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July 30, 2010
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Home :: Missile Defense Systems
System A-135
| Country: | Russia |
|---|---|
| Basing: | Land |
Details
System A-135, currently deployed by the Russians outside Moscow, is an anti-ballistic missile system designed to detect and target incoming ballistic missiles in their final descent, or terminal phase, and destroy them with long- and short-range interceptors.
During the late 1960s, the Soviet Union deployed System A-35, which consisted of 64 Galosh (SH-01/ABM-1) interceptor missiles located approximately 50 miles northwest of Moscow. According to a 1970 CIA report, System A-35 initially included four complexes each containing two separate launch sites. Each Galosh had a range of 300 kilometers and carried a 2- to 3-megaton nuclear warhead.(1) Its explosion was reportedly so powerful that the interceptor did not need to hit its target directly; the massive fireball would have destroyed anything in its vicinity.(2)
System A-35 was designed to intercept as many as eight incoming warheads simultaneously, although in reality the system was only able to handle one at a time.(3) To fix this inherent problem, in the mid-1970s the Soviets decided to build a new Moscow defense system, called System A-135. Construction of the new facilities began in 1978 and were finished by November 1987. State acceptance tests of the system were completed by the end of 1989. That same year, the Soviets decided to modernize System A-135 even further to improve its combat performance. Thus, work continued on the new system during its period of experimental use, which lasted until the middle of 1994. At that point, System A-135 was placed on full combat alert.(4)
System A-135 currently consists of three main components: long-range Gorgon (SH-11/ABM-4) and short-range Gazelle (SH-08/ABM-3) interceptors, as well as the new Pillbox multifunctional phased-array radar.(5)
The long-range Gorgon is designed to intercept its targets just outside the Earth’s atmosphere. Its three liquid-fueled boosters give it a range of approximately 350 kilometers. Each Gorgon initially carried a 1-megaton nuclear warhead. At present, 32 Gorgons are deployed around Moscow in four underground launch sites containing eight interceptors each.(6)
By contrast, the short-range Gazelle is a quick-reaction, high-acceleration weapon designed to intercept its targets inside the Earth’s atmosphere. It has two solid-fueled boosters, giving it a range of approximately 80 kilometers. Each Gazelle was initially armed with a 10-kiloton nuclear warhead.(7) A total of 68 Gazelles are currently deployed around Moscow in four underground launch sites containing 17 interceptors each.(8)
In early 1998, Russia announced that, in the interest of safety, it had removed the original nuclear warheads from the short-range Gazelle interceptors. Many had warned that a low-altitude nuclear explosion would contaminate a 77-square-mile area, making Moscow virtually unlivable. On April 21, Col. Gen. Alexander Yesin, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, stated that System A-135’s interceptors had been newly equipped with conventional high explosive warheads. It is unclear, however, whether all of System A-135’s interceptors currently carry conventional warheads, or if some are still armed with nuclear warheads.(9)
In addition to its Gorgons and Gazelles, System A-135 includes the Pillbox multifunctional phased-array radar. The Pillbox was developed at the Central Scientific Research Radiotechnical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences in Moscow under the supervision of V. K. Sloka. It became operational in 1990 and is currently deployed at Pushkino, approximately 25 kilometers northeast of Moscow. The radar and its command center are both located inside a single four-sided 30-meter-high building that resembles a truncated pyramid. Described as “considerably advanced,” the Pillbox is capable of detecting, tracking, and targeting incoming threats in a 360-degree radius, thus providing simultaneous observation of the entire upper hemisphere.(10)
In the event of a ballistic missile attack, the Russians hope that System A-135 will provide Moscow with two layers of defense. After the Pillbox radar spots an incoming missile, System A-135 will launch its Gorgon interceptors in hopes of destroying the threat in the upper reaches of the atmosphere, or even in outer space. If any incoming warheads penetrate this first layer, the Russians will launch a second wave of Gazelles.(11) The Russian military claims that this two-tiered “layered” defense is capable of protecting hundreds if not thousands of miles around Moscow, an area that encompasses the nation’s capital, key military assets, and major industries.(12)
