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Interceptors

In the mid 1950s the Soviets concluded that they could develop anti-missile systems to counter medium range ballistic missiles (MRBM). The Galosh and ABM-3 systems, which were deployed only at Moscow, and the dual purpose anti-aircraft/missile (SAM/ABM) SA-5 and SA-10/12 systems, which were deployed nationwide, were all developed at the Sary Shagan range (on the Western shore of Lake Balkhash). Target missiles were SS-3 and (mostly) SS-4 MRBMs launched from Kapustin Yar (across the river from Stalingrad, now Volgograd): maximum target velocity 3-3,5 km./sec.; range ~2,000 km.; and maximum altitude ~1,000 km.

With the exception of one interceptor (Gazelle) deployed at Moscow in 1987, all Soviet interceptors had maximum velocities that were a fraction of that of ICBMs. Although the maximum velocity of the Galosh missile has not been reported, it most probably was around 2 km./sec. This also applies to the Gorgon, a modernized Galosh, currently deployed with the ABM-3 at Moscow. Moreover, these interceptors had low initial launch acceleration rates.

The interceptor missiles of the first generation SAM/ABM, the SA-5, had maximum velocities around 1.5 km./sec. Both the original SA-10 (Russian S-300P) interceptor and the anti-aircraft interceptor for the SA-12 (Russian S-300V) had maximum velocities of ~1.7 km./sec. Subsequent modernizations of the SA-10 (Russian S-300 PMU-1 & PMU-2) raised the maximum velocity to over 2 km./sec., approaching the 2.4 km./sec. maximum velocity of the SA-12 TMD interceptor. The SA-12 variant (S-300V) was designed to protect Soviet Ground Forces from both tactical aircraft and missiles.

During the 1961-1962 series, the Soviets conducted a number of high altitude nuclear tests, near Sary Shagan. These tests indicated a Soviet interest in assessing the capability of an ABM system to discriminate and track two or more targets approaching successively on nearly identical trajectories, both in a radar blackout environment and in a normal atmosphere.

The 1962 events appeared to have been conducted for the primary purpose of studying the effects on radar systems of blackouts created by high yield precursor bursts or by detonation of the interceptor’s own ABM warheads. Data relating to certain long range effects, such as EMP and TREE, may also have been collected.

It is unlikely, however, that the tests involved devices which had enhanced radiation output (i.e., hot X-rays), or that the Soviets were testing for the vulnerability of re-entry vehicles (RVs) to shock produced by surface absorption of low energy X-rays.

One portion of the 1961- 1962 test series involved the detonation of a group of TN weapons in the 3-25 MT range. These weapons showed certain characteristics suggesting that they represented a new Soviet weapons design. One CIA attempt to construct a theoretical model exhibiting these characteristics led to a design that could produce an enhanced X-ray output. It seemed likely to CIA that the Soviets would realize the importance of these X-ray effects for exoatmospheric ABM Weapons and could adapt such a design accordingly. If such is the case, the Soviets then could have a weapon that would emit hot X-rays.

Given the formidable difficulties of identifying lethal warheads amid a cloud of incoming objects outside­ the atmosphere, it is desirable that an exoatmospheric ABM system employ weapons with as large a kill radius as feasible. This in turn would require a nuclear warhead with improved kill capabilities, one way of achieving which might be through hot X-rays. A low energy X-ray output is one of about 1-2 kilo-electron­ volts (Kev). This X-ray energy can be enhanced, at the expense of other effects, by appropriate design of the weapon. An X-ray energy of 5 Kev is considered medium energy, and 8­9 Kev is high energy. An X-ray energy above 1-2 Kev is often called “hot” X-ray.