Day of anti-missile forces of the Armed Forces of Russia
July 8 in our country celebrates the Day of the anti-missile forces of the Armed Forces of Russia. This is an unofficial holiday, which is directly related to the date of the appearance of anti-aircraft missile forces. The date of foundation of domestic anti-aircraft missile forces is considered July 8 1960 of the year. It was on that day that a special directive of the chief of the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces to the staff of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Defense Forces was introduced as commander of the air defense missile forces. In this case, the first domestic stationary anti-aircraft missile system C-25 "Berkut", which was originally developed to provide air defense in Moscow, was officially put into service in the 1955 year.
The C-25 system, the deployment of which around the capital was completed before 1958, became the first domestic model of an anti-aircraft guided missile weapons, brought to production and adopted. The system, codenamed "Berkut", could hit various types of air targets at altitudes from 3 to 25 kilometers. After its adoption in 1955, the system was constantly upgraded, which allowed it to serve until the beginning of the 1990-s. After upgrading the 1977 of the year, the system was able to hit air targets flying at speeds up to 4300 km / h in the altitude range from 0,5 to 35 kilometers, while the maximum range of the complex was 58 km.
According to experts, for his age, the C-25 system was considered to be very perfect. In technical terms, it was a real breakthrough - the first multi-channel anti-aircraft missile system, which could simultaneously solve problems and track, and defeat a large number of air targets. In this case, the designers initially realized the possibility of coordination and interaction between the individual batteries of the system. The highlight of the complex was the presence of multi-channel radar, until the end of the 1960-ies no other complex could boast such capabilities.
At the same time, the system also had obvious shortcomings, which included stationarity (the complex was completely immobile), while the military units themselves, armed with C-25, were large objects that were vulnerable to nuclear strikes by a potential enemy. Separately, we can highlight the high cost and complexity of the operation of the complex. It is no coincidence that in the USSR they rather quickly abandoned the further construction of the C-25 in favor of creating simpler, cheaper, but at the same time mobile C-75 and C-125 anti-aircraft missiles.
It was the C-75 “Desna” complex, which was put into service in 1957 for the first time in the USSR, which was tested in combat conditions, recording the downed American U-2 reconnaissance aircraft at his own expense. It is worth noting that the C-75 has become the most used air defense system in the world. The complex turned out really successful, it was successfully delivered to more than 40 countries, and about 800 divisions of the complex were sent for export from the USSR.
But the complex recorded the first aerial victory into his account not in the sky over the USSR. October 7 1959 of a missile complex C-75, located near Beijing, was shot down a Taiwanese high-altitude reconnaissance RB-57D. Chinese rocket engineers, who worked together with Soviet military experts, managed to hit an enemy plane at an altitude of 20 600 meters, the pilot was killed. This episode was the first in storieswhen the plane was destroyed by an anti-aircraft guided missile launched from the ground. At the same time, for the purpose of secrecy, this victory was attributed to the interceptor plane.
Over the Soviet Union, the calculations of the C-75 complex for the first time distinguished 16 on November 1959 of the year when a US reconnaissance balloon was successfully hit by a missile of the complex, flying at an altitude of almost 28 000 meters near Stalingrad (from Volgograd 1961). And already 1 in May 1960, the most famous case of successful use of anti-aircraft missile system in national history. On this day, the American high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft Lockheed U-2 was shot down over Sverdlovsk (today Yekaterinburg).
Lockheed U-2, which was run by pilot Francis Powers, flew from the Pakistani airfield Peshawar 1 in May 1960. The route of the aircraft first passed over Afghanistan, and then over the territory of the Soviet Union, which the pilot was supposed to cross almost from south to north, the final point of the route over the territory of the USSR was Murmansk, the high-altitude reconnaissance plane was to land at the Norwegian airbase Bodo. The increased combat readiness of the Soviet air defense forces provided almost immediate detection of the intruder, but for a long time it was impossible to intercept the reconnaissance aircraft with high-altitude fighters and interceptors due to the high altitude of the U-2.
Everything was decided in the sky over Sverdlovsk, when the plane was in the zone of action of the Soviet anti-aircraft missile systems. In 8: 53 minutes, Moscow time, the intruder was shot down from the ground by the C-75 air defense system of the second division of the 57 anti-aircraft missile brigade, commanded by Major Mikhail Voronin. This happened near the village of Kosulino, located in the area of the Verkhne-Sysert Reservoir near Sverdlovsk. A total of 7 anti-aircraft guided missiles were launched on the aircraft, but the target was hit by the very first missile, as a result of which the aircraft collapsed still in the air. Numerous aircraft wreckage, which were observed on the screens by radar operators, were identified as possible targets, and small fragments, as used interference. Therefore, the neighboring division fired on new targets fixed in the air. A reconnaissance plane crashed near the village of Povarnya, Francis Powers was not injured by a rocket explosion and managed to leave the plane, landing on a parachute near the village of Kosulino, where he was detained by local residents.
