Perimeter system
The American magazine Wired fearfully writes:
Russia possesses the only weapon in the world that guarantees a retaliatory nuclear strike against the enemy, even in the terrible event that we no longer have anyone to decide on this strike. The unique system counterattacks automatically - and brutally.

Perimeter system(Index URV Strategic Missile Forces - 15E601, nicknamed the "Dead Hand" in the West, and the "Hand from the Coffin" in the East) - the strategic missile forces control system - Strategic Missile Forces. In the documents, she received the name "Perimeter". The system involved the creation of such technical means and software that would make it possible, under any conditions, even the most unfavorable, to bring the order to launch missiles directly to the launch teams. As conceived by the creators of Perimeter, the system could prepare and launch missiles even if everyone died and there would be no one to give the order. This component has become informally called "Dead Hand or Hand from the Coffin."

How the system works:
The logic of the "Dead Hand" involved the regular collection and processing of a gigantic amount of information. From all kinds of sensors received a variety of information. For example, about the state of communication lines with a higher command post: there is a connection - there is no connection. On the radiation situation in the surrounding area: the normal level of radiation - elevated level radiation. About the presence of people at the starting position: there are people - there are no people. About registered nuclear explosions and so on and so forth.

The "dead hand" had the ability to analyze changes in the military and political situation in the world - the system evaluated the commands received over a certain period of time, and on this basis could conclude that something was wrong in the world. When the system believed that its time had come, it activated and launched a command to prepare for the launch of the rockets.
Moreover, the "Dead Hand" could not begin active operations in peacetime. Even if there was no communication, even if the entire combat crew left the starting position, there were still a lot of other parameters that would block the system.

After the order received from the highest levels of control of the Strategic Missile Forces to a special command post, the command missile 15P011 with a special warhead 15B99 is launched, which in flight transmits launch commands to all launchers and command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces with appropriate receivers.

System concept:

The system is designed to guarantee the launch of silo ICBMs and SLBMs in the event that, as a result of an enemy devastating nuclear strike on the territory of the USSR, all the command units of the Strategic Missile Forces capable of issuing an order for a retaliatory strike are destroyed. The system is the only doomsday machine (weapon of guaranteed retaliation) in existence in the world, the existence of which has been officially confirmed. The system is still classified and may be on alert to this day, so any information about it cannot be confirmed as unambiguously reliable or refuted, and must be viewed with a proper degree of skepticism.

At its core, the Perimeter system is an alternative command system for all branches of the armed forces armed with nuclear warheads. It was created as a backup system, in case the key nodes of the Kazbek command system and the communication lines of the Strategic Missile Forces were destroyed by the first strike, in accordance with the concept of Limited Nuclear War developed in the United States. To ensure the guaranteed fulfillment of its role, the system was originally designed as fully automatic and, in the event of a massive attack, is able to make a decision on a retaliatory strike on its own, without (or with minimal participation) a person. The existence of such a system in the West is called immoral, but it is in fact the only deterrent that gives real guarantees that a potential adversary will abandon the concept of a crushing preventive strike.

History of creation:
Development of a special team missile system, called "Perimeter", was set by Yuzhnoye Design Bureau by Decree of the USSR Government N695-227 of August 30, 1974. Initially, it was planned to use the MR-UR100 (15A15) rocket as the base rocket, later they settled on the MR-UR100 UTTKh (15A16) rocket. The rocket, modified in terms of the control system, received the index 15A11.

Command missile 15A11 system "Perimeter"

In December 1975 a draft design of a command rocket was completed. A special warhead was installed on the rocket, which had the index 15B99, which included the original radio engineering system developed by the OKB LPI. To ensure the conditions for its functioning, the warhead during the flight had to have a constant orientation in space. A special system for calming, orienting and stabilizing it was developed using cold compressed gas (taking into account the experience of developing a propulsion system for the Mayak SHS), which significantly reduced the cost and time of its creation and development. The production of SGCh 15B99 was organized at the NPO "Strela" in Orenburg.

After ground testing of new technical solutions in 1979 LCI of the command rocket began. At NIIP-5, and sites 176 and 181, two experimental mine launchers were put into operation. In addition, a special command post was created at site 71, equipped with newly developed unique equipment. combat control to ensure remote control and launch of a command missile on orders received from the highest levels of control of the Strategic Missile Forces. A shielded anechoic chamber equipped with equipment for autonomous testing of the radio transmitter was built at a special technical position in the assembly building.

Flight tests of the 15A11 rocket (see layout diagram) were carried out under the leadership of the State Commission, headed by Lieutenant General V.V. Korobushin, First Deputy Chief of the Main Staff of the Strategic Missile Forces.

The first launch of the 15A11 command missile with the equivalent of a transmitter was successfully carried out on December 26, 1979. The developed complex algorithms for interfacing all systems involved in the launch were tested, the possibility of providing the missile with a given flight path of the 15B99 warhead (the trajectory peak at an altitude of about 4000 km, the range of 4500 km), the operation of all service systems of the warhead in normal mode, the correctness of the adopted technical solutions was confirmed.

10 missiles were assigned for flight tests. In connection with successful launches and the fulfillment of the assigned tasks, the State Commission found it possible to be satisfied with seven launches.

During the tests of the "Perimeter" system, real launches of 15A14, 15A16, 15A35 missiles were carried out from combat facilities according to orders transmitted by the SSG 15B99 in flight. Previously, additional antennas were mounted on the launchers of these missiles and new receiving devices were installed. Subsequently, all launchers and command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces underwent these modifications.

Launcher 15P716 - mine, automated, highly protected, type "OS".

Along with flight tests, a ground test of the operability of the entire complex was carried out under the influence of damaging factors nuclear explosion at the test site of the Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, in the testing laboratories of VNIIEF (Arzamas), at nuclear test site New Earth. The tests carried out confirmed the operability of the CS and SGS equipment at levels of nuclear explosion exposure exceeding those specified in the MO TTT.
Even during flight tests, a government decree set the task of expanding the functions solved by the command missile complex, bringing combat orders not only to the objects of the Strategic Missile Forces, but also strategic missile submarines, long-range and naval missile-carrying aircraft at airfields and in the air, points management of the Strategic Missile Forces, Air Force and Navy.

