Soviet air defense. Air Defense Forces of the USSR

Today marks the centenary of the formation of the troops air defense ground forces.

The beginning of the formation of military air defense units was the order of General Alekseev - Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander of December 13 (26), 1915 No. 368, which announced the formation of separate four-gun light batteries for firing at the air fleet. According to the Order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation of February 9, 2007 No. 50, December 26 is considered the date of creation of military air defense.

1. Launcher 9A83 ZRK S-300V - long-range universal anti-aircraft defense system SV with the possibility of theater missile defense

August 16, 1958 by order (No. 0069) of the Minister of Defense of the USSR Marshal Soviet Union R. Ya. Malinovsky, the Air Defense Forces of the Ground Forces were created - a branch of the army that became an integral part of the Ground Forces.


2. combat vehicles SAM "Tor-M2U" provide multi-channel shelling of air targets, including elements of the WTO

In 1997, in order to improve the leadership of the air defense forces, the air defense troops of the Ground Forces, formations, military units and air defense units of the Coastal Forces of the Navy, military units and air defense units of the Airborne Forces, as well as formations and military units of the air defense reserve of the Supreme Commander were merged into military air defense troops Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.


3. ZRPK "Tunguska-M1" ensures the destruction of air and ground targets in the near zone

Air Defense Troops of the Ground Forces (Air Defense SV) - a branch of the Ground Forces of the Russian Federation, designed to cover troops and objects from the actions of enemy air attack weapons when conducting operations (combat operations) by combined arms formations and formations, regrouping (march) and deployed on the spot . It is necessary to distinguish the Air Defense Troops from the Air Defense Forces (VKO brigades) of the Air Force and VVKO, which until 1998 were part of an independent branch of the Armed Forces - the Air Defense Forces of the country (Air Defense of the USSR and Air Defense of the Russian Federation).

The Air Defense Forces of the SV are entrusted with the following main tasks:

• combat duty for air defense;


• conducting reconnaissance of an air enemy and alerting the covered troops;


• destruction of enemy air attack means in flight;


• participation in the conduct of missile defense in theaters of military operations.

Air defense troops USSR- type of the Armed Forces, created to repel enemy air strikes against the most important administrative and political centers, industrial and other important facilities in the rear, groupings of the armed forces, as well as against objects that form the basis of the economic and military power states.
In terms of their combat capabilities, the country's air defense forces are capable of hitting all modern facilities air attack in any weather conditions and time of day. The main properties of the Air Defense Forces of the country, as a branch of the Armed Forces, are high maneuverability and the ability to intercept and destroy air attack weapons at great distances from defended objects. They carry out their tasks in close cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces. The air defense forces of the country consist of the branches of the armed forces: anti-aircraft missile troops, air defense aviation and radio engineering troops, as well as special troops for various purposes. Organizationally, they consist of formations, units and subunits, units of special troops and rear. Anti-aircraft missile troops are armed with missile systems of various ranges and for various purposes.
The air defense aviation of the country is armed with fighter-air interception systems, including supersonic fighter-interceptors with missile weapons, which are capable of intercepting and destroying enemy aircraft carrying air-to-ground missiles even before the line of launching missiles from aircraft. The main means of arming the radio engineering troops are radar stations; these troops are monitoring airspace, identify the detected targets and notify the Air Defense Forces of the country, other types of the Armed Forces and bodies about them civil defense, ensure the guidance of fighters on the target and the actions of anti-aircraft missile forces.