This incident had a great impact on relations between the USSR and the USA, complicating the dialogue between the two countries. At the same time, the Americans were forced to recognize the program of reconnaissance flights of spy planes violating the airspace of the Soviet Union, for the United States the U-2 aircraft shot down near Sverdlovsk was a serious blow to reputation. And convicted on 10 years of imprisonment for spying, Francis Powers already in 1962 was successfully exchanged for the famous Soviet intelligence officer Rudolf Abel.
More than 60 years have passed since the first domestic anti-aircraft missile systems appeared, during which time they managed to go a long way in development. Today, it is the Russian Federation that is one of the leading manufacturers of air defense systems, which are stably in high demand in the global arms market and, along with aviation equipment acquired today by many countries. The latest bestseller on the international arms market is the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system, the possessors of which have already become the armed forces of Turkey, China and India, and the number of potential customers of the system has long exceeded the top ten.
The C-400 “Triumph” anti-aircraft missile system, which is the successor of the glorious traditions of earlier domestic air defense systems, is today the main means of protecting Russian airspace. Today, the Russian Aerospace Forces have modern anti-aircraft missile systems, which, in addition to the C-400 complex, include the C-300 complex (of various modifications) and the Pantsir-C1 anti-aircraft missile systems. Currently, the process of re-equipping the army to the C-400 complex is being completed, the Russian armed forces should receive the C-2020 Triumph 56 industry before the 400, and this order has now been almost completely completed.
Due to the presence of modern and effective weapons with outstanding tactical and technical characteristics, the Russian anti-aircraft missile forces constitute the main force in the Russian air defense system. Their main purpose is to reliably protect the command and control centers of the highest levels of the military and state administration of the country, important economic and industrial centers of Russia, groups of troops, and other objects in the country from possible attacks from the air and space attack of a potential enemy. To maintain combat readiness of the troops, anti-aircraft missile forces regularly conduct exercises, including tactical ones with live firing, at the Telemba (Trans-Baikal Territory) and Ashuluk (Astrakhan Region) training grounds.
The first Soviet anti-aircraft missile system
The C-25 system, the deployment of which around the capital was completed before 1958, became the first domestic model of an anti-aircraft guided missile weapons, brought to production and adopted. The system, codenamed "Berkut", could hit various types of air targets at altitudes from 3 to 25 kilometers. After its adoption in 1955, the system was constantly upgraded, which allowed it to serve until the beginning of the 1990-s. After upgrading the 1977 of the year, the system was able to hit air targets flying at speeds up to 4300 km / h in the altitude range from 0,5 to 35 kilometers, while the maximum range of the complex was 58 km.
According to experts, for his age, the C-25 system was considered to be very perfect. In technical terms, it was a real breakthrough - the first multi-channel anti-aircraft missile system, which could simultaneously solve problems and track, and defeat a large number of air targets. In this case, the designers initially realized the possibility of coordination and interaction between the individual batteries of the system. The highlight of the complex was the presence of multi-channel radar, until the end of the 1960-ies no other complex could boast such capabilities.
Transportation of the B-300 rocket of the C-25 “Berkut” complex
At the same time, the system also had obvious shortcomings, which included stationarity (the complex was completely immobile), while the military units themselves, armed with C-25, were large objects that were vulnerable to nuclear strikes by a potential enemy. Separately, we can highlight the high cost and complexity of the operation of the complex. It is no coincidence that in the USSR they rather quickly abandoned the further construction of the C-25 in favor of creating simpler, cheaper, but at the same time mobile C-75 and C-125 anti-aircraft missiles.
The first combat experience of anti-aircraft missile forces
It was the C-75 “Desna” complex, which was put into service in 1957 for the first time in the USSR, which was tested in combat conditions, recording the downed American U-2 reconnaissance aircraft at his own expense. It is worth noting that the C-75 has become the most used air defense system in the world. The complex turned out really successful, it was successfully delivered to more than 40 countries, and about 800 divisions of the complex were sent for export from the USSR.