LCTs of the command rocket were completed in March 1982. In January 1985 the complex was put on combat duty. For more than 10 years, the command missile complex has been successfully fulfilling its mission. important role in the defense of the state.

System components:

Command posts of the system:
Apparently, they are structures similar to the standard missile bunkers of the Strategic Missile Forces. They contain the control equipment and communication systems necessary to ensure the operation of the system. Presumably integrated with launchers command missiles, however, most likely, they are separated by a fairly large distance to ensure better survivability of the system.

Command Missiles:

Command missile 15A11 of the Perimeter system. The only widely known component of the complex. They are part of the 15P011 command missile complex and have the index 15A11, developed by Yuzhnoye Design Bureau on the basis of 15A16 missiles (MR UR-100U). Equipped with a special warhead 15B99, containing a radio command system developed by the LPI Design Bureau, designed to guarantee the delivery of combat orders from the central command post to all command posts and launchers under the influence of nuclear explosions and active electronic countermeasures, when flying warheads on the passive part of the trajectory. The technical operation of the missiles is identical to the operation of the base rocket 15A16. Launcher 15P716 - mine, automated, highly protected, type OS, most likely - a modernized OS-84 launcher. The possibility of basing missiles in other types of launch silos is not ruled out.

The development of a command missile was started by the TTT of the Ministry of Defense in 1974. Flight design tests were carried out at NIIP-5 (Baikonur) from 1979 to 1986. A total of 7 launches were carried out (6 successful, 1 partially successful). The mass of the warhead 15B99 is 1412 kg.
Receiving devices:
They ensure the receipt of orders and codes by the components of the nuclear triad from command missiles in flight. They are equipped with all launchers of the Strategic Missile Forces, all SSBNs and strategic bombers. Presumably, the receiving devices are hardware-connected to the control and launch equipment, providing autonomous execution of the launch order.

Autonomous control command system:

The mythical component of the system is a key element of the Doomsday Machine, the existence of which is not known. Some supporters of the existence of such a system believe that this is a complex expert system, equipped with many communication systems and sensors that control the combat situation. This system presumably monitors the presence and intensity of communications on the air at military frequencies, the receipt of telemetry signals from the Strategic Missile Forces posts, the level of radiation on the surface and in the vicinity, the regular occurrence of point sources of powerful ionizing and electromagnetic radiation along key coordinates, coinciding with the sources of short-term seismic disturbances in earth's crust(which corresponds to the picture of multiple ground nuclear strikes), and, possibly, the presence of living people at the command post. Based on the correlation of these factors, the system probably makes the final decision on the need for a retaliatory strike.

Another proposed variant of the system's operation is that upon receiving information about the first signs of a missile attack, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief switches the system into combat mode. After that, if within a certain time the command post of the system does not receive a signal to stop the combat algorithm, then command missiles are launched.

System location:

The automated system "Perimeter" is installed in the area of ​​Mount Kosvinsky Kamen (Urals). According to Blair, "American strategists consider him the main decoration of the crown Russian system combat nuclear command, since from here it is possible to maintain communication through the granite thickness with Russian long-range strategic aviation using a VLF radio signal (3.0 - 30.0 kHz), capable of propagating even in a nuclear war. This bunker is a critical link in the doomsday machine's communications network, designed to provide semi-automatic retaliation in response to a decapitation strike."

Operation and system status:

After being put on combat duty, the complex worked and was periodically used during command and staff exercises. The 15P011 command missile system with the 15A11 missile (based on the MR UR-100) was on combat duty until June 1995, when, under the START-1 agreement, the complex was removed from combat duty. According to other sources, this happened on September 1, 1995, when in the 7th missile division(Vypolzovo village) was removed from duty and disbanded the 510th missile regiment, armed with command missiles. This event coincided with the completion of the withdrawal from combat strength Strategic Missile Forces of the MR UR-100 missiles and the process of re-equipping the 7th RD with the Topol mobile ground-based missile system that began in December 1994.

In December 1990, a regiment (commander Colonel S. I. Arzamastsev) with a modernized command missile system, called "Perimeter-RC", which includes a command missile, created on the basis of the ICBM RT-2PM "Topol".

There is also evidence that earlier the Perimeter system, along with 15A11 missiles, included command missiles based on the Pioneer IRBM. Such a mobile complex with "pioneer" command missiles was called "Gorn". Complex index - 15P656, missiles - 15ZH56. At least one division is known Missile troops strategic purpose, which was armed with the Gorn complex - the 249th missile regiment, stationed in the city of Polotsk, Vitebsk region of the 32nd missile division (Postavy), from March-April 1986 to 1988 was on combat duty with a mobile command missile complex.

Organizations involved in the production of components and maintenance of the complex are experiencing funding difficulties. There is a high turnover of staff, resulting in a drop in the qualifications of staff. Despite this, the leadership of the Russian Federation has repeatedly assured foreign states that there is no risk of accidental or unauthorized missile launches.
In the Western press, the name “Dead hand” was assigned to the system.

In Japan, military experts dubbed this system as the "Coffin Hand".

According to Wired magazine in 2009, the Perimeter system is operational and ready to strike back.

In December 2011, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Lieutenant General Sergei Karakaev, stated that the Perimeter system exists and is on alert.

Operators:

Russia (The system is currently active).

P/S. An excerpt from an interview given by the Commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Lieutenant General Sergei Viktorovich Karakaev: http://www.kp.ru/daily/25805/2785953/

WHY RUSSIA "DEAD HAND"?
KP: - At one time in our and foreign press there were publications about the "Perimeter" system, which existed in the USSR. And in 2009, the American magazine Wirett told its readers that this system was functioning and still alive. This is the rocket that, if everything is gone, takes off and gives the command to all the other rockets. And they automatically take off and hit the right targets. The "dead hand" in the West is called this system.
Sergei Karakaev: - And you don't eat your bread in vain! Yes, the Perimeter system exists today. She is on combat duty. And when the need arises for a retaliatory strike, when there is no way to bring a signal to some part of the launchers, this command can come from these missiles from the Perimeter ...
KP: - There was a very interesting remark by Putin at a meeting with the Valdai Club. There, someone says to him: "You can destroy the United States in about half an hour." And Putin thought and thought and answered: “Actually, faster” ...
Sergei Karakaev: - I will answer briefly: Vladimir Vladimirovich is right. But I believe that today neither Russia nor the United States are going to destroy each other.

