Again, I am searching for more accurate data and some photos of this short range interceptor. Again technical data diverge.
What follow are some references to this missile.
A mobile one (9M82) with about half the speed and performance of the other one, the stationary 53T6.
By the way, the Gazelle Sites are pretty close to the City. Do the have conventional warheads meanwhile or still their 10kt? And if still on nuclear, do they deploy these fast reaction missiles out of the storage into the silos only for alert (maybe in an endless procedure lasting one hour and then to enjoy the 0,4sec reaction and the Mach 15 performance when finally getting started.
Gazelle missile looks like a simple cone with a lenth of about 10m. It is interesting that its massive silo cover opens at 0.4 second! Missile speed is so high (up to 5.5 km/s) that you can’t see it when it starts from silo
The A-135 is a two echelon system, first echelon of defence is based on 51T6, which was armed with 1Mt nuclear warhead, and was aimed mostly not for destroying warheads but for separating and destroying countermeasures. System was capable to intercept targets 600km far and up to 180km high. Second echelon was based on 53T6 and was aimed against actual warheads. Interceptor was armed with 10kt warhead initially, later nuke was replaced by conventional fragmentizing warhead, similar to 9M82, but bigger. This system was capable of intercepting targets 300km far and 50km high. 51T6 could achieve speed of 2,5km/s, 53T6 – 4,5-6km/s. 51T6 is now retired. 53T6 is not a direct-impact warhead, during tests actual distance from targets was about 50m and considered acceptable.
Code of NATO: ABM-3 Gazelle, SH-08.
Designation of the intercepting missile: 53T6.
Designed by: Toporkov OKB (OKB-134, now Vympel NPO)
Manufactured by: Kisunko SKB (SKB-30, now NIIRP).
Beginning of the production: 1967.
Beginning of unfolding: 1984.
Type: Endoatmospheric interceptor.
Guide: Comando Radar.
Length, m: 10,
Diameter, m: 1.3.
Propulsion: Solid propellant rocket engine of two states.
Range: 80 km.
Head military: Nuclear of 10 Kt.
Vehicle of transport: MAZ-543M
A 53T6 placed into its silo
So, supposed speed vary from 4.5 km/s to 6.0 km/s. Most likely near the lower bound. Now the uncertainty extends to the range: from 80 km to 300 km. The last value might be achievable in a sort of parabolic shot, thus increasing the interception time.
A interesting question is related to the kill radii of a 9M82-type warhead. Is that warhead enough to kill a re-entry vehicle at distances around 50 m?
By: Rodolfo - 23rd February 2011 at 12:50
I just found a treasure! (in Russian)
By: Arabella-Cox - 16th December 2010 at 16:19
Brilliant pesho, thanks for the heads-up! Still vexing that nothing very ground-breaking is shown, the photos merely confirm what we already strongly suspected – 53T6 is a conical missile without aerodynamic control surfaces. What I hope to see would be reliable specs (dimensions, weights, acceleration, speed & details about guidance and propulsion).
By: Rodolfo - 16th December 2010 at 12:59
Rest of photos here.
The radar doesn’t looks very healthy.
By: pesho - 16th December 2010 at 01:02
New photos of recent test.
Rest of photos here.
And another video of the 2007 test.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OlAkEkZS1o&feature=related
By: Rodolfo - 25th June 2009 at 22:01
By: Rodolfo - 29th May 2009 at 14:21
Except that 4km/sec is not it’s AVERAGE speed.
With so short and variable flight times (from 10s to 30 s) I am not sure if the average speed is so important. It will mostly depend on the interception altitude. I will assume the terminal speed is around 4.5 km/s after booster separation (5-6 s fligth time).
Also, Sprint was operationally deployed it’s just not anymore.
I think Sprint working altitude is lower than the Gazelle working altitude. So Sprint have a bigger initial acceleration in the first few seconds and Gazelle later. My “eye-measurement” device 😀 suggests this. Look both videos. It seems that Sprint is quicker and Gazzelle is faster.
By: Rodolfo - 29th May 2009 at 14:11
I sure wish more details would come out on that thing. There is some decent info available on Sprint and Hibex but virtually nothing on Gazelle.
I 100% agree.
I mean we don’t even know exactly how big and heavy it is.
From several sources:
Weight: 10.000 kg.
Length: 10 m.
Base Diameter: 2 m
Warhead: 150 kg or slightly larger.
