S-25 Berkut
| S-25 Berkut (NATO reporting name: SA-1 Guild) |
|
|---|---|
S-25 missile
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| Type | Strategic SAM system |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1955-1982 |
| Used by | Soviet Union |
| Wars | Cold War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Lavochkin OKB |
| Number built | more than 11 000 |
| Specifications | |
The S-25 Berkut (Russian: С-25 «Беркут»; "Berkut" means golden eagle in English) is a surface-to-air guided missile, the first operational SAM system in the Soviet Union. In early 1950s it was tested on Kapustin Yar. It was deployed in several rings around Moscow starting in 1955 and became combat ready in June 1956. It was used only to defend Moscow; the more mobile S-75 (SA-2 Guideline) would be used in almost all other locations. Several improvements were introduced over its long service lifetime, and the system was finally replaced by the S-300P in 1982.
Its NATO reporting name is SA-1 Guild. S-25 is short for Systema 25, referring to the entire system of missiles, radars, and launchers. Portions of the system include the V-300 missile, R-113 and B-200 radars, and A-11/A-12 antennas for the B-200.
Development of the S-25 was authorized on 9 August 1950 by a decision of USSR and was appended by Stalin: (We have to get the missile for air defense in a year). The system was assigned to design to SB-1 (Special Bureau No. 1).
The initial design included:
The implementation was assigned to the Third Main Agency, which was specially created, by the Soviet of Ministers of the USSR. SB-1 was converted to KB-1 (Design Bureau №1) headed by P.N. Kuksenko and S.L. Beria. Some captured German specialists were concentrated in department №38 of KB-1.
Test range trials of the first experimental system were conducted in January 1952. These tests led to the removal of the air based components of the Berkut system (G-400/G-300 and G-500).
The construction of ground infrastructure (designed by the Moscow division of Lengiprostroy, V.I. Rechkin) was done from 1953 through 1955 at 50 km and 90 km ranges from Moscow. There were about 2000 km of roads built by prisoners.
After the death of Stalin and arrest of L.P. Beria (the head of Soviet police and security, and the father of S.L. Beria) in June 1953, the KB-1 was reorganized and headed by Raspletin. The Third Main Agency was converted to Glavspetsmash and included into the Ministry of Medium Machine Building. The name Berkut was changed to Systema 25.
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