40 YEARS BACK A SOVIET ANTIMISSILE MADE FIRST-EVER BALLISTIC INTERCEPTION








MOSCOW, March 4. /RIA Novosti's correspondent Yuri Nikolayev/. Today it is 40 years since a Soviet antimissile for the first time ever intercepted and destroyed the warhead of a P-12 ballistic missile. This was a demonstration of a real technical capability of intercepting and destroying strategic missiles, RIA Novosti was told at the press service of the Russian Control Systems Agency (RASU). 


	Work on ABM means was begun in August 1953 after a group of military leaders turned to the USSR leadership. RASU said that the unprecedented technical challenge of this goal required the involvement of the most reputed collectives of scientists and designers. Creating skeleton for the first ABM system was instructed to Design Bureau No 1, which concentrated the best engineers and scientists in radio engineering and electronics. 


	As soon as in 1960 early-warning and antimissile-guidance radars were manufactured and tested. 


	Success of the "A" antimissile system tests acquired a tremendous scientific-technical and political importance. The USSR leadership decided to unfold operational antimissile defense systems. They played an important role in attaining nuclear missile parity and reaching in the early 70s of basic treaties on the ensurance of strategic stability.