History of the development of air defense forces
The development of the Air Defense Forces and the means of combating an air enemy is associated with the appearance and combat use of aviation in the 1st World War of 1914-18. In 1913 in France, and then in 1914 in Russia and Germany, guns were developed for firing at air targets. In the Russian army, field guns and machine guns on special installations also began to be adapted for this. In 1915, aviation, air barrage balloons and anti-aircraft searchlights began to be used to cover the troops and air defense of some large centers of the country. In the Russian army, the first battery of 75-mm naval guns adapted for firing at aircraft was formed in October 1914, and in 1915 anti-aircraft guns of the 1914 model were manufactured and the world's first RBVZ-S-16 fighter aircraft was built . Anti-aircraft batteries of anti-aircraft artillery and fighter aviation squadrons are being created for the air defense of large centers of the country (Petrograd, Odessa, etc.), as well as front-line rear troops and facilities. To detect enemy aviation, monitor its actions, alert air defense forces and means, as well as the population of cities about an air danger, an air surveillance, warning and communications system (VNOS) is being created. In October 1917, several anti-aircraft batteries were formed on railway platforms, which received the name "steel anti-aircraft division", which became one of the first air defense units in the Red Army. By the spring of 1918, there were 12 aviation fighter detachments and more than 200 anti-aircraft (anti-aircraft) batteries, which performed the task of air defense of Petrograd, Moscow, Astrakhan, Baku, Kronstadt. The training of command personnel of anti-aircraft gunners, observers and signalmen was carried out directly in the air defense units, at special courses and in schools. The first school for anti-aircraft artillery commanders was established in 1918 in Nizhny Novgorod. In Moscow, Petrograd, Tula and other cities, instructional teams were organized to train gunners, observers and telephone operators.
During the period civil war 1918-20, based on combat experience During the First World War, the tactics of the Air Defense Forces were further developed, the principles of building air defense of large points of the country were developed, and elements of the operational art of the Air Defense Forces were born. In connection with the rapid development of bomber aviation in the large imperialist countries, the Communist Party and the Soviet government took a number of measures to strengthen the country's air defense. In 1924-28, the organizational forms of anti-aircraft artillery were further developed. In 1924 in Leningrad from individual divisions the 1st regiment of anti-aircraft artillery of the Red Army was formed, and in 1927 - the 1st anti-aircraft artillery brigade. The basis of the organizational construction of air defense in the 20s. were air defense points that were part of the air defense sectors on the territory of the border military districts, the command of which was responsible for air defense within the borders of the district. During the same period, a network of VNOS posts was created in the border zone and around the largest centers of the country. In the Headquarters of the Red Army in 1927, a department was created, and in April 1930 - the Air Defense Directorate, which since 1932 was directly subordinate to the People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs. It carried out the general management of air defense throughout the country, and also united the activities of civilian departments, institutions and public organizations in this region. Local air defense leadership was carried out by the command of the military districts. The air defense sectors were abolished. The first head of the Air Defense Directorate of the Red Army in July 1934 was appointed commander of the 1st rank S. S. Kamenev.
In the 30s. The Air Defense Forces were equipped with new military equipment, their numbers increased, and highly qualified command and engineering personnel began to be trained. New air defense units and formations are being deployed, their organizational structure and principles of combat use. New domestic models of anti-aircraft guns are coming into service with anti-aircraft artillery - 76.2-mm samples of 1931 and 1938, 85-mm and automatic 37-mm models of 1939, PUAZO-2 anti-aircraft fire control devices in 1935 and PUAZO -3 in 1939. Fighter aviation is equipped with domestic aircraft I-15, I-16, I-15 bis, and since 1940 more advanced types - Yak-1, MiG-3 and in 1941 LaGG-3. The VNOS service in 1939 received the first domestic radar detection stations RUS-1, and in 1940 - RUS-2. From 1934 to 1939, the fleet of anti-aircraft artillery almost tripled, and fighter aviation - about 1.5 times. A unified organizational structure of air defense units and subunits was established, and in 1932 anti-aircraft artillery divisions were created. In 1937, corps, divisions and separate air defense brigades were created to defend the largest centers of the country. In 1940-41. the entire border area of ​​the country is divided into air defense zones (according to the number of military districts), which are divided into air defense areas. Military anti-aircraft artillery and fighter aircraft assigned to the air defense of important centers of the country were not included in the air defense zones. In 1940, the Air Defense Directorate of the Red Army was transformed into the Main Air Defense Directorate and headed by Colonel General N. N. Voronov.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 formations and units of the Air Defense Forces of the country were withdrawn from the command of the commanders of the military districts and fleets (with the exception of Leningrad) and subordinated to the commander of the Air Defense Forces of the country, whose position was introduced in November 1941 (the first commander, Major General M. S. Gromadin). At the same time, air defense is divided into military air defense and air defense of the country's territory.
In 1941, corps (Moscow, Leningrad) and divisional air defense areas were formed on the basis of the existing air defense zones of the European part of the USSR. In January 1942, fighter aviation, allocated for the defense of air defense facilities, was subordinated to the air defense command of the country's territory. From April 1942, the general leadership of the Air Defense Forces began to be carried out by the commander of artillery of the Red Army through the Central Headquarters of the Air Defense Forces of the country and the Central Headquarters of Air Defense Fighter Aviation. The first operational formations of the Air Defense Forces are being created - the Moscow Air Defense Front, the Baku and Leningrad Air Defense Armies. By the end of the war, the Air Defense Forces of the country had 4 air defense fronts: Western, Southwestern, Central and Transcaucasian, as well as 3 air defense armies - Primorskaya, Amur, Transbaikal.
In the course of the war, anti-aircraft artillery and air defense fighter aviation took shape organizationally as branches of the Air Defense Forces. big development VNOS troops, searchlight units and air barrage balloons received. Operational-tactical formations of the Air Defense Forces of the country, formations and units of military branches were created.

