Perimeter system of a dead hand. System “Perimeter”, or “Dead Hand”. System command posts

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On August 6, 1945, the Little One atomic bomb with a yield of 21 kilotons of TNT was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Since then, a new era has begun in the history of mankind. And for more than seventy years now, we have been constantly living under the fear of a global catastrophe, which could not only wipe out our species from the face of the Earth, but also turn the entire planet into a lifeless radioactive ball.

Since the beginning of the nuclear age, the world has been on the brink of the abyss many times, and only a miracle prevented 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 them, the Cold War, without a doubt, would have slipped into the Third World War... And although the era of the Great Confrontation between East and West is long behind us, fundamentally the situation has remained virtually unchanged - a full-scale war between the leading nuclear powers

is 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 terrible instruments that our country inherited from the Cold War.

The Perimeter system is the ideal weapon of retaliation

In the 80s, the Soviet Union developed an unprecedented system for managing strategic forces - “Perimeter”. In the West, it received the designation Dead Hand, which means “Dead Hand”. In essence, this is a parallel, redundant system for controlling the country's nuclear forces, dispersed, hidden and well protected.

However, this is not even the main thing: the Perimeter system is capable of operating in automatic mode when communication with the country’s leadership is lost or the top officials of the state have already turned into radioactive ash. In this case, the Perimeter system gives the command to launch all remaining nuclear weapons carriers and takes revenge for its burned 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 carry out its tasks in the thick of it.

nuclear war Essentially, "Perimeter" is retaliation, guaranteeing the aggressor a retaliatory strike even in the event of a surprise attack. It should be noted that the country's leadership, command posts and communications centers of the Strategic Missile Forces are the highest priority targets in the event of the outbreak of nuclear Armageddon.

The Perimeter system is still in service Russian army. Information about the principles of its operation and main elements is one of the main military secrets of our country, therefore only the most general data is publicly available. In 2011, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Lieutenant General Karakaev, told reporters that the Perimeter system was on combat duty and was 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 designers who left for the West. There, this system was immediately dubbed the “Doomsday Machine” and called inhumane. True, at the same time, critics forgot about the American analogue of the Soviet “Perimeter”, as well as the fact that similar systems are probably in use in the USA today.

For many years almost nothing was heard about Perimeter, but in Lately“The Dead Hand” began to appear more and more often in Russian media. They say that only this system prevents American hawks from starting World War III. 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

When talking about controlling nuclear weapons, we usually imagine a red button, or, at worst, a “nuclear suitcase.” However, at the dawn of the atomic age, just after the first intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), communication between high command and launch personnel was much simpler. It was based on special packages that had to be opened after receiving the code word. And it was transmitted via regular radio or wire communication. In the USSR, the first nuclear forces control system was called “Monolith”.

Vladimir Yarynich, in the future one of the developers of Perimeter, 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 shaking, and for a long time he could not open the envelope with scissors. The problem was noticed and the bag was equipped with a special clasp. 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, and the security of communication lines also left much to be desired. In addition, with the scheme of working through sealed packages, the order given could no longer be canceled...

But the weakest link of the Monolith was the person who had to directly carry out the order. It turned out that all Soviet nuclear power depended on a few officers pressing the “red buttons” in missile bunkers. Moreover, they understood the consequences of a nuclear war better than others. Everyone could ask themselves the 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 terrified not only the rocket scientists. In 1972, the Soviet military presented Kosygin and Brezhnev with their calculations of the consequences of a massive American nuclear strike on the USSR. They were staggering: 80 million dead immediately after the attack, the complete destruction of industry and the military. After reading the report, the Secretary General, who himself had once gone through a war, was shocked. Then a training launch of three ballistic missiles was organized for Brezhnev. Those present recalled that Leonid Ilyich’s hands were shaking before pressing the button, and he asked several times whether the missiles were really training missiles. Ten years later, Ronald Reagan found himself in a similar situation. The American military took him to a special bunker and showed him a model of the possible outbreak of a nuclear war. The President had not yet finished his coffee when Washington was destroyed. And in order to completely wipe the USA off the face of the Earth, Soviet missiles it took less than half an hour. According to the recollections of advisers, Reagan was amazed that with one nod of his head he could incinerate tens of millions of people.

The Cuban missile crisis clearly showed all the shortcomings of the Monolith, and therefore in 1967 it was replaced by the Signal system, which had greater speed and security. And more importantly, now the order given could be canceled. “Signal” did not use packets; instead, 13 pre-programmed commands were introduced, which were transmitted to the 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 located in silos. This took from 10 to 15 seconds. That is, the development of the nuclear weapons control system proceeded through its maximum 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 insuring the main channel, was supposed to solve another the most important task– ensure the system is protected from 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 60s, the rapid development of means electronic warfare jeopardized the transmission 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 “decapitation strike,” according to which, in the event of a full-scale nuclear conflict with the USSR, the first strike should be delivered to command posts and communications 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 have been destroyed even before it made a decision on a massive retaliatory strike on US territory.

