• Forum
• SITREP

• Military

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space
• Public Eye

Further Reading

?-60 1A Airborne Laser

In the mid 1970s Taganrog Engineering Plant im. Georgi Dimitrov was charged with the creation of a special aviation set to address a number of important military-technical tasks for the sake of defense. It had to solve many complex scientific, technical and engineering problems. Much was done for the first time not only domestic but also in world practice, which required a huge amount of various development activities.

In the early 1970's in the United States there was a program for the development of laser weapons. Tests were conducted with the help of the flying laboratory Boeing NKC-135 Airborne Laser Lab. ALL flight tests began in January 1975. From 1977 GM Beriev began creating a counterpart flying laboratory product «1A» to develop major new technical solutions specialist aviation complex. The aircraft housed laser installation is designed to study the spread of radiation in the upper atmosphere. Work on this topic conducted in broad cooperation with enterprises and scientific organizations across the country, but the principal EDO has been a partner CDB «Almaz» which was led by Doctor of Technical Sciences, Academician BV Bunkin. In Taganrog, deputy chief designer of the aircraft became VD Zaremba, a leading designer - Yury A. Bondarev.

The basic aircraft to create a flying laboratory was the Il-76MD, which in the interest of the deployment of the special equipment deep refinement were made, greatly changing the appearance of the aircraft. In the bow was a bulbous fairing with special aerodynamic data equipment. Obviously, there is housed antenna aiming to turn in all directions. On the lower side of the fuselage are fairings housing the turbogenerator power system. The cargo hatch was removed.

Originally it was decided that the deployment of the laser gun should not spoil the aerodynamics of the aircraft with another fairing, so the head of the optical laser was made retractable. The top of the fuselage between the wings and the tail a hole was cut and replaced by a huge flap, consisting of several segments.

The flying laboratory «1A» raised in the air for the first time on 19 August 1981, with a crew led by pilot-test EA Lahmostovym. From 1983 to 1987 were conducted flight tests and studied the spread of radiation in the atmosphere using a laser installation weighing about 60 tons on the Il-76MD (A-60) flying laboratory. About the tests performed with this domestic military laser little is known because they remain secret. The only that it is possible to say that was performed several dozen operations against a target stratospheric balloon, located at altitudes of 30-40 km. Also implemented was target shooting against a La-17 radio-controlled target drone, a single engine jet monoplane.

An unenviable lot, according to some accounts, awaited this machine. The aircraft soon burnt utterly at the air base Chkalovsk (GK NII VVS (State Red Banner Scientific Testing Institute of the Air Force), the Moscow area). Some sources claimed that the cause of the fire was spilled spirits mixture used to cool the laser.

On 29 Aug, 1991, the crew led by pilot-test VP Demyanovskim, took off the second flying laboratory, named «1A2» ????-86879. At its board located a new version of a special set of modified as a result of tests carried out on «1A». Probably this was another A-60 aircraft, which in 1993 stood at Taganrog prepared for modification. Work on the flying laboratory «1A2» for the improvement and modification of a special compound and its systems were said to be continuing to the present. Chief Designer - Deputy General Designer TANTK on this topic is the N. Stepanov.