Project ICBM Albatross (USSR)
The development of the Albatross missile system was initiated by government decree No. 173-45 of February 9 of the year 1987 in the NPO of mechanical engineering under the leadership of Herbert Efremov. The complex was supposed to be the asymmetric response of the USSR to the development in the US of a SOI program. Pilot flight tests were conducted in 1991-1992. This decree prescribed the development of the Albatross combat missile system capable of overcoming a promising multi-defense US missile defense system, the creation of which was announced by the administration of President Reagan. Three variants of basing this complex were envisaged: mobile soil, stationary mine and relocated mine.
The Albatross three-stage solid-fuel rocket was to be equipped with a planning cruise unit with a nuclear charge capable of flying to targets at a sufficiently low altitude and making maneuvers in the target area. All elements of the rocket, as well as the launcher, should have increased security against nuclear explosions and laser weaponsin order to ensure a guaranteed retaliatory strike in case of any opposition from a potential opponent.
The development of the Albatross complex was entrusted to an NGO (designer G. A. Efremov) with access to launch tests in 1991. The resolution noted the special importance of the state to carry out this development, since the government and military circles of the USSR were seriously concerned about the problem of overcoming the US missile defense system and were looking for ways to guarantee it. However, it was surprising that the creation of such a complex was entrusted to an organization with virtually no experience in developing solid-propellant rockets and mobile missile complexes. In addition, the development of a planning winged unit that performs intercontinental flight in the atmosphere at high speed was, in essence, a qualitatively new task, which did not correspond to the experience of NPO Mashinostroenia.
The idea of creating an Albatross rocket was out of the search for a combat unit capable of making an evasion of an antimissile maneuver. Such a BB was called “Albatross” at the end of the 1970s. A warhead carrying a nuclear charge was supposed to detect the launch of the enemy’s antimissile and evade it by making a special complex maneuver. Combinations of elements of such a maneuver could be different, which would ensure the unpredictability of the direction of movement of the block for the enemy’s antimissile and the impossibility of paving his course toward the target in advance. Then this idea grew into the Albatross MBR project. Accordingly, the requirements have changed. The planning BB with the YAZ was supposed to deliver to the target not a ballistic missile, but a low-flying missile. The highlight of the "Albatross" was the launching trajectory with an entry angle of just a few degrees, for the formation of which the PH practically did not exceed the altitude of 250-300 km. The launch itself could be fixed, but it was not possible to predict the trajectory and issue a target designation for the interception. The flight of the PCB took place at the boundary of the atmosphere due to kinetic energy so that the aerodynamic forces were sufficient for flight and maneuver, and the plasma formation did not interfere with the sight. That is, the PCB could not be fixed against the background of space. Maneuvering along the course did not allow to predict the meeting point with the antimissile, and the hypersonic marching speed did not allow us to hit the PKB along the overtaking trajectory.
Designed at the end of 1987, the Albatross draft design project of the RK caused the Customer’s dissatisfaction, since the implementation of a number of technical solutions incorporated into the VC seemed rather problematic. Nevertheless, work on the project continued throughout the next year. However, at the beginning of 1989, it became quite clear that the creation of this RC, both in terms of technical indicators and in terms of its implementation, is in jeopardy. In addition, there have already been strong foreign policy factors.
9 September 1989 of the year 9 Decision No. 1987 was issued by the government decree of 323. 2 decreed to create two new RCs instead of RK Albatross: mobile soil and stationary mines based on a three-stage solid-fuel rocket developed for both complexes developed by the Moscow Heat Technology Institute (MIT) for the Topol-2 mobile soil complex. The topic was named “Universal”, and the rocket index PT-2PM8 (65Ж2). The development of a mobile soil RK with the RT-2PMXNUMX rocket was entrusted to MIT, and the stationary mine site was assigned to the Yuzhnoye design bureau. Subsequently, this rocket complex was named Topol-M.
There are reasonable grounds to state that flight tests with PCB were carried out in 1991-1992, although they had already abandoned the creation of this project.
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