System "Perimeter" (index URV Strategic Missile Forces: 15E601) - complex automatic control massive retaliatory nuclear strike, created in the USSR at the height of the Cold War.

"Our strategic nuclear forces (SNF) are configured in such a way as to threaten Russian nuclear and economic facilities. Even at the moment when we are negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin, we're targeting his Kremlin office. This is the truth of life." - Joseph Cirincione, Director of the Nonproliferation Project nuclear weapons at the Carnegie Endowment for international world. December 2001

The Perimeter system (URV Strategic Missile Forces index: 15E601) is a complex for automatic control of a massive retaliatory nuclear strike, created in the USSR at the height of the Cold War. Designed to guarantee the launch of silo ICBMs and SLBMs in the event that, as a result of a devastating nuclear strike on the territory of the USSR, all the command units of the Strategic Missile Forces capable of issuing an order for a retaliatory strike are destroyed.

The system is a backup communication system used in the event of the destruction of the Kazbek command system and the combat control systems of the Strategic Missile Forces, Navy and Air Force.

The Perimeter system, with its main Dead Hand component, was put into service in 1983. The first information about it became known in the West only in the early 1990s, when some of the developers of this system moved there. On October 8, 1993, the newspaper " The New York Times published an article by its columnist Bruce Blair "The Russian Doomsday Machine", in which for the first time information about the control system of the Russian missile forces appeared in the open press.

At the same time, for the first time, she announced the top-secret name - "Perimeter", and in English language a new concept was introduced - "dead hand" ("dead hand"). Some in the West called the Perimeter system immoral, but at the same time, even its most vehement critics were forced to admit that it is, in fact, the only deterrent that gives real guarantees that a potential adversary will refuse to launch a preventive nuclear strike. .

Possible operating principle

There is no reliable information about the 15E601 "Perimeter" system, however, according to indirect data, it can be assumed that this is a complex expert system equipped with many communication systems and sensors. Probably, the system has the following principle of operation.

"Perimeter" is on constant combat duty, it receives data from tracking systems, including from early warning radars about a missile attack. Apparently, the system has its own independent command posts, in no way (outwardly) indistinguishable from many similar points of the Strategic Missile Forces. According to some reports, there are 4 such points, they are spaced a long distance and duplicate each other's functions.

At these points, the most important and most secret component of the "Perimeter" operates - an autonomous control and command system. It is believed that this is a complex software package created on the basis of artificial intelligence. Receiving data, she is able to draw conclusions about the fact of a massive nuclear attack.

The system tracks:

The presence and intensity of negotiations on the air on military frequencies,

Information from the Missile Attack Warning System (SPRN),

Receiving telemetry signals from the posts of the Strategic Missile Forces,

The level of radiation on the surface and in the vicinity,

Regular occurrence of point sources of powerful ionizing and electromagnetic radiation along key coordinates, coinciding with the sources of short-term seismic disturbances in the earth's crust (which corresponds to the pattern of multiple ground-based nuclear strikes),

Presence of live people at the checkpoint, etc.

In peacetime, "Perimeter" is in a calm state - one might say, "dozes" - without ceasing, however, to analyze the incoming information. When switching to combat mode or receiving an alarm signal from early warning systems, strategic missile forces and other systems, monitoring of the sensor network is launched to detect signs of nuclear explosions.

If the "situation is ripe", the system itself is transferred to a state of full combat readiness. Before running the retaliatory strike algorithm, the Perimeter checks for four conditions. First, whether there was a nuclear attack. Then the presence of communication with the General Staff is checked - if there is a connection, the system is turned off.

If the General Staff does not answer, "Perimeter" requests "Kazbek" (known thanks to the subscriber complex "Cheget" or "nuclear suitcase"). If they are silent there too, artificial intelligence transfers the right to make a decision to any person who is in command bunker. And only after that it starts to work.

Command missiles 15A11 are released from the mines. Created on the basis of the MR UR-100 intercontinental missiles (launch weight 71 tons, flight range up to 11 thousand km, two stages, liquid-propellant engine), they carry a special warhead. In itself, it is harmless: it is a radio engineering system developed at the St. Petersburg Polytechnic. These missiles, rising high into the atmosphere, flying over the territory of the country, broadcast launch codes for all nuclear missile weapons.

Another proposed variant of the system's operation - when receiving information about the first signs of a missile attack from the early warning system, the first persons of the state could put the system into combat mode. After that, if within a certain time the CP of the system does not receive a signal to stop the combat algorithm, then the procedure for delivering a retaliatory nuclear strike is initialized. Thus, the possibility of making a decision on a retaliatory strike in the event of a false alarm was completely excluded and it was guaranteed that even the destruction of everyone who had the authority to issue a launch command would not be able to prevent a nuclear retaliatory strike.

About the Perimeter missile

In the early 1970s, the capabilities of electronic suppression by the enemy of the combat control systems of the Strategic Missile Forces increased significantly. The task of guaranteed communication of combat orders from the highest levels of command to command posts and individual launchers of strategic missiles has become topical. To solve it, it was proposed to use (in addition to the existing communication channels) a special command missile equipped with a powerful radio transmitting device, which, after launch, would give commands to launch all missiles on combat duty.

In December 1975 in Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, a draft design of a command missile based on the MR-UR100 ICBM was completed. The control system that ensured the flight of the warhead along a trajectory with a peak at an altitude of about 4000 km was subjected to refinement. at a range of 4500 km. Later, the MR-UR-100 UTTKh missile was used, which received the index 15A11.

The rocket was equipped with a special warhead (SGM), which had the index 15B99, which included a radio engineering system developed by the OKB LPI. The SHS during the flight had to have a certain orientation in space, for which an orientation and stabilization system using compressed gas was developed.

At the same time, the experience of developing engines for the Mayak SPG was used, which significantly reduced the cost and development time. The manufacture of SGCh 15B99 was organized at NPO Strela in Orenburg.

In 1979 flight design tests (LKI) of the command rocket began. At NIIP-5, on sites 176 and 181, two experimental mine launchers were put into operation. In addition, a command post was created at site 71, equipped with newly developed combat control equipment. The first launch of the 15A11 rocket with the equivalent of a transmitter was successfully carried out on December 26, 1979. 10 missiles were assigned for flight tests.