Air Defense Forces as an independent branch of the Armed Forces
In 1948, the country's air defense forces were withdrawn from the command of the artillery commander Soviet army and transformed into an independent type of the Armed Forces of the USSR, the leadership of which was entrusted to the commander of the Air Defense Forces of the country. Late 40s - early 50s. the Air Defense Forces of the country began to receive new anti-aircraft artillery complexes(57-, 100 and 130-mm anti-aircraft guns), gun-guided radars and fire control devices. Air defense fighter aviation is being re-equipped with MiG-15 and MiG-17 jet fighters and MiG-19 supersonic fighters. VNOS troops received in large numbers new technology and became known as the radio-technical air defense troops.
In May 1954, the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces of the country - Deputy Minister of Defense of the USSR was established, which was held by Marshal of the Soviet Union L. A. Govorov. Subsequently, the commanders-in-chief were: Marshal of the Soviet Union S. S. Biryuzov (1955-62); Air Marshal V. A. Sudets (April 1962 - July 1966), Marshal of the Soviet Union P. F. Batitsky (since July 1966).
Since the mid 50s. in the development of the country's Air Defense Forces, a new stage began, caused by the adoption of nuclear weapons and the rapid development of missiles for various purposes, aircraft carriers of cruise missiles and electronic equipment. In this regard, the role and place of air defense in armed struggle has changed dramatically and the requirements for the country's Air Defense Forces, which have been re-equipped on a fundamentally new technical basis, have increased. Forms and methods of conducting an insurmountable air defense were developed, capable of repelling attacks by any means of enemy air attack. The possibilities of centralized command and control of troops and their maneuver were significantly expanded, the forms and methods of using the country's Air Defense Forces were improved. Combat operations of the Air Defense Forces of the country are characterized by a large spatial scope, the participation of a significant number of troops, decisiveness of goals, high tension, transience, activity and abrupt changes in the situation.

Sources used
1. CPSU on the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. Sat. documents 1917-1958, M., 1958.
2. Air defense troops of the country, M., 1968; 50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR, M., 1968.
3. History of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-1945, v. 1 - 6, M., 1963-65.

Air and Missile Defense Troops

air defense

The Air Defense Forces of the Russian Federation - until 1998, an independent type of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (RF Armed Forces). In 1998, the Air Defense Forces of the country were merged with Air force in a new form of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - the Air Force of the Russian Federation. In 2009-2010 All air defense formations of the Russian Air Force (4 corps and 7 air defense divisions) were reorganized into 11 aerospace defense brigades. In 2011, 3 air defense brigades of the Russian Air Force became part of a new branch of the Russian Armed Forces - the Aerospace Defense Troops.

It is necessary to distinguish between the Air Defense Forces of the Air Force of the Russian Federation and the brigades of the Aerospace Defense of the Russian Federation, which were previously organizationally part of the Air Defense Forces of the Russian Federation, from the Air Defense Forces of the Ground Forces.

The abbreviated name is VPVO of the Armed Forces of Russia.

The tasks of the Russian Air Defense Forces (both as an independent branch of the RF Armed Forces and as part of the Russian Air Force, VVKO RF, VKS RF) are: repelling aggression in the air sphere and protecting command posts of the highest levels of state and military administration, administrative and political centers from air strikes , industrial and economic regions, the most important objects of the economy and infrastructure of the country and groupings of troops (forces).

In 2015, the Air Force of the Russian Federation was merged with the Aerospace Defense Forces of the Russian Federation in a new form of the RF Armed Forces - the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation, which organizationally included a new branch of the military - the Air Defense and Anti-Missile Defense Forces (PVO-PRO Forces).

Story

The date of formation is the date of creation of the Petrograd air defense system - December 8 (November 25), 1914.

In 1930, the Directorate (since 1940 - the Main Directorate) of Air Defense was created.

Since 1941 - air defense troops.

In 1948, the Air Defense Forces of the country were withdrawn from the subordination of the artillery commander and transformed into an independent branch of the Armed Forces.

In 1954, the High Command of the Air Defense Forces was formed.

In 1978, the transportable S-300PT air defense system was adopted (it replaced the older S-25, S-75 and S-125 air defense systems). In the mid-80s, the complex underwent a series of upgrades, receiving the designation S-300PT-1. In 1982, a new version of the S-300P air defense system was adopted for service with the air defense forces - self-propelled complex S-300PS, the new complex had a record a short time deployment - 5 minutes, making it invulnerable to enemy aircraft.

1987 became a "black" year in the history of the Air Defense Forces. May 28, 1987 at 18.55 the plane of Matthias Rust landed in Moscow on Red Square. The serious imperfection of the legal basis for the actions of the duty forces of the Air Defense Forces of the country and, as a result, the contradiction between the tasks assigned to the Air Defense Forces and the limited rights of the leadership in the use of forces and means has become obvious. After the passage of Rust, three Marshals of the Soviet Union were removed from their posts (including the Minister of Defense of the USSR S. L. Sokolov, the commander-in-chief of the Air Defense Forces A. I. Koldunov), about three hundred generals and officers. The army has not known such a personnel pogrom since 1937.

In 1991, in connection with the collapse of the USSR, the Air Defense Forces of the USSR were transformed into the Air Defense Forces of the Russian Federation.

In 1993, an improved version of the S-300PS complex, the S-300PM, was adopted. In 1997, the S-300PM2 Favorit air defense system was adopted.

Assessing the process of accelerating the physical aging of weapons and military equipment, the Defense Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation came to disappointing conclusions. As a result, a new concept military development, where before 2000 it was planned to reorganize the branches of the Armed Forces, reducing their number from five to three. As part of this reorganization, two independent branches of the Armed Forces were to be united in one form: the Air Force and the Air Defense Forces. Decree of the President of the Russian Federation (RF) dated July 16, 1997 No. 725 "On priority measures to reform the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and improve their structure" determined the formation of a new type of Armed Forces (AF). By March 1, 1998, on the basis of the control bodies of the Air Defense Forces and the Air Force, the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force and the Main Headquarters of the Air Force were formed, and the Air Defense Forces and the Air Force were merged into the new kind RF Armed Forces - Air Force.

