RZ-25 Anti-Ballistic Missile System

A V-1000 missile on its launcher in raised position.

The RZ-25 was the first Russian ABM system and also the first ABM system in the world. It was developed in the P. D. Grushin's OKB (OKB-2, now MKB Fakel) during the late 1950's (the work was authorized by the decision of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated on the 17.08.1956) and it was successfully tested on 04.03.1961 at the Sary Shagan test range, based in Kazahstan, when a mockup ICBM, consisted of a R-12 (SS-4 Sandal) ballistic missile which carried a 500 kg. steel plate instead of a nuclear warhead, was destroyed by the V-1000 ABM used by the system which was outfitted with a high-explosive warhead. It was for the first time in the world when a ballistic missile was destroyed by an ABM. This proved the theory of G. V. Kisunko (the general designer of SKB-30, now NIIRP) that an ABM could be successfully used against ICBMs.

Location of the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) ABM system sites in 1962.

Although it was developed as an experimental system, it was soon decided to deploy the system operationally until the more sophisticated A-35 system is developed and the construction of the launch sites in the vicinity of the Estonian capital Tallinn started very soon, and later in 1962, the construction of additional 30 sites started near Leningrad. These sites are known as the "Tallinn Line" and the "Leningrad ABM System". Later, in 1964, these sites were all dismantled, probably because of the success of the A-35 system (the A-350 missile from the A-35 system was paraded at the Red Square in Moscow that year) or maybe because of some technical difficulties.

The locations of the ABM launch sites built near Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in 1962 are the following: the western site (marked with No.1 on the map) is at Lat. 59°45'N - Long. 29°20'E, the eastern site (marked with No.2 on the map) is at Lat. 60°06'N - Long. 30°47'E and the northern site (marked with No.3 on the map) is at Lat. 60°28'N - Long. 29°44'E.

A line drawing of the V-1000 (SA-5 Griffon) interceptor missile.

V-1000 Anti-Ballistic Missile

The V-1000, also referred to as "Obiekt A" (Object A), was an ABM with two liquid-fueled stages. It was first detected by the west when the construction started on the ABM sites around Tallinn and Leningrad. Because it was considered to be a SAM, it received the DIA code SA-5 (this was later reused for the S-200 "Volga" SAM system, NATO reporting name Gammon), along with the NATO reporting name "Griffon".

The V-1000 ABM was first seen in the public in 1963 when it was paraded on the Red Square and was retired from active service in the following year from yet undefined reasons, but It should be noted that the 5V28 "Volga" missile from the S-200 (SA-5 Gammon) SAM system, which was also developed by Grushin's OKB, is considered to be a highly modified version of it.

The V-1000 missile on its launcher in lowered position in front of its shelter.

Technical characteristics for the V-1000 anti-ballistic missile:

Written by Vladimir Trendafilovski.
Updated Tuesday, 18 August 1998.