In connection with the successful launches and the fulfillment of the assigned tasks, the State Commission considered it possible to be satisfied with seven launches. During the tests of the "Perimeter" system, real launches of 15A14, 15A16, 15A35 missiles were carried out from combat facilities according to orders transmitted by the SSG 15B99 in flight. Previously, additional antennas were mounted on the launchers of these missiles and new receiving devices were installed (subsequently, all launchers and command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces underwent these modifications).

Along with flight tests, a ground test of the complex's performance under the influence of damaging factors of a nuclear explosion was carried out. The tests carried out confirmed the operability of the SU and SGS equipment under the influence of a nuclear explosion. During flight tests, a government decree set the task of placing the receiving devices of the Perimeter system on missile submarines, on long-range bombers at air force and navy control points.

LCTs of the command rocket were completed in March 1982. Total launches during LCI: successful - 6, partially successful - 1. In January 1985. the missile was put on combat duty in the silo "OS" 15P716. Under the START-1 agreement in June 1995. The command missile complex was removed from combat duty.

There is also evidence that earlier the Perimeter system, along with 15A11 missiles, included command missiles based on the Pioneer IRBM. Such a mobile complex with "pioneer" command missiles was called "Gorn". Complex index - 15P656, missiles - 15ZH56. It is known about at least one division of the Strategic Missile Forces, which was armed with the Gorn complex - the 249th missile regiment, stationed in the city of Polotsk, Vitebsk region of the 32nd missile division (Postavy), from March-April 1986 to 1988 was on combat duty with a mobile complex of command missiles.

In December 1990, in the 8th Missile Division (Yurya), a regiment (commander - Colonel S. I. Arzamastsev) took up combat duty with a modernized command missile system, called "Perimeter-RTs", which includes a command missile , created on the basis of the RT-2PM Topol ICBM.

The START I Treaty expired on December 5, 2009. By this time, the war had already passed on 08.08.08 and Russia had completely lost its illusions about the friendliness of the West. It's time to think about protecting your country and citizens. It is not known for certain, however, according to a number of signs, it can be assumed that the "Perimeter" and "Perimeter-RTs" escaped the fate of being cut and these complexes were again put on combat duty.

Year 2012. Russia updated the doomsday system - New satellite communications will improve performance

On November 15, 2012(!) Russian Aerospace Defense Forces (VKO) successfully launched the Meridian communications satellite into orbit, which will support the regular operation of the Unified Satellite Communications System (ESSS) of the Armed Forces. The Ministry of Defense explained to Izvestia why the current launch from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region is remarkable.

This is a network of communication nodes, transmitting stations and computer terminals that provide stable, noise-proof and closed communication with any point the globe. They are the ones who signal combat use of all strategic nuclear forces,” the interlocutor said.

According to him, the system remains the most guarded secret of Russia, and a special department is responsible for its work in the Ministry of Defense. The source declined to say on what principles the signal is being sent to intercontinental ballistic missiles(ICBM), strategic bombers and submarines with nuclear missiles, which make up the nuclear triad.

"Meridian" (index GUKOS - 14F112) - a series of Russian dual-purpose communications satellites developed by JSC "ISS" by order of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Status: In operation

Total built - 7
Total launched - 7
In working order - 4
Accidents in orbit - 1
Lost - 2
First launch - 12/24/2006
Last run - 10/30/2014

Year 2015. "Dead hand" of the future - Russia announced the development of nuclear forces as the main priority of 2015

Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General of the Army Valery Gerasimov, said that the main priority for the development of the country's Armed Forces next year would be the development of strategic nuclear forces. Experts note that the military should focus not on creating new missiles, but on improving the Dead Hand automatic control system, as well as on creating high-precision non-nuclear weapons.

"The main priority (for 2015), of course, is the state and development of strategic nuclear forces," General Valery Gerasimov said in an interview with RIA Novosti. Earlier, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the military would purchase more than 50 intercontinental strategic missiles in 2015, and two Borey project strategic missile carriers armed with 20 Bulava intercontinental missiles would take up combat duty. At the same time, four new regiments will be formed in the Strategic Missile Forces - 12 missiles (presumably Yars) in each.

According to retired captain of the first rank Konstantin Sivkov, President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, the priority of developing nuclear forces means developing the entire complex that ensures the production and use of nuclear weapons.

“We are talking about maintaining the required level of combat readiness of strategic nuclear forces. This means that the combat strength of Russia's strategic nuclear forces and their command and control system must ensure the use of a guaranteed retaliatory strike that causes damage unacceptable to the enemy in any situation. And this is a whole range of measures,” Sivkov says.

To do this, there is an automatic launch complex. nuclear missile weapons in the event of an attack on Russian territory. It was created back in the USSR and received the name "Dead Hand" in the West.

Perimeter system(Index URV Strategic Missile Forces - 15E601, nicknamed in the West "Dead Hand", and in the East "Hand from the Coffin") - a control system for strategic missile forces - Strategic Missile Forces. In the documents, she received the name "Perimeter". The system involved the creation of such technical means and software that would make it possible, under any conditions, even the most unfavorable, to bring the order to launch missiles directly to the launch teams. As conceived by the creators of the Perimeter, the system could prepare and launch missiles even if everyone died and there would be no one to give the order. This component has become informally called "Dead Hand or Hand from the Coffin."

How the system works:

The logic of the "Dead Hand" involved the regular collection and processing of a huge amount of information. From all kinds of sensors received a variety of information. For example, about the state of communication lines with a higher command post: there is a connection - there is no connection. About the radiation situation in the surrounding area: the normal level of radiation is an increased level of radiation. About the presence of people at the starting position: there are people - there are no people. About registered nuclear explosions and so on and so forth.
The "dead hand" had the ability to analyze changes in the military and political situation in the world - the system evaluated the commands received over a certain period of time, and on this basis could conclude that something was wrong in the world. When the system believed that its time had come, it activated and launched a command to prepare for the launch of the rockets.
Moreover, the "Dead Hand" could not begin active operations in peacetime. Even if there was no communication, even if the entire combat crew left the starting position, there were still a lot of other parameters that would block the system.

After the order received from the highest levels of control of the Strategic Missile Forces to a special command post, the command missile 15P011 with a special warhead 15B99 is launched, which in flight transmits launch commands to all launchers and command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces with appropriate receivers.