By the time of the merger single view The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation included in the Air Defense Forces: operational-strategic formation, 2 operational, 4 operational-tactical formations, 5 air defense corps, 10 air defense divisions, 63 units of anti-aircraft missile troops, 25 fighter regiments, 35 units of radio engineering troops, 6 formations and units intelligence and 5 parts electronic warfare. In service there were: 20 aircraft aviation complex radar surveillance and guidance A-50, more than 700 air defense fighters, more than 200 anti-aircraft missile divisions and 420 radio engineering units with radar stations of various modifications.

As a result of the measures taken, a new organizational structure of the Air Force was created. Instead of the air armies of front-line aviation, the Air Force and Air Defense armies were formed, operationally subordinate to the commanders of the military districts. The Moscow District of the Air Force and Air Defense was created in the Western strategic direction.

In 2005–2006 a part of military air defense formations and units equipped with S-300V anti-aircraft missile systems (ZRS) and Buk complexes was transferred to the Air Force. In April 2007, the Air Force adopted an anti-aircraft missile system new generation S-400 "Triumph", designed to defeat all modern and promising means of aerospace attack.

At the beginning of 2008, the Air Force included: an operational-strategic association (KSpN) (the former Moscow District of the Air Force and Air Defense), 8 operational and 5 operational-tactical associations (air defense corps), 15 formations and 165 units. In 2008, a transition began to the formation of a new image of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (including the Air Force). In the course of the measures taken, the Air Force switched to a new organizational and staffing structure. The Air Force and Air Defense Commands were formed, subordinate to the newly created operational-strategic commands: Western (headquarters - St. Petersburg), Southern (headquarters - Rostov-on-Don), Central (headquarters - Yekaterinburg) and Eastern ( headquarters - Khabarovsk). In 2009–2010 A transition was made to a two-level (brigade-battalion) command and control system of the Air Force. As a result, the total number of Air Force formations was reduced from 8 to 6, all air defense formations (4 corps and 7 air defense divisions) were reorganized into 11 aerospace defense brigades.

In December 2011, 3 air defense brigades (4th, 5th, 6th) of the air defense troops of the operational-strategic command of the aerospace defense (the former Air Force Special Forces Command, the former Moscow District of the Air Force and Air Defense) became part of the new type of troops VS - Aerospace Defense Troops.

In 2015, the troops of the Aerospace Defense Forces were merged with the Air Force and made up a new branch of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation.

As part of the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation, a new type of troops has been organizationally allocated - the Air and Anti-Missile Defense Troops (PVO-PRO Troops). The air defense and anti-missile defense troops will be represented by air defense brigades and an anti-missile defense unit.

As part of the further improvement of the air (aerospace) defense system, a new generation of S-500 air defense systems is currently being developed, in which it is planned to apply the principle of separate solution of the tasks of destroying ballistic and aerodynamic targets. The main task of the complex is the fight against combat equipment of ballistic missiles medium range, and, if necessary, with intercontinental ballistic missiles in the final section of the trajectory and, within certain limits, in the middle section.

The Day of the Air Defense Forces of the country was celebrated in the USSR and is celebrated in the Armed Forces of Russia on the second Sunday of April.

Operational-strategic associations of air defense forces of the USSR and Russia

Air defense districts - associations of air defense forces designed to protect the most important administrative, industrial centers and regions of the country, groupings of the armed forces from air strikes. important military and other facilities within the established boundaries. In the armed forces of the USSR, air defense districts were created after the Great Patriotic War on the basis of air defense fronts. In 1948 the districts were reorganized into air defense districts, and in 1954 the air defense districts were recreated.
Moscow Air Defense District (since August 20, 1954):
Moscow Air Force and Air Defense District (since 1998);
Special Forces Command (since September 1, 2002);
Joint Strategic Aerospace Defense Command (since July 1, 2009);
Air and Missile Defense Command (since December 1, 2011);
1st Army of Air and Missile Defense (since 2015).
1st Air Force and Air Defense Command
2nd Air Force and Air Defense Command
3rd Air Force and Air Defense Command
4th Air Force and Air Defense Command
Baku Air Defense District - formed in 1945 on the basis of the Baku Air Defense Army, in 1948 it was transformed into a district. Since 1954 - again the district. Abolished January 5, 1980.

Compound

The Air Defense Forces of the Russian Armed Forces included:
management (headquarters);
Radio engineering troops;
Anti-aircraft missile troops;
Fighter aircraft;
Forces of electronic warfare.

The location of the Main Air Defense Headquarters of Russia (USSR) is the village of Zarya, near the village of Fedurnovo, Balashikha district of the Moscow region (electric train from the Kursk railway station towards the Petushki station), or from the Gorky highway, outside the city of Balashikha and the division. Dzerzhinsky.