Yet many in the U.S. and elsewhere have pointed out that, while System A-135 might be effective against a single warhead attack, the system’s radar and interceptors would be quickly overwhelmed in the event of a multi-warhead strike. According to the Pentagon: “With only 100 interceptor missiles, the system can be saturated, and with only the single Pillbox radar at Pushkino providing support to these missiles, the system is highly vulnerable to suppression.”(13) Others have claimed that the Gorgons and Gazelles would have a difficult time distinguishing between warheads and other objects, a factor that severely limits the effectiveness of the system in the present age of sophisticated decoys and countermeasures.(14)
In March 1998, Gen. Eugene Habiger, U.S. commander of Stratcom, bluntly stated: “The Russians have told me that the system is no longer operational.”(15) Despite this claim, the Russians flight-tested a Gazelle in November 1999 at the Sary-Shagan ABM Test Range in Kazakhstan.(16) It was the first test of System A-135 since 1993. According to Commander General Vladimir Yakovlev, head of the Strategic Rocket Forces, the test confirmed the combat readiness of System A-135. Yakovlev, in fact, announced that Russia planned to extend System A-135’s combat readiness for another 12 years.(17) On October 2, 2002, Russia flight-tested a Gorgon at Sary-Shagan, announcing its success shortly afterward.(18) The Gorgon test was followed by a simulated attack on System A-135: yet another success.(19)
Many in the international community, however, saw these tests merely as warnings to the U.S. not to go ahead with its own missile defense expansions. Shortly before the 1999 Gazelle test, for instance, the Clinton Administration had been considering an upgrade of U.S. missile defense systems. Likewise, the 2002 Gorgon test occurred a few months after the Bush Administration withdrew the U.S. from the 1972 ABM Treaty. Both U.S. actions were topics of intense international scrutiny at the time, during which Russia was outspoken against the U.S.(20)
In 2002, Anatoliy Sokolov, former commander of Russia’s missile and space defense army, confirmed U.S. suspicions that System A-135 had become obsolete: “It makes no sense to maintain a dying system, as the existing antimissile defense is unable to provide efficient protection of the area, let alone the entire country.” Sokolov also emphasized that Russia should concentrate its efforts on modern anti-missile technology.(21) At present, however, there is no evidence that Russia plans to replace or eliminate its System A-135 Moscow defenses.
Footnotes
- James Hackett, “Moscow’s Overlooked Missile Defenses,” The Washington Times, 17 May 2000, sec. A, p. 19; Hans M. Kristensen, Matthew G. McKinzie, and Robert S. Norris, “The Protection Paradox,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 60 (2004), pp. 68-77.
- Hackett, p. 19.
- Kristensen, et al., pp. 68-77.
- Pavel Podvig, ed., Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces (Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press, 2001), 417; A. Karpenko, “ABM and Space Defense,” Nevsky Bastion, 4 November 1999, pp. 2-47; Kristensen, et al., pp. 68-77.
- Nuclear Threat Initiative.
- Kristensen, et al., pp. 68-77; Hackett, p. 19; Federation of American Scientists.
- Kristensen, et al., pp. 68-77; Federation of American Scientists.
- Karpenko, pp. 2-47.
- “Russia Has Abandoned Plans,” Aviation Week & Space Technology, 2 March 1998; “Russia Removes Nuclear Warheads From Moscow ABM System,” Armed Forces Newswire Service, 8 May 1998; Nuclear Threat Initiative.
- Podvig, 417-418; “Russian Defence Minister Rejects Reorganization of Space Troops,” Kommersant, 16 January 2003; “Soviets Deploy New Missiles, Sources Say,” Houston Chronicle, 26 October 1989; Kristensen, et al., pp. 68-77.
- David Hoffman, “Russia Test-Fires Interceptor Missile: Military Lobs Warning Shot to Counter Talk of U.S. National Defense System,” The Washington Post, 4 November 1999, sec. A, p. 25.
- Hackett, p. 19.
- Kristensen, et al., pp. 68-77.
- Hoffman, p. 25; Nuclear Threat Initiative.
- Gen. Eugene E. Habiger, Stratcom commander in chief, interview with Defense Writer’s Group, Washington, D.C., 31 March 1996, in Kristensen, et al., pp. 68-77.
- Hackett, p. 19; Hoffman, p. 25.
- Hoffman, p. 25.
- “Russia: Moscow Tests Anti-Missile Rocket,” Periscope Daily Defense News Capsules, 3 October 2002.
- Kristensen, et al., pp. 68-77.
- Hoffman, p. 25.
- “Russia Should Focus on Modern Antimissile Defence System, Says Ex-Commander,” Military News Agency (Moscow), 15 April 2002.