System concept:

The system is designed to guarantee the launch of silo ICBMs and SLBMs in the event that, as a result of an enemy devastating nuclear strike on the territory of the USSR, all the command units of the Strategic Missile Forces capable of issuing an order for a retaliatory strike are destroyed. The system is the only doomsday machine (weapon of guaranteed retaliation) in existence in the world, the existence of which has been officially confirmed. The system is still classified and may be on alert to this day, so any information about it cannot be confirmed as unambiguously reliable or refuted, and must be viewed with a proper degree of skepticism.

At its core, the Perimeter system is an alternative command system for all branches of the armed forces armed with nuclear warheads. It was created as a backup system, in case the key nodes of the Kazbek command system and the communication lines of the Strategic Missile Forces were destroyed by the first strike, in accordance with the concept of Limited Nuclear War developed in the United States. To ensure the guaranteed fulfillment of its role, the system was originally designed as fully automatic and, in the event of a massive attack, is able to make a decision on a retaliatory strike on its own, without (or with minimal participation) a person. The existence of such a system in the West is called immoral, but it is in fact the only deterrent that gives real guarantees that a potential adversary will abandon the concept of a crushing preventive strike.

History of creation:

The development of a special command missile system, called "Perimeter", was set by Yuzhnoye Design Bureau by Decree of the Government of the USSR N695-227 of August 30, 1974. Initially, it was supposed to use the MR-UR100 (15A15) missile as the base missile, later they settled on the MR missile -UR100 UTTH (15A16). The rocket, modified in terms of the control system, received the index 15A11.

In December 1975, a preliminary design of a command rocket was completed. A special warhead was installed on the rocket, which had the index 15B99, which included the original radio engineering system developed by the OKB LPI. To ensure the conditions for its functioning, the warhead during the flight had to have a constant orientation in space. A special system for its calming, orientation and stabilization was developed using cold compressed gas (taking into account the experience of developing a propulsion system for the Mayak SHS), which significantly reduced the cost and time of its creation and development. The production of SGCh 15B99 was organized at NPO Strela in Orenburg.

After ground testing of new technical solutions in 1979, LCT of the command rocket began. At NIIP-5, and sites 176 and 181, two experimental mine launchers were put into operation. In addition, a special command post was created at site 71, equipped with newly developed unique combat control equipment to ensure remote control and launch of a command missile on orders from the highest command and control levels of the Strategic Missile Forces. A shielded anechoic chamber equipped with equipment for autonomous testing of the radio transmitter was built at a special technical position in the assembly building.

Flight tests of the 15A11 rocket (see layout diagram) were carried out under the leadership of the State Commission, headed by Lieutenant General V.V. Korobushin, First Deputy Chief of the Main Staff of the Strategic Missile Forces.

The first launch of the command rocket 15A11 with the equivalent of a transmitter was successfully carried out on December 26, 1979. The developed complex algorithms for interfacing all systems involved in the launch were tested, the possibility of providing the rocket with a given flight path of the 15B99 warhead (trajectory apex at an altitude of about 4000 km, range 4500 km), operation of all service systems of the MS in the normal mode, the correctness of the adopted technical solutions was confirmed.

10 missiles were assigned for flight tests. In connection with the successful launches and the fulfillment of the assigned tasks, the State Commission considered it possible to be satisfied with seven launches.

During the tests of the "Perimeter" system, real launches of 15A14, 15A16, 15A35 missiles were carried out from combat facilities according to orders transmitted by the SSG 15B99 in flight. Previously, additional antennas were mounted on the launchers of these missiles and new receiving devices were installed. Subsequently, all launchers and command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces underwent these modifications.

Along with flight tests, ground testing of the performance of the entire complex was carried out under the influence of damaging factors of a nuclear explosion at the test site of the Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, at the testing laboratories of VNIIEF (Arzamas), at the Novaya Zemlya nuclear test site. The tests carried out confirmed the operability of the CS and SGS equipment at levels of nuclear explosion exposure exceeding those specified in the MO TTT.

Even during flight tests, a government decree set the task of expanding the functions solved by the command missile complex, bringing combat orders not only to the objects of the Strategic Missile Forces, but also strategic missile submarines, long-range and naval missile-carrying aircraft at airfields and in the air, points management of the Strategic Missile Forces, Air Force and Navy.

LCI command missiles were completed in March 1982. In January 1985, the complex was put on combat duty. For more than 10 years, the command missile complex has successfully fulfilled its important role in the defense capability of the state.

System components:

Command posts of the system:

Apparently, they are structures similar to the standard missile bunkers of the Strategic Missile Forces. They contain the control equipment and communication systems necessary to ensure the operation of the system. Presumably integrated with the command missile launchers, however, most likely they are spaced quite a distance to ensure better survivability of the system.

Command Missiles:

Command missile 15A11 of the Perimeter system. The only widely known component of the complex. They are part of the 15P011 command missile complex and have the index 15A11, developed by Yuzhnoye Design Bureau on the basis of 15A16 missiles (MR UR-100U). Equipped with a special warhead 15B99, containing a radio command system developed by the LPI Design Bureau, designed to guarantee the delivery of combat orders from the central command post to all command posts and launchers under the influence of nuclear explosions and active electronic countermeasures, when flying warheads on the passive part of the trajectory. The technical operation of the missiles is identical to the operation of the base rocket 15A16. Launcher 15P716 - mine, automated, highly protected, OS type, most likely - a modernized OS-84 launcher. The possibility of basing missiles in other types of launch silos is not ruled out.

The development of a command missile was started by the TTT of the Ministry of Defense in 1974. Flight design tests were carried out at NIIP-5 (Baikonur) from 1979 to 1986. A total of 7 launches were carried out (6 successful, 1 partially successful). The mass of the warhead 15B99 is 1412 kg.

Receiving devices:

They ensure the receipt of orders and codes by the components of the nuclear triad from command missiles in flight. They are equipped with all launchers of the Strategic Missile Forces, all SSBNs and strategic bombers. Presumably, the receiving devices are hardware-connected to the control and launch equipment, providing autonomous execution of the launch order.