This became a serious challenge for the USSR, to which an answer certainly had to be found. The idea was proposed to use a special command missile to control nuclear forces, which had a powerful radio transmitter installed instead of a warhead. Its launch was supposed to occur 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; it began in 1974, after the relevant government decree. The UR-100UTTH ICBM 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 development tests of the rocket began. In addition, a special command post was built, on which new control equipment was installed. A total of 10 tests of the command rocket were carried out, during which real launches were carried out on its orders different types ICBM. At the same time, the operation of the complex was tested under conditions of exposure to damaging factors of nuclear weapons. Even during testing, the designers were tasked with expanding the capabilities of the Perimeter so that it could convey orders to missile-carrying submarines, strategic aircraft, as well as Navy and Air Force control centers.

Flight testing of the missile was 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 exercise “Shield-82”.

In 1990, the modernized Perimeter-RC complex was put into service, in which the command missile was created on the basis of the Topol ICBM.

Until 1995, “Perimeter” was on combat duty, 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 combat duty.

What does Perimeter consist of?

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

• command post (or posts);
• rockets for transmitting orders;
• receiving devices;
• autonomous control and computing complex.

The command posts of the Perimeter system are probably similar to conventional command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces. They are equipped with communications systems and equipment necessary to launch command missiles. The “Grotto” object, which is located in the Kosvinsky Kamen mountain range in the Urals, is most often referred to as such a control point. It is unknown how many such points exist, and how integrated they are with the command missile launchers.

The Command Missile is the most famous component of the Perimeter. It was initially developed on the basis of the UR-100 ICBM, but there is information that there were also command missiles based on the Pioneer IRBM, and in the late 80s the Topol was “adapted” to perform this task. The command rocket has a powerful radio transmitter through which the order “Launch!” is given. all ballistic missiles that survived the first enemy strike.

Receiving devices. They ensure that orders are received from the command missile; accordingly, all launch silos and command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces, missile-carrying submarines and strategic aircraft must be equipped with them. However, nothing is known about their structure and operating principles.

The autonomous command system is, without a doubt, the most mysterious and interesting part"Perimeter". There is no official or at least any reliable data about it. Many people don’t believe in its existence at all. The main debate is about whether there is a so-called Doomsday Machine - a kind of supercomputer based on artificial intelligence - which is capable of making a decision on the use of nuclear weapons itself, without human intervention.

How does Dead Hand work?

There are two hypotheses regarding the operating principles of Perimeter. According to the first of them, during a period of international aggravation, which theoretically could end in a nuclear war, the head of state - who is also its commander in chief - transfers the system to combat mode. If up to a certain point “Perimeter” is not “turned off” again, then it will initiate the launch of command missiles, which, in turn, will launch the scenario of the Third World War.

This scheme is reminiscent of the operation 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. Moreover, 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, radioactive background, seismic activity, recording the level and intensity of negotiations on military frequencies, and also analyzing data from the SPNR, the system determines whether an enemy nuclear attack has occurred. It also constantly checks whether there is a connection with senior management countries and command centers of the Strategic Missile Forces. If data about a massive nuclear strike is confirmed, but there is no communication with the leadership, then the system itself gives the command to use nuclear weapons.

Such a hypothesis raises a lot of questions and has many opponents. One of the main functions of any nuclear weapon systems is protection against unauthorized activation. 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 actually determine whether a strike was struck on the territory of the country. Then she tries to contact the General Staff and only if this is impossible, she transfers the right to launch nuclear weapons to anyone who is nearby in a secret and specially protected bunker at that moment. That is, the final decision is still made by the 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 a massive launch of enemy missiles, the highest official of the state can simply switch the Perimeter into combat mode, knowing that even after destroying the entire leadership of the country, the aggressor will not avoid retaliation.

During the Cold War, Americans were not even aware of the Perimeter, which can be called very strange. The Soviet leadership needed 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-carrying ships. 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, the first information about “Perimeter” began to appear in the Western press only after the collapse of the USSR.

Russia has 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.

Imagine the worst possible scenario. The world, teetering on the very brink of war, collapsed. The patience of the “Western democracies” was exhausted, and a pre-emptive nuclear strike was launched on the territory of the Soviet Union. Deadly missiles were launched from silo launchers, submarines and aircraft. The full power of many thousands of warheads fell on cities and military installations. And while the Soviet leadership, in shock and panic, was figuring out what had happened, whether it was a mistake, and how to correct the situation, there was nothing left to correct. Major cities, industrial and military centers, control and communications centers were destroyed in a single massive strike. The powerful nuclear arsenal of the USSR simply did not have time to be used: the command did not come, and in the absence of a leadership center, the dangerous rival is blind, mute and motionless.