Russia Tests Gazelle Missile Interceptor
Russia reports the successful test of a missile defense interceptor from the Sary Shagan test site on on Lake Balkash in Kazakhstan, according to Space Forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Zolotukhin. Zolotukhin said that the test launch of a Gazelle interceptor was made to assess extending the service life of the A-135 missile defense system which has long been deployed around Moscow.
"A combined team of the Space Forces, the Sary Shagan testing site and industry officials fired a short-range interceptor missile at a target missile," said Zolotukhin. According to the same report, the Sary Shagan site "recently has experienced a spate of testing by the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, which have tested six anti-missile systems, 12 air defence systems, seven types of missile interceptors, 12 types of ground-to-air missiles and 18 radars at the site."
» Additional report of Russian interceptor test
» More stories on: Russian Missile Defenses, Russia, Testing - Foreign
» Missile system details for: System A-135, Gazelle (SH-08/ABM-3)
Russia Conducts A-135 Interceptor Test in Kazakhstan
Russia yesterday test-launched an interceptor from its A-135 missile defense system, reports RIA-Novosti. The test took place at the Sary-Shagan Test Range in Kazakhstan. According to Alexei Kuznetsov, a spokesman for the Russian Space Forces, “the launch was conducted to check the missile’s capabilities and prolong its operational life.” It is not immediately clear whether the missile tested was a short-range SH-08 “Gazelle” or the longer-range SH-11 “Gorgon.” Some reports indicate that the interceptor was of the same type as the one tested on November 29, 2004, which was believed to be the “Gazelle.” The A-135 system, located outside Moscow, consists of 68 “Gazelles,” 32 “Gorgons,” and a Pillbox multifunctional phased-array radar.
» Press release by Russian Ministry of Defense, for interceptor test
» More stories on: Russia, Russian Missile Defenses, Testing - Foreign
» Missile system details for: System A-135
Russian A-135 System to Receive Upgrades
Itar Tass reports that Russia’s missile defenses which protect central Russia will be increased in size and capacity in the coming year. Lieutenant General Sergey Kurushkin, a commander of the Russian Space Troops, told the Russian news agency that “measures to improve a number of components in the A-135 system, which provides antimissile defense for the central region of Russia, will soon be completed.” “Last year tests were completed on the modernized active parts of the system—the interceptor missiles, and the training-combat launch of one of these was successfully carried out at the southern Sary Shagan range,” he is quoted as saying, as well as that Russia has “in prospect the deployment of promising radar equipment in the system for warning of a missile attack, and also the acquisition of new specialized equipment for monitoring space…We are talking about new technology and high-quality features which rival the best foreign models.”
A-135 is the name for the missile defense system which still surrounds Moscow. The recent test at Sary Shagan to which Kurushkin referred may have been the November 29, 2004 test of the Gazelle interceptor, which was successful.
» Nov. 29, 2004: Russian test of Gazelle interceptor successful
» More stories on: Russia, Russian Missile Defenses
» Missile system details for: System A-135, Gazelle (SH-08/ABM-3)
Russia Tests Modernized Missile Defense System
Russia today conducted a successful test of an upgraded version of its A-135 ballistic missile defense system. The test took place at the Sary Shagan Missile Range, located in Kazakhstan. Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov described the test as flawless: “The missile accurately hit the training target.” Putin was reported as having responded to the test, saying “Good, congratulations.” According to RIA Novosti, Ivanov also said that “We intend to upgrade and modernize the anti-ballistic missile defense system further.”
The A-135 system, based around and designed to defend Moscow and the surrounding areas, consists of two interceptor missiles, the short range “Gazelle” and the long range “Gorgon.”
Pavel Podvig cites one Russian source indicating that today’s test was of the shorter range 53T6 “Gazelle” missile, a report he terms “quite likely.” According to Podvig, the Gazelle was last tested on November 2, 1999; and the Gorgon was last tested on October 2, 2002.
Update: Dec. 1: The following is an excerpt from a Russian television broadcast on November 30, Ren TV in Moscow, which reported on the recent missile interceptor test. The report confirmed that the test was of the 53T6 or Gazelle interceptor, and furthermore indicated that tests of the Russian missile defenses will henceforth be conducted at Sary Shagan at least twice a year. Text of the report:
» Nov. 29: UPI analysis: Cold War Has Never Been Colder
» More stories on: Russia, Russian Missile Defenses
» Missile system details for: System A-135, Gazelle (SH-08/ABM-3), Gorgon (SH-11/ABM-4)
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