Autonomous control and command system:

The mythical component of the system is a key element of the Doomsday Machine, the existence of which there is no reliable information. Some supporters of the existence of such a system believe that this is a complex expert system, equipped with many communication systems and sensors that control the combat situation. This system presumably monitors the presence and intensity of communications on the air at military frequencies, the receipt of telemetry signals from the Strategic Missile Forces posts, the level of radiation on the surface and in the vicinity, the regular occurrence of point sources of powerful ionizing and electromagnetic radiation at key coordinates, coinciding with sources of short-term seismic disturbances. in the earth's crust (which corresponds to the pattern of multiple ground-based nuclear strikes), and, possibly, the presence of living people at the command post. Based on the correlation of these factors, the system probably makes the final decision on the need for a retaliatory strike.

Another proposed variant of the system's operation is that upon receiving information about the first signs of a missile attack, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief puts the system into combat mode. After that, if within a certain time the command post of the system does not receive a signal to stop the combat algorithm, then command missiles are launched.

System location:

The automated system "Perimeter" is installed in the area of ​​Mount Kosvinsky Kamen (Urals). According to Blair, “American strategists consider it the main decoration of the crown of the Russian nuclear combat command system, since from here it is possible to communicate through the granite thickness with Russian long-range strategic aviation using a VLF radio signal (3.0 - 30.0 kHz) that can propagate even in a nuclear war. This bunker is a critical link in the doomsday machine's communications network, designed to provide semi-automatic retaliation in response to a decapitation strike."

Operation and system status:

After being put on combat duty, the complex worked and was periodically used during command and staff exercises. The 15P011 command missile system with the 15A11 missile (based on the MR UR-100) was on combat duty until June 1995, when, under the START-1 agreement, the complex was removed from combat duty. According to other sources, this happened on September 1, 1995, when the 510th missile regiment armed with command missiles was taken off duty and disbanded in the 7th missile division (vypolzovo village). This event coincided with the completion of the withdrawal of the MR UR-100 missiles from the Strategic Missile Forces and the process of re-equipping the 7th RD with the Topol mobile ground-based missile system that began in December 1994.

In December 1990, in the 8th Missile Division (Yurya), a regiment (commander - Colonel S. I. Arzamastsev) took up combat duty with a modernized command missile system, called "Perimeter-RTs", which includes a command missile , created on the basis of the RT-2PM Topol ICBM.

There is also evidence that earlier the Perimeter system, along with 15A11 missiles, included command missiles based on the Pioneer IRBM. Such a mobile complex with "pioneer" command missiles was called "Gorn". Complex index - 15P656, missiles - 15ZH56. It is known about at least one unit of the Strategic Missile Forces, which was armed with the Gorn complex - the 249th missile regiment, stationed in the city of Polotsk, Vitebsk region of the 32nd missile division (Postavy), from March-April From 1986 to 1988 he was on combat duty with a mobile complex of command missiles.

Organizations involved in the production of components and maintenance of the complex are experiencing funding difficulties. There is a high turnover of staff, resulting in a drop in the qualifications of staff. Despite this, the leadership of the Russian Federation has repeatedly assured foreign states that there is no risk of accidental or unauthorized missile launches.

In the Western press, the name “Dead hand” was assigned to the system.

In Japan, military experts dubbed this system as the "Coffin Hand".

According to Wired magazine in 2009, the Perimeter system is operational and ready to strike back.

In December 2011, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Lieutenant General Sergei Karakaev, stated that the Perimeter system exists and is on alert.

Operators:

Russia (The system is currently active).

The leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense is working on improving the Dead Hand nuclear strike control system, also known as the Perimeter. The "Dead Hand" is Russia's last defense in the event of the outbreak of the Third World War, guaranteeing the complete destruction of its enemies. Analysts have called the system a "doomsday machine" and was first developed during the years of Cold War paranoia.

Dr. Bruce Blair, one of the world's leading experts in the field of nuclear weapons, told the Daily Star () that, in his opinion, this system is still in working order and even "improved". According to him, the development of the system was stimulated by the fear of a "decapitating" US nuclear strike against the leadership of the USSR.

The Dead Hand is described as a "fully automatic" system that kicks in during times of crisis. It is managed by three specialists whose task is to make sure that no one influences its work. Sensors detect nuclear explosions along the entire perimeter of Russia and the loss of communication with the command post. The system then fires a command missile that sends out signals that simultaneously activate all missiles in silos and rocket launchers.

Despite the terrifying concept, Dr. Blair, co-founder international movement for Global zero, says that the existence similar weapons actually helps reduce the risk of nuclear war. At the same time, he is concerned about the "vulnerability of the system to cyberattacks" as a problem of global security. The Dead Hand system means that the West will always have to think twice when it is tempted to launch a nuclear strike.

Context

The craziest invention of the Cold War

Not a performance, but a bomb!

What is the Russian “Status-6” capable of?

Nuclear war of the future

The Dead Hand system is believed to be housed in a deep underground bunker south of Moscow.

The system is capable of delivering strikes even in the event of the destruction of the military command and control system as a result of the first US strike. It is believed that the command missile fired by the "Dead Hand" is capable of issuing attack commands. Russian troops in any part of the world, including bombers and submarines. This means that even a tactical strike that completely destroys the highest echelon of the Russian leadership - for example, Putin - will not prevent the beginning of the apocalypse of the Third World War.

Dead Hand is also claimed to reduce the likelihood of an accidental nuclear strike by transferring control of second-strike missiles to automatic system. The fears of nuclear war have almost repeatedly turned into reality with false alarms for both Russia and the US, almost leading to Armageddon.

According to Dr. Blair, the Dead Hand is fully automatic, except that it must be activated by the General Staff during a crisis, and there is a small team to perform a small number of operations before launch. This team is not from among the high-ranking officers. She will simply follow the instructions, and therefore the human factor will not matter. Here the effect of Pavlov's dog will play a role.

It will also take the pressure off the leaders to strike back immediately. So it can reduce the risk of a false alert.

The existence of the "Dead Hand" was confirmed by the commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, Sergei Karakayev, in 2011. Blair described the system as a "legal and ethical" way to prevent nuclear war in terms of deterrence theory. He believes that Russia is handing over control of its nuclear weapons automatic system due to historical distrust of their own military. This is what "made the emphasis on automation and high-tech precautions," the specialist believes.