But at the very moment when NATO generals raise their glasses of victory, something unimaginable happens. The enemy, who had been silent for what seemed like forever, seemed to come to life. Thousands of missiles rushed towards Western countries - and before the generals had time to finish off a bottle of champagne, many of them, having broken through with such efforts, built missile defense, wiped off the face of the earth big cities, military bases, command centers. Nobody won.

This is how the “Perimeter” system worked, which received the chilling name “Dead Hand” in the Western press, the last argument of the Soviet (and now Russian) state. Despite the large number and variety of “machines” invented by science fiction writers doomsday"(Doomsday Machines), guaranteeing retribution to any enemy and capable of reaching and guaranteed to destroy him, only "Perimeter" apparently really exists.

However, “Perimeter” is a system kept in such strict secrecy that there are some doubts about its existence, and all information about its composition and functions should be taken with a great deal of doubt. So what do we know?

The Perimeter system launches an automatic massive nuclear strike. It guarantees the launch of submarine-, air- and silo-based ballistic missiles in the event that the enemy destroys ALL points capable of ordering a retaliatory attack. It is completely independent from other means of communication and command systems, even from the notorious “ nuclear briefcase» Kazbek system.

The system was put on combat duty in 1985, and five years later it was modernized, received the name “Perimeter-RC” and served for another 5 years. Then, as part of the START-1 agreement, she was removed from duty - and her current condition is unknown. According to some sources, it may be “turned on” again after START-1 expires (this happened already in December 2009), and according to others, it has already been returned to its current state.

This is how the system is believed to work. “Perimeter” is on constant combat duty; it receives data from tracking systems, including early warning radars for missile attacks. Apparently, the system has its own independent command posts, which are 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 separated over a long distance and duplicate each other’s functions.

At these points, the most important - and most secret - component of the Perimeter, the autonomous control and command system, operates. It is believed that this is a complex software system created on the basis of artificial intelligence. By receiving data on communications on the air, the radiation field and other radiation at control points, information from early detection systems for launches, seismic activity, it is able to draw conclusions about the fact of a massive nuclear attack.

If “the situation is ripe,” the system itself is transferred to a state of full combat readiness. Now she needs one last factor: the absence of regular signals from the usual command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces. If signals have not been received for some time, “Perimeter” triggers the Apocalypse.

15A11 command missiles are released from the silos. Based on intercontinental missiles MR UR-100 (launch weight 71 tons, flight range up to 11 thousand km, two stages, liquid-propellant jet 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 and flying over the territory of the country, broadcast launch codes for all nuclear missile weapons.

They also act automatically. Imagine a submarine standing at the pier: almost the entire crew on the shore has already died, and only a few confused submariners on board. Suddenly she comes to life. Without any outside intervention, having received a launch signal from strictly secret receiving devices, the nuclear arsenal begins to move. The same thing happens in immobilized silo installations and in strategic aviation. A retaliatory strike is inevitable: it is probably unnecessary to add that the Perimeter is designed to be especially resistant to all damaging factors of nuclear weapons. It is almost impossible to reliably disable it.

Russia has updated its "doomsday" system

On November 15, the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces (VKO) successfully launched the Meridian communications satellite into orbit, which will support normal operation Unified system satellite communications (ESSS) of the Armed Forces. This connection is a backup channel of the so-called “Doomsday” system. The Ministry of Defense explained to Izvestia what is remarkable about the current launch from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in the Astrakhan region.

- “Judgment Day” is for the public, but for specialists it is another name, classified. This is a network of communication nodes, transmitting stations and computer terminals that provide stable, noise-proof and closed communication with any point globe. They are the ones who give the signal combat use all strategic nuclear forces,” the source said.

According to him, the system remains Russia’s best-kept secret, and the Ministry of Defense is responsible for its operation special department. The source refused to say on what principles the signal is sent to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), strategic bombers and submarines with nuclear missiles, which make up the nuclear triad.

"Doomsday" is part of the main task of the global system. In general, it provides closed communication throughout the Earth in a normal, non-emergency mode. Its creation began back in the 1970s. An officer of the Aerospace Defense Command shared with Izvestia that the ESSS consists of two subsystems - in geostationary and highly elliptical orbits. On the first, the satellite seems to hover over a certain area, combining its own speed and the speed of rotation of the Earth; on the second, it moves along a parabola with the highest point in the Northern Hemisphere.