Air defense systems in service with the Russian Air Defense Forces
ZRS S-400 (since April 2007)
ZRS S-300 (Until 2007, anti-aircraft missile system medium-range S-300P was the basis anti-aircraft missile troops Russian Air Force.)
The S-350 Vityaz air defense system (The S-350E Vityaz medium-range anti-aircraft missile system will enter the Russian troops by 2016. The new system is designed to replace the S-300PS air defense system with V55R missiles, the service life of which ends in 2015.)
ZRPK Pantsir-S1
ZRPK "Pantsir-S2" (since June 2015, the complex will begin to enter the air defense forces of the Air Force)

missile defense

Anti-missile defense (ABM) - a set of measures of reconnaissance, radio engineering and fire or any other nature (aerostatic missile defense, etc.), designed to protect (defend) protected objects from missile weapons. Missile defense is very closely related to air defense and is often carried out by the same systems.

The concept of "missile defense" includes protection against a missile threat of any kind and all means that carry out this (including active protection of tanks, air defense systems that fight against cruise missiles etc.), however, at the everyday level, when talking about missile defense, they usually mean “strategic missile defense” - protection against the ballistic missile component of strategic nuclear forces(ICBMs and SLBMs).

Speaking of missile defense, one can single out self-defense against missiles, tactical and strategic missile defense.

Self defense against missiles

Self-defense against missiles is the minimum unit of anti-missile defense. It provides protection against attacking missiles only for the military equipment on which it is installed. characteristic feature self-defense systems is the placement of all missile defense systems directly on the protected equipment, and all deployed systems are auxiliary (not the main functional purpose) for this equipment. Self-protection systems against missiles are cost-effective for use only on expensive types of military equipment that suffer heavy losses from missile fire. Currently, two types of self-defense systems against missiles are being actively developed: complexes active protection tanks and anti-missile defense of warships.

Active defense of tanks (and other armored vehicles) is a set of measures to counter attacking projectiles and missiles. The action of the complex can mask the protected object (for example, by releasing an aerosol cloud), or it can also physically destroy the threat by a close detonation of an anti-projectile, shrapnel, a directed blast wave, or in another way.

Active defense systems are characterized by an extremely short reaction time (up to fractions of a second), since the flight time of weapons, especially in urban combat, is very short.

An interesting feature is that, in order to overcome the active protection systems of armored vehicles, the developers of anti-tank grenade launchers use the same strategy as the developers of intercontinental ballistic missiles to break through a strategic missile defense system - false targets.

Tactical PRO

Tactical missile defense is designed to protect limited areas of the territory and objects located on it (troop groups, industry and settlements) from missile threats. The goals of such missile defense include: maneuvering (mainly high-precision aviation) and non-maneuvering (ballistic) missiles with relatively low speeds (up to 3-5 km / s) and not having the means to overcome missile defense. The reaction time of tactical missile defense systems ranges from several seconds to several minutes, depending on the type of threat. The radius of the protected area, as a rule, does not exceed several tens of kilometers. Complexes with a significantly larger radius of the protected area - up to several hundred kilometers, are often referred to as strategic missile defense, although they are not capable of intercepting high-speed intercontinental ballistic missiles, covered by powerful means of penetrating missile defense.

Existing tactical missile defense systems

short range

Tunguska (only for external target designation through an external Command Post).
Thor
Pantsir-S1

Middle and large radius actions:

Beech
S-300P all variants
S-300V all variants
S-400 with any missiles

Strategic missile defense

The most complex, modernized and expensive category of missile defense systems. The task of strategic missile defense is to combat strategic missiles- in their design and tactics of use, means are specially provided that make it difficult to intercept - a large number of light and heavy decoys, maneuvering warheads, as well as jamming systems, including high-altitude nuclear explosions.

At present, only Russia and the United States have strategic missile defense systems, while the existing systems are capable of protecting only against a limited strike (a few missiles), and for the most part, over a limited area. In the foreseeable future, there are no prospects for the emergence of systems that can guarantee and completely protect the country's territory from a massive strike by strategic missiles. However, as more and more countries have, develop, or have the potential to acquire some long-range missiles, the development of missile defense systems that can effectively protect a country's territory from a small number of missiles seems necessary.

Types of strategic missile defense

Intercept on takeoff (Boost-phase intercept)

Intercept on takeoff means that the missile defense system tries to intercept the ballistic missile immediately after launch, when it accelerates with the engines on.

Destroying a ballistic missile on takeoff is a relatively simple task. Advantages of this method:

A missile (unlike warheads) is large, highly visible on radar, and its engine creates a powerful infrared beam that cannot be masked. It is not particularly difficult to aim an interceptor at such a large, visible and vulnerable target as an accelerating missile.

It is also impossible to cover an accelerating missile with decoys or chaff.

Finally, the destruction of a rocket on takeoff leads to the destruction of all its warheads along with it in one blow.