One gets the impression that Russia and the West are entering the era of a new cold war. The scandal surrounding the poisoning of Sergei Skripal with Novichok nerve gas deepens the confrontation. In connection with the incident, more than 100 Russian diplomats were expelled around the world, including 60 from the United States. Russia warned that this Western decision was a "mistake". Putin and the Kremlin deny any involvement in the Skripal assassination attempt and say the UK has no evidence of Russia's involvement in the case. Russia has announced military exercises. The crisis looks set to continue as the world waits for Putin's "final decision" on how to respond to Western actions.

The materials of InoSMI contain only assessments of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the editors of InoSMI.

Silence after us

The unofficial motto of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces

On August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb "Kid" with a capacity of 21 kilotons of TNT was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Since then, human history has begun new era. And for more than seventy years now, we have been constantly living under the fear of a global catastrophe that can not only erase our species from the face of the Earth, but also to turn the entire planet into a lifeless radioactive ball.

Since the beginning of the nuclear age, the world has been on the edge of the abyss many times, and only a miracle has kept us from falling into it. At the same time, it should be recognized that the presence of nuclear weapons has become the most reliable means of deterrence - without it, the Cold War, no doubt, would have rolled into the Third World War ...

And although the era of the Great Confrontation between East and West is long behind, the situation has not changed fundamentally - a full-scale war between the leading nuclear powers impossible even today, because there will be no winners in it ...

This status quo is maintained not only thanks to the nuclear parity that exists between Russia and the United States, but also to other creepy tools that our country inherited from the time of cold war.

The Perimeter system is the perfect weapon of retaliation

In the 80s, the Soviet Union developed an unprecedented control system strategic forces- "Perimeter". In the West, she received the designation Dead Hand, which means "Dead Hand". In fact, this is a parallel, redundant control system nuclear forces country, dispersed, hidden and well protected.

However, even this is not the main thing: the Perimeter system is capable of operating automatically when communication with the country's leadership is lost or the first persons of the state have already turned into radioactive ashes. In this case, the Perimeter system gives the command to launch all the remaining carriers of nuclear weapons and avenges its burnt cities and command posts...

According to the developers of Perimeter, there is no reliable and guaranteed way to disable this system, since it was designed to perform its tasks in the very heat of a nuclear war.

In fact, the "Perimeter" is an ideal retaliation weapon that guarantees the aggressor a retaliatory strike even in the event of a sudden attack. At the same time, it should be noted that the leadership of the country, command posts and communication centers of the Strategic Missile Forces are the highest priority target in the event of a nuclear Armageddon.

The Perimeter system is still in service Russian army. Information about the principles of its operation and the main elements is one of the main military secrets of our country, therefore, in open access only the most general information is found. In 2011, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Lieutenant General Karakaev, told reporters that the Perimeter system was on alert and capable of performing its functions at any time.

The world learned about the existence of the "Dead Hand" after the collapse of the Soviet Union, in the early 90s, from the designers who left for the West. There, this system was immediately dubbed the “Doomsday Machine” and called inhuman. True, at the same time, critics forgot about the American analogue of the Soviet "Perimeter", as well as the fact that, probably, similar systems are operated in the USA today.

For many years, almost nothing was heard about the "Perimeter", but in Lately"Dead Hand" began to appear more and more often in the Russian media. Like, only this system does not allow the American hawks to unleash the Third World War. And here, most likely, there is a typical transfer own desires opponent. For it seems extremely unlikely that today anyone in the well-fed and prosperous West would want to unleash a large-scale nuclear Armageddon.

History of the Doomsday Machine

Speaking about the control of nuclear weapons, we usually imagine a red button, well, or, at worst, a “nuclear briefcase”. However, at the dawn of the atomic age, immediately after the appearance of the first intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), communication between high command and personnel directly carrying out the launch was much simpler. It was based on special packages that had to be opened after receiving the code word. And they transmitted it by conventional radio or wired communication. In the USSR, the first control system for nuclear forces was called "Monolith".

Vladimir Yarynich, one of the developers of Perimeter in the future, and in the 60s an ordinary rocket scientist, described in detail the shortcomings of this system. According to him, during the announcement of the training alert, the officer was so nervous that his hands were trembling, and for a long time he could not open the envelope with scissors. The problem was noticed, and the package was provided with a special fastener. This "know-how" saved as much as 18 seconds ...

However, the main drawback of the "Monolith" was clearly not the design of the secret package. The overall speed of the system was unsatisfactory, the security of communication lines also left much to be desired. In addition, with the scheme of work through sealed packages, the given order could no longer be canceled ...

But the weakest link of the "Monolith" was the man who had to directly carry out the order. It turned out that the entire Soviet nuclear power depended on a few officers pressing the "red buttons" in the missile silos. Moreover, they were better than others aware of the consequences of a nuclear war. Everyone could ask themselves a question: if half of the world has already been destroyed, then why incinerate the other?

And it must be said that the prospect of using nuclear weapons horrified not only the rocket scientists. In 1972, the Soviet military presented to Kosygin and Brezhnev their calculations of the consequences of a massive American nuclear strike on the USSR. They were stunning: 80 million dead immediately after the attack, the complete destruction of industry and the armed forces. After reading the report, the Secretary General, who himself had once gone through the war, was shocked. Then a training launch of three ballistic missiles was organized for Brezhnev. Those present at the same time recalled that Leonid Ilyich's hands trembled before pressing the button, and he asked several times whether the rockets were really training ones. Ten years later, Ronald Reagan found himself in a similar situation. The US military took him to a special bunker and showed him a model of a possible nuclear war. The President had not yet had time to finish his coffee when Washington was destroyed. And it took Soviet missiles less than half an hour to completely wipe the United States off the face of the Earth. According to the memoirs of advisers, Reagan was amazed that with one nod of his head he could incinerate tens of millions of people.

The Caribbean crisis clearly showed all the shortcomings of the Monolith, and therefore in 1967 it was replaced by the Signal system, which had more speed and security. And more importantly, now the given order could be canceled. "Signal" did not use packages; instead, 13 pre-programmed commands were introduced, which were transmitted to direct performers.

Later, the Signal system was modernized several times. Its latest version, "Signal-A", put into service in 1985, allowed the leadership of the Strategic Missile Forces to remotely change the targets of missiles in the mines. This took 10 to 15 seconds. That is, the development of the nuclear weapons control system proceeded by maximizing its automation and reducing the influence of the human factor on its operation. At the same time, the first Soviet "nuclear suitcase" - "Cheget" was created.