We simply call the geostationary orbit stationary, and the highly elliptical orbit – mobile,” explained the interlocutor in the East Kazakhstan region.

According to his information, the stationary subsystem consists of about a dozen Raduga satellites. All of them hang over the territory of Russia, but without mobile add-ons they cannot fully fulfill the tasks of the ESSS. The fact is that in high latitudes it is more difficult to “hang” a geostationary satellite than at the equator, and above the North Pole, where the Earth’s axis of rotation passes, it is generally impossible to hold them. This is where mobile satellites are needed, those same “Meridians”.

The problem is that such a satellite does not hang, but moves, and its operating time is limited. To maintain continuous communication, the satellites must follow each other at intervals of six to seven hours, with their ecliptic plane rotated 90 degrees to each other, says an aerospace defense officer.

Before Meridians, the mobile subsystem consisted of satellites of the Molniya series. In 1998, funding for the ESSC was sharply reduced, and a smooth replacement of the old series with a new one did not work out. The Meridians themselves are not ideal either. Of the five previously launched satellites, two are now operational - one was depressurized, the second did not enter orbit, and the third died at the end of last year along with the launch vehicle.

As an interlocutor in East Kazakhstan region said, the Molnii had a service life of three years, but they work longer.

With Meridians in orbit, communication has become much better. The satellite just launched will be the third, and when it becomes part of the ESSS, our mobile subsystem will work at full capacity,” he said.

The optimism of East Kazakhstan region is added by the fact that the launched Meridian entered its intended orbit on November 14 at 21.05, and at 5 am on November 15 carried out the first test data exchange. The military hopes it will take no more than a week to correct the orbit and conduct all tests. izvestia.ru/news/539706

A loud, and possibly controversial statement was made by the ex-chief of the Main Staff of the Strategic Missile Forces (1994-1996), Colonel General Viktor Esin, in an interview with the Zvezda newspaper. He believes that the Russian Perimeter automatic retaliatory nuclear strike system may be useless in the event of a military conflict. Let's analyze the situation. What's wrong?

According to Esin, after the United States withdraws from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), the Russian Perimeter system may lose its effectiveness. He stated that the system is functioning and is constantly being modernized.

“But when it works, we will have few funds left - we will be able to launch only those missiles that will survive the first strike of the aggressor,” says Yesin.

The US can achieve this if it deploys in Europe ballistic missiles medium-range weapons that violate the INF Treaty. With the help of such missiles, they will be able to destroy the bulk of Russian missile systems in the European part, and intercept the rest along the flight path using missile defense, he noted. Esin emphasized that in such conditions Russia will have to revise its military doctrine and accelerate the production of . He believes that this can be done in a short time using a three-stage rocket.

“But frankly... If the United States begins to deploy its missiles in Europe, we will have no choice but to abandon the retaliatory strike doctrine and move on to the preemptive strike doctrine,” Yesin said.

At the same time, he believes that Russia should focus on the development of hypersonic weapons, for which there are no answers in the West yet. “But the main thing, as it seems to me, will be necessary - to instantly respond to the enemy. The more formidable the weapon you have, the less likely there is to be a military conflict,” concluded Yesin.

System "Perimeter", index RVSN RVSN – 15E601, V Western Europe and the USA is known as English. Dead Hand, literally "Dead Hand"- a complex for automatic control of a massive retaliatory nuclear strike, created in the USSR.

One of the world's leading experts on nuclear weapons, Bruce Blair, said in an interview with the publication that these weapons are modern Russia is on combat duty and is being modernized. Bruce Blair believes that Perimeter, despite its "terrifying concept", helps reduce the risk of nuclear war.

“The existence of the Hand of Death means that the West will always have to think twice before succumbing to the temptation to launch a nuclear strike,” Blair said.

The Perimeter system is designed to ensure the delivery of combat orders from the highest echelons of command (the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Strategic Missile Forces Directorate) to command posts and individual launchers of strategic missiles on combat duty, in the event of an emergency when communication lines may be damaged.

The operating principle of the system is full automation. In the event of a massive attack, “Perimeter” is capable of making a decision on a retaliatory strike. This concept is a guarantee that a potential enemy will refuse to launch a preemptive strike.

The main developers of the system: Experimental Design Bureau at the Kalinin LPI (OKB "Impulse", V. I. Melnik), NPO AP (N. A. Pilyugin), KBSM (A. F. Utkin), TsKBEM (B. R. Aksyutin), MNIIRS (A. P. Bilenko), VNIIS (B. Ya. Osipov), Central Design Bureau "Geophysics" (G. F. Ignatiev), NII-4 MO (E. B. Volkov).