However, takeoff interception has two fundamental disadvantages:

Limited reaction time. The duration of acceleration takes 60-110 seconds, and during this time the interceptor must have time to track the target and hit it.

Difficulty deploying interceptors in range. Ballistic missiles, as a rule, start from the depths of the enemy's territory and are well covered by his defense systems. Deploying interceptors close enough to hit incoming missiles is usually extremely difficult or impossible.

Based on this, space-based or mobile interceptors (deployed on ships or mobile installations) are considered as the main means of interception on takeoff. At this stage it may also be effective application laser systems with their short reaction times. So, the SDI system considered orbital platforms with chemical lasers and systems of thousands of tiny Diamond Pebble satellites designed to hit rockets taking off as take-off interception means. kinetic energy collisions at orbital speeds.

Interception on the middle section of the trajectory (Midcourse intercept)

Mid-trajectory interception means that the interception occurs outside the atmosphere, at the moment when the warheads have already separated from the missile and are flying by inertia.

Advantages:

Long interception time. The flight of warheads outside the atmosphere takes from 20 to 40 minutes, which significantly expands the ability to respond to missile defense.

Flaws:

Tracking exoatmospheric warheads is difficult because they are small and do not emit radiation.

The high cost of interceptors.

Warheads flying outside the atmosphere can be covered with penetration means with maximum efficiency. Distinguishing out-of-atmosphere warheads from decoys is extremely difficult.

Interception at atmospheric entry (Terminal phase intercept)

Re-entry interception means that the missile defense system tries to intercept the warheads in the last stage of the flight - during re-entry close to the target.

Advantages:

Technical convenience of deploying missile defense systems on its territory.

Short distance from radars to warheads, which greatly increases the effectiveness of the tracking system.

Low cost anti-missiles.

Reducing the effectiveness of decoys and re-entry interference: Lighter than the warheads themselves, decoys are more retarded by air friction. Accordingly, decoy selection can be performed by the difference in deceleration speed.

Flaws:

Extremely limited (up to tens of seconds) interception time

The small size of the warheads and the difficulty of tracking them

No redundancy: if the warheads are not intercepted at this stage, no subsequent layer of defense can exist

Limited range of interception systems at the terminal stage, which allows the enemy to overcome such defenses by simply directing more missiles at the target than there are near the anti-missile target.

History of strategic missile defense

Despite the great difficulties and shortcomings, the development of missile defense systems in the USSR proceeded quite systematically and systematically.

First experiences

Research into the possibility of countering ballistic missiles in the USSR began in 1945 as part of the Anti-V project at the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy (Georgy Mironovich Mozharovsky's group) and at several research institutes (the theme was Pluto). During the creation of the air defense system "Berkut" (1949-1953), work was suspended, then sharply intensified.

In 1956, 2 projects of the missile defense system were considered:

Zonal missile defense system "Barrier" (Alexander Lvovich Mints)

Three radar stations with antennas looking straight up were installed one after the other with an interval of 100 km in a missile-prone direction. The attacking warhead sequentially crossed three narrow radar beams, its trajectory was built from three serifs and the point of impact was determined.

System based on three ranges "System A" (Grigory Vasilyevich Kisunko)

The project was based on a complex of heavy-duty early warning radar and three precision guidance radars located along the perimeter of the defended area.

The control computer continuously processed the reflected signals, pointing the anti-missile at the target.

The project of G. V. Kisunko was chosen for execution.

The first missile defense system in the USSR, chief designer G. V. Kisunko. It was deployed in the period 1956-1960 at the GNIIP-10 (Sary-Shagan) training ground specially built for this purpose in the Betpak-Dala desert. Ballistic missiles were launched into the interception area from the Kapustin Yar and, later, Plesetsk test sites into a triangle with a side of 170 km, at the tops of which (sites No. 1, No. 2, No. 3) precision guidance radars were located. The launcher of the V-1000 anti-missiles was located in the center of the triangle (site No. 6), the interception was carried out on the atmospheric section of the trajectory (altitude 25 km) on a collision course. The control was carried out by a computer center with two computers, M-40 (implementation of the automatic cycle) and M-50 (processing of system information), designer S. A. Lebedev.

March 4, 1961, after a series of failed attempts, a V-1000 anti-missile equipped with a fragmentation warhead destroyed the warhead of an R-12 ballistic missile with a weight equivalent nuclear charge. The miss was 31.2 meters to the left and 2.2 meters in height. This is the first real interception of a target by a missile defense system in world practice. Until now, ballistic missiles were considered ultimate weapon with no countermeasures.

Subsequently, 16 more interception attempts were made, 11 of which were successful. Research was also carried out on wiring and measuring the trajectories of satellites. The work of System "A" ended in 1962 with a series of tests K1 - K5, as a result of which 5 nuclear explosions were carried out at altitudes from 80 to 300 km and their influence on the functioning of missile defense and early warning systems was studied.

System "A" did not enter service due to low reliability and low efficiency: the system ensured the destruction of only single ballistic missiles of short and medium range at short distances from the protected object, however, as a result of work on it, a specialized training ground was built and vast experience was accumulated, which served further development of missile defense systems in the USSR/Russia.