But the complex recorded the first aerial victory into his account not in the sky over the USSR. October 7 1959 of a missile complex C-75, located near Beijing, was shot down a Taiwanese high-altitude reconnaissance RB-57D. Chinese rocket engineers, who worked together with Soviet military experts, managed to hit an enemy plane at an altitude of 20 600 meters, the pilot was killed. This episode was the first in storieswhen the plane was destroyed by an anti-aircraft guided missile launched from the ground. At the same time, for the purpose of secrecy, this victory was attributed to the interceptor plane.
Over the Soviet Union, the calculations of the C-75 complex for the first time distinguished 16 on November 1959 of the year when a US reconnaissance balloon was successfully hit by a missile of the complex, flying at an altitude of almost 28 000 meters near Stalingrad (from Volgograd 1961). And already 1 in May 1960, the most famous case of successful use of anti-aircraft missile system in national history. On this day, the American high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft Lockheed U-2 was shot down over Sverdlovsk (today Yekaterinburg).
Launcher complex С-75
Lockheed U-2, which was run by pilot Francis Powers, flew from the Pakistani airfield Peshawar 1 in May 1960. The route of the aircraft first passed over Afghanistan, and then over the territory of the Soviet Union, which the pilot was supposed to cross almost from south to north, the final point of the route over the territory of the USSR was Murmansk, the high-altitude reconnaissance plane was to land at the Norwegian airbase Bodo. The increased combat readiness of the Soviet air defense forces provided almost immediate detection of the intruder, but for a long time it was impossible to intercept the reconnaissance aircraft with high-altitude fighters and interceptors due to the high altitude of the U-2.
Everything was decided in the sky over Sverdlovsk, when the plane was in the zone of action of the Soviet anti-aircraft missile systems. In 8: 53 minutes, Moscow time, the intruder was shot down from the ground by the C-75 air defense system of the second division of the 57 anti-aircraft missile brigade, commanded by Major Mikhail Voronin. This happened near the village of Kosulino, located in the area of the Verkhne-Sysert Reservoir near Sverdlovsk. A total of 7 anti-aircraft guided missiles were launched on the aircraft, but the target was hit by the very first missile, as a result of which the aircraft collapsed still in the air. Numerous aircraft wreckage, which were observed on the screens by radar operators, were identified as possible targets, and small fragments, as used interference. Therefore, the neighboring division fired on new targets fixed in the air. A reconnaissance plane crashed near the village of Povarnya, Francis Powers was not injured by a rocket explosion and managed to leave the plane, landing on a parachute near the village of Kosulino, where he was detained by local residents.
This incident had a great impact on relations between the USSR and the USA, complicating the dialogue between the two countries. At the same time, the Americans were forced to recognize the program of reconnaissance flights of spy planes violating the airspace of the Soviet Union, for the United States the U-2 aircraft shot down near Sverdlovsk was a serious blow to reputation. And convicted on 10 years of imprisonment for spying, Francis Powers already in 1962 was successfully exchanged for the famous Soviet intelligence officer Rudolf Abel.
The current state of anti-aircraft missile forces
More than 60 years have passed since the first domestic anti-aircraft missile systems appeared, during which time they managed to go a long way in development. Today, it is the Russian Federation that is one of the leading manufacturers of air defense systems, which are stably in high demand in the global arms market and, along with aviation equipment acquired today by many countries. The latest bestseller on the international arms market is the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system, the possessors of which have already become the armed forces of Turkey, China and India, and the number of potential customers of the system has long exceeded the top ten.
The C-400 “Triumph” anti-aircraft missile system, which is the successor of the glorious traditions of earlier domestic air defense systems, is today the main means of protecting Russian airspace. Today, the Russian Aerospace Forces have modern anti-aircraft missile systems, which, in addition to the C-400 complex, include the C-300 complex (of various modifications) and the Pantsir-C1 anti-aircraft missile systems. Currently, the process of re-equipping the army to the C-400 complex is being completed, the Russian armed forces should receive the C-2020 Triumph 56 industry before the 400, and this order has now been almost completely completed.
Due to the presence of modern and effective weapons with outstanding tactical and technical characteristics, the Russian anti-aircraft missile forces constitute the main force in the Russian air defense system. Their main purpose is to reliably protect the command and control centers of the highest levels of the military and state administration of the country, important economic and industrial centers of Russia, groups of troops, and other objects in the country from possible attacks from the air and space attack of a potential enemy. To maintain combat readiness of the troops, anti-aircraft missile forces regularly conduct exercises, including tactical ones with live firing, at the Telemba (Trans-Baikal Territory) and Ashuluk (Astrakhan Region) training grounds.
Information