The first stage of implementation of the guaranteed retribution program dates back to the mid-1970s.

The main idea became the use of a special command missile, equipped with a powerful radio transmitter, giving commands to launch all missiles on combat duty on the territory of the USSR. Working on command system headed the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau (decree of the USSR government of August 30, 1974). It was in the design bureau that the name “Perimeter” arose.

To ensure that it fulfills its role, the system was initially designed to be fully automatic. In the event of a massive attack, she is able to decide on an adequate retaliatory strike independently, without the participation (or with minimal participation) of a person.

Various missiles were considered as basic ones. The MR UR-100UTTH missile (index 15A16) was considered optimal. At the end of 1975, a preliminary design was completed. After processing for the Perimeter system, the missile received the index 15A11. Instead of a warhead, a warhead was installed on it (index 15B99), which included a radio engineering system developed by OKB LPI. The production of the warhead was organized at NPO Strela in Orenburg.

In 1979, flight design tests of the command missile began 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. A total of 10 missiles were manufactured for flight testing. Tests were carried out at NIIP-5 (Baikonur) from 1979 to 1986.

The first launch of the Perimeter system rocket was successfully carried out on December 26, 1979

Due to the successful progress of the tests, the State Commission considered it possible to be satisfied with seven launches instead of the planned ten. Simultaneously with missile testing at the test site of the Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, in the laboratories of VNIIEF (Arzamas-16), as well as at the nuclear test site New Earth ground tests of the performance of the entire complex were carried out under the influence of the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion.

The tests carried out confirmed the operability of the equipment at levels of exposure to a nuclear explosion. During the tests, the functions of the complex were expanded. “Perimeter” in its improved version communicated combat orders not only to Strategic Missile Forces facilities, but also to SSBNs, long-range and naval missile-carrying aircraft at airfields and in the air, and control centers of the Strategic Missile Forces, Air Force and Navy.

The key element of Perimeter is a complex expert system equipped with many sensors that monitor the combat situation. It monitors the presence and intensity of negotiations on air on military frequencies, and the receipt of telemetry signals from Strategic Missile Forces posts.

Sensors record the level of radiation on the surface and in the surrounding area, 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 picture of multiple ground-based nuclear strikes). The presence of living people at the checkpoint is also recorded. Based on an analysis of the entire complex of factors, the system makes a final decision on a retaliatory nuclear strike.

Flight testing of the command missile was completed in March 1982. Since January 1985, the Perimeter complex has been put on combat duty

The Perimeter system, along with 15A11 missiles, also included command missiles based on the Pioneer MRBM. Such a mobile complex with command missiles was called “Gorn” (complex index - 15P656, missiles - 15Zh56). Since 1990, a modernized command missile system has been in operation, called “Perimeter-RC”, which includes a command missile created on the basis of the RT-2PM Topol ICBM.

"Perimeter" is an alternative command system for all branches of the military armed with nuclear warheads. It was created as a reserve system in case the key nodes of the Kazbek command system and the communications lines of the Strategic Missile Forces are destroyed by the first strike in accordance with the one developed in the United States.

The existence of such a system is sometimes called immoral, but it is essentially the only deterrent that provides real guarantees that a potential enemy will renounce the concept of a crushing preventive strike.

According to Vladimir Yarynich, one of the developers of the system, the system also served as insurance against the country's top leadership making a hasty decision based on unverified information. Having received a signal from the missile attack warning system, the top officials of the state activate the Perimeter system. After this, you can be sure that even the destruction of everyone who can give commands for a retaliatory attack will not prevent a retaliatory strike. This completely excluded the possibility of making a decision on a retaliatory strike in the event of a false alarm.

During the tests, a system operation scheme was worked out, which looks like this.

After an order to a special command post, a 15P011 command missile with a special 15B99 warhead is launched. In flight, it transmits launch commands to all launchers and command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces that have appropriate receivers.

The system's command posts are similar to the missile bunkers of the Strategic Missile Forces. Their communications systems are integrated with command missile launchers, but they are spaced far apart to ensure better survivability.

Since its adoption, the system has been predominantly in a dormant state. Is it currently activated? This is a state secret. But given that the threats from the United States and NATO countries are real, we can assume that the “Perimeter”, or “Dead Hand” system is maintained in a state of combat readiness and is periodically activated...

What happens after activating the Perimeter system?

It begins to monitor a network of sensors (seismic, radiation, atmospheric pressure, etc.) for signs of nuclear explosions. Before giving the command to retaliate, Perimeter checks for communication with the General Staff. If there is communication, if there is no further sign of an attack, if officials capable of ordering a counterattack are still alive, the system automatically shuts down after a period of time.