By: sferrin - 29th May 2009 at 13:12
Looking at the average speed of 4 km/sec , ceiling of 80 km and design ability to intercept a target of 7 km/sec , this seems to be the fastest endo atmospheric ICBM interceptor developed yet and the only operationally deployed one so far for endo atmospheric ICBM interception in the world.
Except that 4km/sec is not it’s AVERAGE speed. :rolleyes: Also, Sprint was operationally deployed it’s just not anymore.
By: Austin - 29th May 2009 at 12:42
Looking at the average speed of 4 km/sec , ceiling of 80 km and design ability to intercept a target of 7 km/sec , this seems to be the fastest endo atmospheric ICBM interceptor developed yet and the only operationally deployed one so far for endo atmospheric ICBM interception in the world.
By: sferrin - 29th May 2009 at 01:47
Yeap; you are rigth. So, my bet in that top-speed lies in de 4-5 km/s interval. With so high accelerations, the average speed will depend on the overall flight time.
I sure wish more details would come out on that thing. There is some decent info available on Sprint and Hibex but virtually nothing on Gazelle. I mean we don’t even know exactly how big and heavy it is.
By: Rodolfo - 28th May 2009 at 21:33
AVERAGE speed. Maximum speed is not average speed.
Yeap; you are rigth. So, my bet in that top-speed lies in de 4-5 km/s interval. With so high accelerations, the average speed will depend on the overall flight time.
By: sferrin - 28th May 2009 at 19:57
Ok so it reaches 4 Km/s in just 4 s , so it reaches M 12 in 4 s , so I assume as soon as it is launched by the 4th sec it is doing M 12 , so correct me if I am wrong but that is what my undesrstanding is.
What is the average speed of Gazelle ?
AVERAGE speed. Maximum speed is not average speed.
By: Rodolfo - 28th May 2009 at 15:52
What is the average speed of Gazelle ?
There are various claims ranking from 4 km/s to 5.5 km/s. I bet it is near the lower value. May be it is around 4.5 km/s.
By: Austin - 28th May 2009 at 15:09
Ok so it reaches 4 Km/s in just 4 s , so it reaches M 12 in 4 s , so I assume as soon as it is launched by the 4th sec it is doing M 12 , so correct me if I am wrong but that is what my undesrstanding is.
What is the average speed of Gazelle ?
By: sferrin - 28th May 2009 at 13:25
So this system has a average speed of Mach 12 from the word go ?
No. Read what he wrote.
By: Austin - 28th May 2009 at 11:19
It reach 4 km/s in just 4 s (so it average acceleration is around 100 g).
So this system has a average speed of Mach 12 from the word go ?
By: Lonevolk - 28th May 2009 at 07:21
http://kursakov.narod.ru/a135.htm
Interesting page with some technical data not available in English
Interesting.
Thanks for posting
By: Rodolfo - 26th May 2009 at 21:37
http://kursakov.narod.ru/a135.htm
Interesting page with some technical data not available in English. I.e.:
1) Claimed efficiency of de A-135 system against ballistic targets with speed up to 7 km/s: 95% :eek:.
2) Main missions: to parry threat of nuclear attack of small level; to raise a threshold of the nuclear reaction and to provide survivability to the top echelons of the government (note, not to protect Moscow)
3) On the 53T6 usual claims about “no analogues in the world”. It “surpass analogues non Russian systems” (Sprint? ) by a factor of 1.5.
4) Miss distance around 50 m, more than enough for a nuclear 10 kt warhead.
5) Live tests against ballistic missile warheads launched from Kasputin Yar toward Sary-Shagan !!! :dev2: (70s and 80s)
6) It reach 4 km/s in just 4 s (so it average acceleration is around 100 g).
7) Supposedly, now is equipped with similar but larger blast-directed warhead of the S-300VM system (that in turn is an improvement of the warhead of the S-300V system).
8) It disperses shrapnel consisting of splinters of 15 g. Claimed density of 5-6 fragments/m2 is enough to assure the destruction of the incoming warhead. The weight of this conventional warhead is just 150 kg.
By: Rodolfo - 21st May 2009 at 21:21
Another view of a Gazelle test.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUgkMNkQYAE&feature=related
Short video but quite awesome 😮
By: Arabella-Cox - 22nd December 2007 at 15:33
Just happened upon this:
Interestingly it seems to refer to the Gazelle as the PRS-1 which was cancelled, AFAIK. Also states that no physical target missile was intercepted, the last such test being 10 years ago.
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July 3, 2007 at 8:49 pm