ABM systems of the Moscow industrial region

A-35

The creation began in 1958 with the decision of the Central Committee of the CPSU. G. V. Kisunko was appointed chief designer. According to the tactical and technical requirements, the system was supposed to provide defense of an area of ​​400 km² from the attack of the Titan-2 and Minuteman-2 ICBMs. In connection with the use of more advanced radars and anti-missiles with nuclear warheads, the interception was carried out at a distance of 350 km in range and 350 km in height, guidance was carried out by a single-station method. The computer center worked on the basis of a two-processor computer 5E92b (developer V. S. Burtsev). The construction of A-35 facilities in the Moscow region began in 1962, but the combat duty delayed for a number of reasons:

The advanced improvement of the means of attack required a number of serious improvements.

The promotion of competing projects of the Taran missile defense system by V.N. Chelomey and S-225 KB-1 led to a temporary halt in construction.

The growth of intrigues in the upper echelons of the scientific and technical leadership led in 1975 to the removal of Grigory Kisunko from the post of chief designer of the A-35.

Upgraded A-35 system. Chief designer I. D. Omelchenko. Put on combat duty on May 15, 1978 and was in service until December 1990, the Danube-3U early warning radar continued to operate in the A-135 system until the early 2000s. At the same time, the A-35 Aldan firing range complex (site No. 52) was built at the Sary-Shagan training ground, which was used as a prototype and for training the calculations of the Moscow missile defense system on real live firing.

A-135

Further development of the missile defense system of the Moscow industrial region. General designer A. G. Basistov. Draft design in 1966, start of development in 1971, start of construction in 1980. Commissioned in December 1990. Early warning radar "Danube-3U" and multifunctional radar "Don-2" had phased antenna arrays. Two interception echelons, long-range transatmospheric and short-range atmospheric with two types of anti-missiles. The Argun firing range complex (sites No. 38 No. 51 of the Sary-Shagan firing range) was envisaged, but it was not completed. In accordance with the addition to the ABM treaty between the US and the USSR of 1974 and the change of leadership, the Vympel Central Research and Production Association recognized this object as unpromising, work on it was stopped, and launchers destroyed. The complex continued to function in a truncated version as a measuring "Argun-I" until 1994.

A-235 "Airplane-M"

A promising missile defense system to replace the A-135. The contract for the creation was concluded in 1991. In August 2014, it was announced the start of testing anti-missiles for the A-235 complex, the completion of work on the project is scheduled for 2015.

Also in the USSR there were several unrealized projects of missile defense systems. The most significant of them are:

ABM system of the territory of the country "Taran"

In 1961, on his own initiative, Chelomey proposed a system of defense of the entire territory of the USSR from a nuclear missile attack by the United States.

The project was based on the interception in the middle section of the trajectory with the help of a super-heavy anti-missile, which Chelomey proposed to create on the basis of intercontinental missile UR-100. It was assumed that the radar system deployed on far north, will have to detect warheads approaching along transpolar trajectories and calculate approximate interception points. Then the anti-missiles based on the UR-100 were to be launched on inertial guidance to these calculated points. Accurate guidance was supposed to be carried out with the help of a target designation radar system and radio command guidance mounted on anti-missiles. The interception was supposed to be using a 10-megaton thermonuclear warhead. According to Chelomey's calculations, to intercept 100 Minuteman-type ICBMs, 200 anti-missiles would be required.

The development of the system was carried out from 1961 to 1964, but in 1964, by decision of the government, it was closed. The reason was the outpacing growth of the American nuclear arsenal: from 1962 to 1965, the United States deployed eight hundred Minuteman-type ICBMs, which would require 1600 UR-100 anti-missiles to intercept them.

In addition, the system was subject to the effect of self-dazzle, since numerous detonations of 10-megaton warheads in outer space they would create huge clouds of radio-opaque plasma and a powerful EMP that disrupts the operation of the radar, which makes subsequent interceptions extremely difficult. The enemy could easily overcome the "Taran" system by dividing their ICBMs into two successive waves. The system was also vulnerable to the means of overcoming missile defense. Finally, the front-line early warning radars, a key component of the system, were themselves extremely vulnerable to a possible preemptive strike that would render the entire system useless. In this regard, Vladimir Chelomey proposed using the A-35 and S-225 being created as part of his Taran system, receiving, in the future, leadership over all anti-missile issues in the USSR. I must say that the project "Taran" was considered by many to be unfinished and adventurous. Chelomey enjoyed strong support from the leadership of the USSR, the son of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU Sergey Khrushchev worked in his design bureau, this explains the closure of the project after the removal of N.S. Khrushchev in 1964.

S-225

Start of work in 1961. General designer A.A. Raspletin.

Air defense, missile defense complex for protecting relatively small-sized objects from single ICBMs equipped with means to overcome missile defense and promising aerodynamic targets. Active development phase from 1968 to 1978.