If there is no connection and all signs of a nuclear attack are detected, Perimeter launches a command for a retaliatory nuclear strike, bypassing the usual numerous authorities.

After being placed on combat duty, the complex was periodically used during command post exercises. This continued until 1995, when, as part of the START-1 agreement, the complex was removed from combat duty. In December 2011, the commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Lieutenant General Sergei Karakaev, stated that the Perimeter system was operational and on combat duty.

Today, quite a lot is written about the “Perimeter”, or “Dead Hand” system on the Internet. The topic is actively discussed not only in Western, but also in Russian in social networks. The Russians noted the importance strategic weapons for Russia - if nuclear weapons, including the Perimeter system, had not been preserved in the 1990s, the political situation in Russia could now be much worse.

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“Thank God that Yeltsin, having surrendered everything from resources to the Constitution, did not dispose of nuclear weapons,” writes social network user Inna. “In Russia’s place there would already be two dozen non-states like Ukraine instantly recognized by the West, fighting among themselves for the remains of scrap metal.”

Inna@innamyflower

If in Russia’s place there would already be two dozen non-states like Ukraine instantly recognized by the West, fighting among themselves for the remains of scrap metal.(c)

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Of course, the Russians drew attention to the concern that the guarantee of a retaliatory strike from Russia causes in the West even if the Russian Federation receives a fatal blow - why would the West be so worried if they were not considering the possibility of an attack on the Russian Federation, users ask.

“And as you wanted - you want peace, prepare for war,” Irina is sure. “That’s why they bark from afar, but are afraid to bite.”

InoTV ✔ @RT_InoTV

Daily Star: Russian “Dead Hand” will not leave the aggressor without retribution

Irina@Ivolga2015Irina

And, as you wanted, you want peace, prepare for war. That’s why they bark from afar, but are afraid to bite.

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See Irina’s other Tweets

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“Why is the West so afraid? “Perimeter” will only work in the event of an attack on Russia... - writes Dmitry. - Why should they worry? Or is there anything to do with it?”

“The modernized concept of an automated nuclear strike with the Perimeter (Dead Hand) system was called immoral in the UK,” another user drew attention to the warnings of British expert Bruce Blair. “But for some reason the Shavers don’t consider a nuclear strike on Russia immoral.”

The American magazine Wired fearfully writes: Russia has 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.

The “Perimeter” system (Strategic Missile Forces Airborne Forces Index - 15E601, nicknamed “Dead Hand” in the West, and “Hand from the Coffin” in the East) is a control system for strategic missile forces - Strategic Missile Forces. In the documents it received the name "Perimeter". The system involved the creation of such technical means and software that would make it possible, in any conditions, even the most unfavorable, to convey the order to launch missiles directly to the launch teams. According to the creators of Perimeter, the system could prepare and launch missiles even if everyone died and there was no one to give the order. This component began to be unofficially called “Dead Hand or Hand from the Coffin.”

How the system works

The logic of the Dead Hand's actions involved the regular collection and processing of a gigantic amount of information. A variety of information was received from all kinds of sensors. For example, about the state of communication lines with a higher command post: there is a connection - there is no connection. ABOUT radiation situation in the surrounding area: normal radiation level - increased 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.
"Dead Hand" had the ability to analyze changes in military and political situation in the world - the system evaluated 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 became active and launched a command to prepare for the launch of the rockets.
Moreover, the “Dead Hand” could not begin active operations in Peaceful time. 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 operation of the system.
After an order received from the highest echelons of the Strategic Missile Forces control to a special command post, the 15P011 command missile with a special 15B99 warhead is launched, which in flight transmits launch commands to all launchers and command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces that have the appropriate receivers.

System concept

The system is designed to guarantee the launch of silo-based ICBMs and SLBMs in the event that, as a result of a crushing nuclear strike by the enemy on the territory of the USSR, all command units of the Strategic Missile Forces capable of ordering a retaliatory strike are destroyed. The system is the only doomsday machine (weapon of guaranteed retribution) in existence in the world, the existence of which has been officially confirmed. The system is still classified and may still be on combat duty to this day, so any information about it cannot be confirmed as unequivocally reliable, or refuted, and should be viewed with a due degree of skepticism.

At its core, the Perimeter system is an alternative command system for all branches of the military armed with nuclear warheads. It was created as a backup system in case the key nodes of the Kazbek command system and the communications 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 initially designed as fully automatic and, in the event of a massive attack, is capable of making a decision on a retaliatory strike independently, without the participation (or with minimal participation) of a person. The existence of such a system in the West is called immoral, but it is essentially the only deterrent that provides real guarantees that a potential enemy will renounce the concept of a preventive crushing strike.

