A-35 anti-ballistic missile system

The A-35 anti-ballistic missile system was a Soviet military anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system deployed around Moscow to intercept enemy ballistic missiles targeting the city or its surrounding areas. The A-35 was the only Soviet ABM system allowed under the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. In development since the 1960s and in operation from 1971 until the 1990s, it featured the nuclear-tipped A350 exoatmospheric interceptor missile. The A-35 was supported by the two Dunay radars (NATO: Cat House and Dog House) and the Soviet early warning system. It was followed by the A-135 in the early 1990s.

The first Soviet anti-ballistic missile system was System A which was started at Test Range A at Sary Shagan test site in July 1956. The testing of System A began in 1959. System A used the V-1000 missile to intercept enemy missiles. The first launch of the V-1000 was 11 October 1957 and its first successful intercept was 4 March 1961 where it intercepted an R-12 missile launched from Kapustin Yar.

System A used the Dunay-2 designed by V Sosulnikov at NII-37 (which later became NIIDAR) as well as 3 homing radars and an ABM radar. The three homing radars (called RTN (NATO:Hen Egg)) were situated in an equilateral triangle with a length of 150 kilometres (93 mi). It could track missiles from a distance of about 700 kilometres (430 mi). The V-1000 launch position and the ABM radar (called RSV-PR (NATO: Hen Nest)) were located together. The system used an M-40 computer which could do 40,000 operations per second.

The first work on A-35 started in 1959 with the test model, called Aldan. The designer of the system was G. Kisunko of Soviet Experimental Design Bureau OKB-30. A new missile, the A-350, was to be designed by P. Grushin of OKB-2. Unlike the V-1000, the missile was to have a nuclear warhead. The design of the system called for it to be able to intercept several hostile incoming missiles simultaneously with a single warhead. It was also to intercept them outside the atmosphere. A-35 was to have a main command centre, eight early warning radars with overlapping sectors, and 32 battle stations.

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