53T6 Explained
| Is Missile: | mmks |
| 53T6 (ABM-3 Gazelle) |
| Origin: | Soviet Union |
| Type: | Anti-ballistic missile |
| Service: | Since 1995 |
| Used By: | Russia |
| Wars: | Cold War |
| Designer: | NPO Novator Design Bureau |
| Design Date: | 1978 |
| Production Date: | 1988 |
| Number: | 68 |
| Variants: | A modernized variant is in service as of July 2018 |
| Weight: | 10,000 kg (22,000 lbs) |
| Length: | 12 m |
| Diameter: | 1.8 m[1] [2] [3] |
| Speed: | 17Mach |
| Engine: | 2-stage solid fuel |
| Vehicle Range: | 80–100 km[4] [5] [6] |
| Ceiling: | 80–100 km |
| Filling: | nuclear 10 kt |
| Launch Platform: | silo[7] [8] |
The 53T6 (NATO reporting name: ABM-3 Gazelle, previously SH-08)[9] is a USSR anti-ballistic missile. Designed in 1978 and in service since 1995,[10] it is a component of the A-135 anti-ballistic missile system.
The missile is able to intercept incoming re-entry vehicles at a distance of 80 km. The 53T6 is a two-stage solid-propellant rocket armed with a 10 kt thermonuclear weapon. (note: This is a neutron bomb that partially fissions the radioactive materials in the RV and prevents detonation of the hydrogen explosive. A neutron bomb is an enhanced fission implosion trigger that encounters a neutron emitter and is not correctly described as thermonuclear while the incoming hydrogen bomb it disables is a thermonuclear weapon.) The missile is about 10 meters in length and 1.8 meters in diameter. Its launch weight is 10 tons.[9] [11]
The 53T6 missile is kept in a silo-based launch container. Prior to launch its cover is blown off.
The missile achieves speeds of approximately 17Mach.[11] The engine has very high specific impulse, enabling acceleration from rest to Mach 16 within 3-4 seconds. Maximal load manoeuvre capability is 210 g longitudinal and 90 g transverse.[3]
Radar support
The Gazelle missile system is supported by the Don-2N Pill Box radar.
See also
Related US missiles
Treaties
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: PRS-1/53T6 antimissile missile complex and A-135/RTTS-181 Cupid / 5ZH60 . Tonnel-ufo.ru . 2018-08-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305001028/http://tonnel-ufo.ru/eanglish/weapon/prs-1-53t6-antimissile-missile-complex-and-a-135-rtts-181-cupid-5zh60.php . 2016-03-05 . live.
- Web site: Russian/Soviet Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems. O'Connor. Sean. 12 December 2009. 1 . 10 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151121053912/http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-Rus-ABM-Systems.html. 21 November 2015. live.
- Web site: Отечественная военная техника (после 1945г.) - Статьи - Система А-135 ракета 53Т6 - ABM-3 GAZELLE / SH-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20100908082208/http://military.tomsk.ru/blog/topic-350.html . 2010-09-08. 8 September 2010.
- Web site: A-135 SAMOLET (SH-08/ABM-3 GAZELLE) . 2015-06-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151029092739/http://missilethreat.com/defense-systems/a-135-abm-3-gazelle/ . 2015-10-29 . dead.
- Web site: 53T6 Gazelle. John. Pike. www.globalsecurity.org. 2015-06-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20150603130207/http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/gazelle.htm. 2015-06-03. live.
- Web site: 53T6. www.astronautix.com. 2015-06-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20150711150204/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/53t6.htm. 2015-07-11. dead.
- Web site: Russian/Soviet Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems. O'Connor. Sean. 12 December 2009. 1 . 10 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151121053912/http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-Rus-ABM-Systems.html#mozTocId700952. 21 November 2015. live.
- Web site: Anti-ballistic missile 53T6 Gazelle Test mission Launch. 53t6. 25 September 2007. YouTube. 10 November 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150914115236/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK6W0OATveQ. 14 September 2015. live.
- http://www.missilethreat.com/missiledefensesystems/id.22/system_detail.asp Gazelle (SH-08/ABM-3)
- http://www.astronautix.com/a/a-135.html A-135
- http://pvo.guns.ru/abm/a135-01.htm СИСТЕМА ПРО А-135