History of creation

Development of a special command missile system, called "Perimeter", was assigned by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau by USSR Government Decree N695-227 of August 30, 1974. It was initially planned to use the MR-UR100 (15A15) missile as the base missile; later they settled on the MR-UR100 UTTH (15A16) missile. The missile, modified in terms of its control system, received the index 15A11.

Command missile 15A11 of the Perimeter system

In December 1975 The preliminary design of the command rocket was completed. The rocket was equipped with a special warhead, indexed 15B99, which included an original radio engineering system developed by OKB LPI. To ensure the conditions for its functioning, the warhead had to have a constant orientation in space during flight. A special system for its calming, orientation and stabilization was developed using cold compressed gas (taking into account the experience of developing the propulsion system for the Mayak SGCh), which significantly reduced the cost and time of its creation and testing. 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, 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 according to orders coming from the highest levels of control of the Strategic Missile Forces. At a special technical position in the assembly building, a shielded anechoic chamber was built, equipped with equipment for autonomous testing of the radio transmitter.

Flight tests of the 15A11 missile (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 rocket with an equivalent transmitter was successfully carried out on December 26, 1979. The developed complex algorithms for interfacing all systems involved in the launch were tested, the ability of the missile to ensure the given flight path of the MC 15B99 (trajectory apex at an altitude of about 4000 km, range 4500 km), the operation of all service systems of the MC in normal mode, and the correctness of the adopted technical solutions was confirmed.

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

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

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

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

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

The flight tests 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 successfully fulfilled its important role in the defense capability of the state.

System components

Apparently, they are structures similar to 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 command missile launchers, however, most likely they are spaced at a fairly large distance to ensure better system survivability.

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 the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau on the basis of the 15A16 missiles (MR UR-100U). Equipped with a special warhead 15B99, containing a radio-technical command system developed by OKB LPI, designed to ensure the delivery of combat orders from the central command post to all command posts and launchers under conditions of exposure to nuclear explosions and active electronic countermeasures, when the warhead is flying on a passive part of the trajectory. The technical operation of the missiles is identical to the operation of the base 15A16 missile. Launcher 15P716 - silo, automated, highly protected, OS type, most likely a modernized OS-84 launcher. The possibility of basing missiles in other types of launch silos cannot be ruled out.

The development of a command missile began under 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 that the components of the nuclear triad receive orders and codes 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, ensuring 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 proponents of the existence of such a system believe that it is a complex expert system, equipped with many communication systems and sensors that monitor the combat situation. This system supposedly monitors the presence and intensity of conversations on air at military frequencies, the receipt of telemetry signals from Strategic Missile Forces posts, the level of radiation on the surface and in the surrounding area, 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 picture 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 option for the system to operate is when receiving information about the first signs of a missile attack Supreme Commander puts the system into combat mode. After this, if within a certain time the system command post 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 (Ural). According to Blair, “American strategists consider it the crown jewel of the Russian nuclear combat command system, since from here it can communicate through the granite mass with the Russian strategic aviation long-range 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 post exercises. The 15P011 command missile system with the 15A11 missile (based on the UR-100 MP) was on combat duty until June 1995, when, as part of 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 in the 7th missile division (Vypolzovo village) and disbanded. This event coincided with the completion of the withdrawal from combat personnel Strategic Missile Forces missiles MR UR-100 and the process of rearmament of the 7th rd with the Topol mobile ground missile system that began in December 1994.
In December 1990, in the 8th Missile Division (Yurya town), a regiment (commander - Colonel S.I. Arzamastsev) with a modernized command missile system, called “Perimeter-RTs”, which included a command missile, took up combat duty , created on the basis of the RT-2PM Topol ICBM.

There is also evidence that previously the Perimeter system, along with 15A11 missiles, included command missiles based on the Pioneer MRBM. Such a mobile complex with “pioneer” command missiles was called “Gorn”. The index of the complex is 15P656, the missiles are 15Zh56. It is known about at least one unit of the Strategic Missile Forces, which was armed with the Horn complex - the 249th Missile Regiment, stationed in the city of Polotsk, Vitebsk Region, 32nd Missile Division (Postavy), from March-April From 1986 to 1988 it was on combat duty with a mobile complex of command missiles.

Organizations involved in the production of components and maintenance complex are experiencing difficulties with financing. Staff turnover is high, resulting in a decline in staff qualifications. Despite this, the Russian leadership 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 the “Hand from the Coffin.”

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 combat duty.

P.S.

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 DOES RUSSIA HAVE A DEAD HAND?

KP:- At one time, there were publications in our and foreign press about the “Perimeter” system, which existed in the USSR. And in 2009, the American magazine Wyret told its readers that this system is functioning and is still alive. This is the rocket that, if everything is lost, takes off and gives the command to all the other rockets. And they already automatically take off and strike necessary goals. This system is called “dead hand” in the West.