Distinctive features were - a container transportable and quick-mounted design, the use of RTN with a phased antenna array RSN-225, new ultra-high-speed short-range interception missiles PRS-1 (5Ya26) of the Novator Design Bureau (designer Lyulyev). 2 polygon complexes were built, "Azov" (site No. 35 Sary-Shagan) and a measuring complex in Kamchatka. The first successful interception of a ballistic target (an 8K65 missile warhead) was made in 1984. Presumably, due to the delay in the development of anti-missiles and the insufficient energy of the RTN for missile defense purposes, the topic was closed. The PRS-1 missile subsequently entered the short-range interception range of the A-135 complex.

It has more than a century of history, which began in the suburbs of St. Petersburg in 1890. The first attempts to adapt the existing artillery for firing at flying targets were made at the training grounds near Ust-Izhora and in Krasnoye Selo. However, these attempts revealed the complete inability of conventional artillery to hit air targets, and the untrained military to control guns.

Start of air defense

The decoding of the well-known abbreviation means, that is, a system of measures to protect the territory and objects from air attack. The first shooting near Petersburg was made from four-inch guns using ordinary bullet shrapnel.

It is this combination specifications revealed the inability of the available means to defeat air targets, the role of which was then performed by balloons and hot air balloons. However, according to the test results, Russian engineers received a technical assignment for the development of a special gun, which was completed in 1914. At that time, not only artillery pieces were technically perfect, but also the airplanes themselves, which were not capable of climbing to a height exceeding three kilometers.

World War I

Until 1914, the use of air defense systems in combat conditions was not very relevant, since aviation was practically not used. However, in Germany and Russia, the history of air defense begins as early as 1910. The countries obviously foresaw the imminent conflict and tried to prepare for it, given the sad experience of previous wars.

Thus, the history of air defense in Russia has one hundred and seven years, during which they have significantly developed and evolved from cannons that fired at balloons to high-tech early warning systems capable of hitting targets even in space.

The birthday of the air defense system is considered December 8, 1914, when a system of defensive structures and means directed against air targets began to function on the outskirts of Petrograd. In order to secure the imperial capital, an extensive network of observation posts was created on the remote approaches to it, consisting of towers and telephone points, from which information about the approaching enemy was reported to the headquarters.

Fighter aircraft in World War I

An integral part of the air defense system of any country and at any time is fighter aircraft capable of neutralizing attacking aircraft at distant approaches.

In turn, for effective functioning, a significant number of highly qualified pilots are required. For these purposes, on the Volkovo field near St. Petersburg in 1910, the first Russian officer aeronautical school was formed, which set as its task the training of first-class aeronauts, as pilots were called at that time.

In parallel with the network of observation posts, a system was created, which received the official name "Radio-telegraph defense of Petrograd." This system was intended to intercept the communications of hostile pilots attacking the Russian army.

After the revolution

Deciphering air defense as air defense creates the illusion that the system is extremely simple and designed only to shoot down enemy aircraft. However, already on the fields of the First World War, it became clear that the troops were faced with numerous and complex tasks not only in controlling the sky, but also in reconnaissance, camouflage and the formation of the front line of front-line aviation.

After the victory of the October Revolution, all the air defense forces on the territory of Petrograd came under the control of the Red Army, which took up their reform and reorganization.

The actual abbreviation of air defense and the decoding appeared in 1925, when the terms "air defense of the country" and "air defense of the front line" were first used in official documents. It was at this time that they identified priority areas air defense development. However, more than ten years have passed before their comprehensive implementation.

Air defense of the largest cities

Since defense against air attacks required significant resources, both human and technical, the Soviet leadership decided to organize air defense defense of several key cities of the USSR. These included Moscow, Leningrad, Baku and Kyiv.

In 1938, air defense corps were formed to protect Leningrad from air attacks. An air defense brigade was organized for the defense of Kyiv. A transcript with a mention of the means used to repel enemy air attacks is as follows:

• flak;
• aerial reconnaissance;
• communication and notification;
• antiaircraft projectors.

Of course, such a list has little to do with the current state of affairs, since over the past eighty years the structure has become much more complicated, and the technique has become more universal. Besides, great importance air defense is now played by radio intelligence and information warfare.

By the beginning of World War II, the early detection of enemy air forces and their destruction becomes especially important. To solve this problem, special means of electronic intelligence are being developed. The first country to deploy a wide network of radar stations was Great Britain.

The first devices designed to control anti-aircraft fire were also developed there, which significantly increased its accuracy and increased density.

The current state of air defense

Deciphering the well-known abbreviation does not fully meet modern realities, because today in the world everything greater value acquire non-contact methods of warfare based on missile weapons and special aircraft with low visibility.

In addition, the abbreviation PRO, which refers to anti-missile defense, is increasingly being used next to the abbreviation for air defense. Submit an effective air defense today it is impossible without the use of missile weapons, which means that systems that are fundamentally importance for integration various systems from anti-aircraft gun to radar equipment.

In the age of the Internet, competent search and the ability to distinguish reliable information from incorrect information are of great importance. Increasingly, users are looking for a decoding of the air defense department of internal affairs, which means the passport and visa department of the Department of Internal Affairs - the police department involved in the passportization of the population.