A-135 anti-ballistic missile system
The A-135 (NATO: ABM-4 Gorgon) is a Russian anti-ballistic missile system deployed around Moscow to intercept incoming warheads targeting the city or its surrounding areas. The system was designed in the Soviet Union and entered service in 1995. It is a successor to the previous A-35, and complies with the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
| 51T6 (ABM-4 Gorgon) | |
|---|---|
DIA drawing of an SH-08/ABM-3A GAZELLE 53T6 missile launching with Don-2 phased array radar in background | |
| Type | Anti-ballistic missile |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1995–present |
| Used by | Russia |
| Production history | |
| Designer | NPO Novator Design Bureau |
| Designed | 1978 |
| Produced | 1988 |
| No. built | 68 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 33,000–45,000 kg (73,000–100,000 lb) |
| Length | 19.8 m |
| Diameter | 2.57 m |
| Blast yield | 10 kilotonnes of TNT (42 TJ) |
| Engine | 2-stage, solid-fuel |
Operational range | 350–900 km |
| Flight ceiling | 350–900 km |
| Maximum speed | Mach 7 (8,600 km/h; 5,300 mph; 2.4 km/s) |
Launch platform | silo, launcher(?) |
A-135 ABM system in Moscow Oblast. The black missiles are operational 53T6s, the unfilled missiles are non-operational 51T6s and the dish is the Don-2N radar in Sofrino, which also has a 53T6 complex co-located with it
The system is operated by the 9th Division of Anti-Missile Defence, part of the Air Defence and Missile Defence Command of the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces.
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