Author Topic: The Soviet/Russian military space program, past and present  (Read 14471 times)

Online Blackstar

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Anatoly Zak gave a great presentation on the past and present of the Russian military space program during a November talk at a Secure World Foundation event. Details below, along with his presentation

http://swfound.org/events/2011/secure-world-presents-%E2%80%9Crussia%E2%80%99s-space-plans%E2%80%9D

http://swfound.org/media/53469/rsw_milspace_web.pdf


Offline Danderman

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The presentation pdf has the first image of an IS (satellite killer) that I have seen. I am surprised that it doesn't look more like Polyot.

Online Blackstar

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The presentation pdf has the first image of an IS (satellite killer) that I have seen. I am surprised that it doesn't look more like Polyot.


There have been images of that around for a long time, at least since the mid-1990s. There was even an animation that the Russians released in the mid-1990s. The odd thing about the animation was that it showed the satellite equipped with a kind of shotgun device that fired a directed blast at the target (an American Agena upper stage in the animation). However, we know from orbital data, and possibly also from what the Russians have released, that the entire satellite blew up.

Offline grdja

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I think IS article on Asutronautix tells of tests of a system upgrade version where satellite could engage several targets one after other; that would likely be the shotgun version.

Offline spaceStalker

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This I think is spiral

Offline apace

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This I think is spiral

Reminds me of X-37B.

Online Blackstar

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I think IS article on Asutronautix tells of tests of a system upgrade version where satellite could engage several targets one after other; that would likely be the shotgun version.

I'll have to look and check with my expert. The one problem I have with that idea is that the fuel penalty for multiple engagements would be high. I cannot see how you can send that thing to hit one target and then maneuver enough to get another.

That animation might be online somewhere. It was rather crude--it really was a cartoon--and was included with another animation showing the RORSAT using its radar beam. It is possible that this was not an official animation but something that a Russian TV documentary created. I have now confused myself.

Offline spaceman3

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Here's the article on Soviet military programs.

Offline spaceman3

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Here's the article on Soviet military programs.

Thanks for the original link. I did a similar presentation about five years, ago, in 2006, at the BIS Soviet/Russian space symposium. I probably could update it a little bit it's somewhat similar to the above. I only covered actual flown hardware/programs. File attached.

I also published a short summary (only text) of all Soviet military space programs. Once I find it, I'll post it too.

Online Blackstar

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A quick scan of YouTube did not turn up the early animation. But Asif's presentation contained a screenshot from the same video with the date of 1993 from Video Cosmos.

Asif, do you know if the improved IS was intended to engage multiple targets and how was it supposed to do this?

Offline spaceman3

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Re: The Soviet/Russian military space program, past and present
« Reply #10 on: 12/29/2011 06:52 pm »
Asif, do you know if the improved IS was intended to engage multiple targets and how was it supposed to do this?

From what I know, no, the improved IS was not intended for multiple targets.

The last iteration of the IS was the IS-MU (or 14F10) declared operational in April 1991 but stood down in August 1993. It was basically designed for a fractional orbit intercept (i.e., less than 1 orbit). There was another version called IS-MD (or 75P6) for supposedly intercepting targets in geostationary orbit. Development began in 1988 but was abandoned at some point. It's ground-based Okno radar was actually finished.

There were a few other stalled ASAT systems such as the MiG-31-launched version (called 30P6) and another ground-launched version called Naryad (using Naryad-VN and Naryad-VR) which uses the Rokot launch vehicle and a variation of the Briz upper stage. Was apparently tested a couple of times.

Anyway, short answer: none of these, as far as I know, were intended for multiple targets.

But as an aside: the history of Soviet/Russian ASAT systems is extremely complicated and a long one. There were an enormous number of projects proposed, "approved," and then abandoned.

Offline Capt. David

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Re: The Soviet/Russian military space program, past and present
« Reply #11 on: 01/16/2012 09:09 pm »
The presentation pdf has the first image of an IS (satellite killer) that I have seen. I am surprised that it doesn't look more like Polyot.


The Polyot displayed at NPO Mash is missing the Antenna Dish, but this IS Polyot:


 





There was a couple of good photos of the Polyot published in the Russian version of Popular Mechanics.

I'll find those and post them.

Best Regards,

David L. Rickman
549 Caribou Road
Asheville, NC  28803
USA

Offline Capt. David

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Re: The Soviet/Russian military space program, past and present
« Reply #12 on: 01/16/2012 10:15 pm »
Here it is: http://www.popmech.ru/article/4397-kosmicheskie-istrebiteli/

Популярная Механика, October 2003










Best Regards,

David L. Rickman
549 Caribou Road
Asheville, NC  28803
USA
« Last Edit: 01/23/2012 04:49 pm by Capt. David »

Offline Capt. David

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Re: The Soviet/Russian military space program, past and present
« Reply #13 on: 01/23/2012 05:05 pm »
The presentation pdf has the first image of an IS (satellite killer) that I have seen. I am surprised that it doesn't look more like Polyot.



Just discovered that there's a Polyot IS parked near the Lunniy Korabl in Lab 33 of the A.F. Mozhaisky Military Space Academy.

You can see it facing the camera in the foreground.



My Best,

David L. Rickman
549 Caribou Road
Asheville, NC  28803
USA
« Last Edit: 01/28/2012 05:03 am by Capt. David »

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