to determine the coordinates of the target and the anti-missile. However, to simultaneously attack the required number of targets, the Aldan system would have to include several hundred radars. In this regard, it was decided to use the determination of the coordinates of the target using one station. It was proposed to compensate for the decrease in accuracy with the power of the anti-missile warhead.
The initial detection of targets was assigned to the Danube-3 and Danube-3M radar stations. The decimeter station "Danube-3" and the meter-long "Danube-3M" were to be located around Moscow and provide a circular view. The capabilities of these stations made it possible to simultaneously track up to 1500-3000 ballistic targets of various types. The prototype of the Danube-3 station was built at the Sary-Shagan test site on the basis of the already existing Danube-2 radar station intended for the experimental project "A".
A series of shots of a transport vehicle with a different type of container with a 5V61 / A-350Zh missile. installation of TPK on the launcher. Polygon launcher, Sary-Shagan (V. Korovin, Rockets "Fakel". M., MKB "Fakel", 2003)
The radar of the RKTs-35 target channel was intended to track targets: the warhead of a ballistic missile and its last stage. This station was equipped with an antenna with a diameter of 18 meters; all units were covered with a radio-transparent casing. The RCC-35 station could simultaneously track two targets, capturing them at a distance of up to 1,500 kilometers. The radar of the RCI-35 interceptor missile channel was intended to track and control the missile. This station had two antennas. Small, with a diameter of 1.5 meters, was intended to bring the interceptor missile to the trajectory. Another antenna, 8 m in diameter, was used to guide the anti-missile. One RCC-35 station could simultaneously direct two anti-missiles.
In the mid-sixties, construction began on objects of the A-35 "Aldan" system near Moscow, as well as at the Sary-Shagan test site. The experimental complex at the test site was built in a reduced configuration. It included a simplified version of the GKVTs, one radar station "Danube-3" and three firing complexes. Tests of the range missile defense system started in 1967. The first stage of testing lasted until 1971, after which the second part started. It should be noted that tests of the A-350Zh missile began back in 1962.
Until 1971, tests of the A-35 system were carried out using A-350Zh missiles. In the tests of the second stage, the A-350Zh and A-350R missiles were used. Various tests of the elements of the "Aldan" complex continued until 1980. In total, about 200 anti-missile launches were carried out. The interception of various types of ballistic missiles was carried out. Polygon complex A-35 was used until the end of the eighties, i.e. until the end of the service of the combat system around Moscow.
Monument to the A-350 rocket in Priozersk (Korovin V., Rockets "Fakel". M., MKB "Fakel", 2003)
The construction of the A-35 Aldan anti-missile system in the Moscow region started in the early sixties, but the deployment of various elements of the complex began only in 1967-68. Initially, it was supposed to deploy 18 firing complexes with eight launchers in each (4 missiles for the first and repeated launch). In total, 144 A-350Zh missiles were to be on duty. In the summer of 1971, the first stage of the A-35 system was put into service. On September 1, she was put on alert.
The construction of the A-35 system was completed in the summer of 1973. By this time, two early warning radars, "Danube-3U" and "Danube-3M", were built, as well as four positioning areas with 64 launchers ready to launch missiles. In addition, a main command and computer center was built in Kubinka, and a missile training base began operating in Balabanovo. All elements of the anti-missile complex were connected using the "Cable" data transmission system. Such a composition of the anti-missile system made it possible to simultaneously attack up to eight paired (warhead and hull of the last stage) targets flying from different directions.
A-35M
From 1973 to 1977, the developers of the A-35 system worked on a project for its modernization. The main task of these works was to ensure the possibility of destroying complex targets. It was required to ensure the effective defeat of the warheads of ballistic missiles, "protected" by light and heavy false targets. There were two proposals. According to the first, it was necessary to modernize the existing A-35 system, and the second meant the development of a new complex. As a result of comparing the presented calculations, it was decided to update the missile defense system of Moscow in accordance with the first proposal. Thus, it was required to update and improve the elements of the A-35 anti-missile system, which are responsible for processing information, identifying and tracking targets, as well as creating a new missile.
In 1975, the project management was changed. Instead of G. V. Kisunko, the head of the anti-missile program was I. D. Omelchenko. In addition, the Vympel Central Research and Production Association, founded in 1970, became the parent organization of the program. It was this organization that carried out further work, presented the upgraded missile defense system for testing and carried out its further support.
The positional area of the A-35M system with the Tobol firing systems (above) and the A-350Zh anti-missile launcher next to the RKI-35 radar of the A-35M system. Presumably the top image is a photomontage. (https://vpk-news.ru)
The composition of the upgraded anti-missile system, designated A-35M, differed little from the composition of the base complex "Aldan". Various of its elements have undergone modernization. The A-35M system included the following components:
- The main command-computing center with modified computers. To perform new tasks, a new algorithm was created for processing information from the radar and transmitting commands. Virtually all radars were collected into a single detection and tracking system;
- radar stations "Danube-3M" and "Danube-3U". The latter underwent modernization related to the plans of a potential enemy. After the update, its characteristics made it possible to monitor the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany, where the United States was going to deploy its medium-range ballistic missiles;
- Two firing complexes with new silo launchers. Each complex included 8 launchers and 16 A-350Zh or A-350R interceptors, as well as one guidance radar. The other two firing complexes of the A-35 system were mothballed until further modernization. According to some reports, the modernization of these complexes was carried out over the next few years, due to which the number of interceptor missiles on duty remained the same (64 units);
- A-350R interceptor missile. It differed from the previous A-350Zh anti-missile missile in the use of new control systems and other equipment. For example, the equipment was made more resistant to radiation.
Launcher of the Tobol complex and equipping the TPK 5P81 with the A-350Zh missile (https://vpk-news.ru)
In May 1977, the A-35M system was submitted for testing. Checking the systems lasted for several months, after which it was decided to accept the new complex into service. Operation of the missile defense system continued until the end of the eighties. According to some reports, in the spring of 1988 a fire broke out at the command post of the system, due to which it lost some of its functions. Nevertheless, the radar stations continued to work, imitating the full functioning of the anti-missile system. In December 1990, the A-35M system was removed from service. Some of the elements of the system were dismantled, but one of the Danube-3U radar stations, at least until the middle of the last decade, continued to operate as part of a missile attack warning system.