In the 70s, the development of a backup system began, which, in addition to the insurance of the main channel, was supposed to solve one more the most important task– ensure system protection against false alarms. It was these works that subsequently led to the emergence of the Perimeter control system.

How "Dead Hand" was created

By the end of the 1960s, the rapid development of means electronic warfare jeopardized the transfer of orders from the top leadership of the country and the armed forces to the command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces and individual launchers.

In 1973, the United States put forward the concept of a "decapitating strike", according to which, in the event of a full-scale nuclear conflict with the USSR, the first strike should be delivered at command posts and communication centers using medium and short-range missiles, as well as cruise missiles stationed in Europe. In this case, due to the gain in flight time, the leadership of the Soviet Union would be destroyed even before it decides on a massive retaliatory strike on US territory.

This became a serious challenge for the USSR, which certainly had to be answered. The idea was proposed to use a special command missile to control nuclear forces, in which a powerful radio transmitter was installed instead of a warhead. Its launch was supposed to take place automatically in the event of the destruction of command posts.

Work on the creation of a command rocket was entrusted to the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, they began in 1974, after the relevant government decree. The ICBM UR-100UTTH was taken as the basis. The project was very large-scale - dozens of enterprises, institutes and research centers of the Soviet Union took part in it.

In 1979, flight design tests of the rocket began. In addition, a special command post was built, on which new control equipment was installed. In total, 10 tests of the command missile were carried out, during which, on her orders, real launches of various types of ICBMs were carried out. At the same time, the operation of the complex was tested under the influence of damaging factors of nuclear weapons. Even during the tests, the designers were given the task of expanding the capabilities of the Perimeter so that it could convey orders to missile-carrying submarine cruisers, strategic aircraft, as well as naval and air force command posts.

Flight tests of the rocket were completed in 1982, and in 1985 the system was put into service. The first comprehensive test of the system was carried out during the large-scale exercises "Shield-82".

In 1990, the modernized Perimeter-RTs complex was adopted, in which the command missile was created on the basis of the Topol ICBM.

Until 1995, "Perimeter" was on alert, periodically taking part in various exercises. Then, as part of the obligations under the START-1 agreement, the system was removed from duty. However, it expired in 2009. In 2011, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces Karakaev confirmed to journalists that Perimeter exists and is on alert.

What is the "Perimeter"

We do not know too much about the elements of the Perimeter system, and it is possible that some of the information available is misinformation, specially disseminated to hide the truth. This complex includes:

• command post (or posts);
• rockets to transmit orders;
• receiving devices;
• autonomous control and computer complex.

The command posts of the Perimeter system are probably similar to conventional command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces. They are equipped with communication systems and equipment necessary to launch command missiles. The Grotto object, which is located in the Kosvinsky stone mountain range in the Urals, is most often called such a CP. It is not known how many such sites exist, and how integrated they are with command missile launchers.

The Command Missile is the best-known component of the Perimeter. Initially, it was developed on the basis of the UR-100 ICBM, however, there is information that there were also command missiles based on the Pioneer IRBM, and in the late 80s, Topol was “adapted” for this task. The command rocket has a powerful radio transmitter, through which the command "Launch!" all ballistic missiles that survived the first enemy strike.

receiving devices. They ensure the receipt of an order from a command missile, respectively, all launch silos and command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces, missile submarines and strategic aircraft should be equipped with them. However, nothing is known about their structure and principles of operation.

The autonomous command system is without a doubt the most mysterious and interesting part of the Perimeter. There is no official or at least some reliable data about her. Many do not believe in its existence at all. The main debate is whether there is a so-called Doomsday Machine - a kind of supercomputer based on artificial intelligence - that is capable of itself, without human intervention, to make a decision on the use of nuclear weapons.

How Dead Hand works

There are two hypotheses regarding the principles of operation of the "Perimeter". According to the first of them, during the period of international aggravation, which theoretically could end in a nuclear war, the head of state - he is also his commander in chief - puts the system into combat mode. If before a certain moment"Perimeter" will not be "off" again, then it will initiate the launch of command missiles, which, in turn, will launch the scenario of the Third World War.

Such a scheme resembles the work of a bomb with a timer, which can only be turned off by one person.

The second version assumes that Perimeter has some kind of powerful electronic analytical center capable of receiving information, processing it, and then making independent decisions regarding the use of nuclear weapons. In addition, according to this hypothesis, the system has a large number of sensors that collect and transmit information to the analytical center.

By measuring the level of electromagnetic radiation, the radioactive background, seismic activity, fixing the level and intensity of negotiations on military frequencies, as well as analyzing data from the SPNR, the system determines whether an enemy nuclear attack has occurred. Also, the presence of communication with the top leadership of the country and the command centers of the Strategic Missile Forces is constantly checked. If the data on the massed nuclear strike are confirmed, but there is no connection with the leadership, then the system itself gives the command to use nuclear weapons.

This hypothesis raises a lot of questions and has many opponents. One of the main functions of any system for the use of nuclear weapons is protection against unauthorized operation. Therefore, rocket launches are still carried out manually. This is too serious a matter, and people here don't trust computers too much.

Vladimir Yarynich, already mentioned above, in an interview with Wired journalists, said that the Perimeter system can really determine whether a blow was struck on the territory of the country. Then she tries to contact the General Staff and only if it is impossible to do this transfers the right to launch a nuclear weapon to anyone who at that moment is nearby in a secret and especially protected bunker. That is, the final decision is still made by a person ...

By the way, Yarynich himself considered "Perimeter" the best insurance against the use of nuclear weapons in the event of a false alarm. Having received information about the massive launch of enemy missiles, the highest person in the state can simply put the "Perimeter" into combat mode, knowing that even if the entire leadership of the country is destroyed, the aggressor will not escape retribution.

During the Cold War, the Americans were not even aware of the "Perimeter", which can be called very strange. Soviet leadership it was necessary to trumpet the existence of such a system, because the mere mention of it would serve as deterrence much better than any new missiles or nuclear-powered missile carriers. Probably, the military was afraid that, having learned about the existence of the system, the Americans would be able to find a weak link in it. One way or another, but the first information about the "Perimeter" began to appear in the Western press only after the collapse of the USSR.