Sergey Karakaev:- It’s not in vain that you eat your bread! Yes, the Perimeter system exists today. She's on combat duty. And when the need arises for a retaliatory strike, when it is not possible to reach some part of the launchers with a signal, this command can come from these missiles from the “Perimeter”...

KP:- There was a very interesting remark from Putin at a meeting with the Valdai Club. There someone tells him: “You can destroy the United States in about half an hour.” And Putin thought and thought and replied: “Actually, faster”...

Sergey Karakaev:- I’ll answer briefly: Vladimir Vladimirovich is right. But I believe that today neither Russia nor the United States are going to destroy each other.

The main deterrent to the Third World War is the presence in Russia of a system that allows it to deliver a retaliatory nuclear strike even if the command posts and communication lines of the Strategic Missile Forces are completely destroyed. It's called "Perimeter", in the USA they called it "Dead hand"

"Perimeter" is designed to automatically control a massive nuclear strike and is an alternative command system for the country's nuclear forces. The main control system for strategic missiles is called “Kazbek” - it is known for the “Cheget” subscriber complex or “nuclear suitcase”.

Our armored train

The development of a guaranteed retaliatory strike system began at the height of the Cold War, when it became clear that continuously improving electronic warfare systems would in the near future be able to block the standard control channels of strategic nuclear forces. A backup communication method was needed to ensure that commands reached the launchers.

The idea arose to use a command rocket equipped with a powerful radio transmitting device as a liaison. Flying over Soviet Union, such a missile would transmit commands to launch missiles not only to the command posts of the Strategic Missile Forces formations, but also directly to the launchers. On August 30, 1974, by closed decree of the USSR government No. 695-227, the development of the system was entrusted to the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in Dnepropetrovsk, which was engaged in the creation of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The product was taken as a basis UR-100UTTH (according to NATO classification Spanker, trotter). A special head part with a transmitter was designed at the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute, and it was manufactured by the Orenburg NPO Strela. To aim the missile in azimuth, a fully autonomous system with an automatic gyrocompass and a quantum optical gyrometer is used. It can calculate the flight direction during the process of placing the missile on combat duty and maintain it even in the event of nuclear impact on the launcher.

Flight tests began in 1979, the first launch with a transmitter was successfully carried out on December 26. The tests confirmed the successful interaction of all components of the Perimeter system, as well as the ability of the command missile head to maintain a given trajectory - its top was at an altitude of 4000 meters with a range of 4500 kilometers.

In November 1984, a command rocket launched from near Polotsk transferred command to the silo launcher ICBM RS-20 (SS-18 Satan) at Baikonur. “Satan” launched and after all stages were tested, the warhead was recorded hitting a given square at the Kamchatka Kura training ground. In January 1985, Perimeter went on combat duty. Since then, the system has been modernized more than once; modern ICBMs are now used as command missiles.

Get up, the country is huge

The basis of the system is command ballistic missiles. They fly not at the enemy, but over Russia, and instead of thermonuclear warheads, their warheads contain transmitters that send a launch command to all available combat missiles: in silos, aircraft, submarines and mobile soil complexes. They are equipped with command receivers and start. The system is fully automated, human factor in her work is excluded or minimal.

The decision to launch command missiles is made by an autonomous control and command system - a complex software system based on artificial intelligence. It receives and analyzes a lot of different information: about seismic and radiation activity, atmospheric pressure, the intensity of radio traffic on military frequencies, monitors telemetry from the Strategic Missile Forces observation posts and data from the missile attack warning system.

Having detected, for example, multiple point sources of powerful ionizing and electromagnetic radiation and compared them with data on seismic disturbances in the same coordinates, the system comes to the conclusion of a massive nuclear strike. In this case, "Perimeter" can initiate a retaliatory strike even bypassing "Kazbek".

Another option is that, having received information from the early warning system about the launch of missiles from the territory of other countries, the country's leadership switches the Perimeter to combat mode. If a shutdown command is not received after a certain time, the system will begin launching missiles. This solution allows us to eliminate the human factor and guarantee a retaliatory strike even if the command and launch crews are completely destroyed.

Four "ifs"

One of the developers of Perimeter, Vladimir Yarynich, admitted that he does not know a reliable way to disable the system. The command and control system, its sensors and missiles are designed to operate under nuclear attack conditions.

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

Before launching the retaliatory strike algorithm, Perimeter checks for the presence of four conditions. First, whether a nuclear attack occurred. Then the connection with the General Staff is checked - if there is a connection, the system is turned off. If the General Staff does not respond, “Perimeter” requests “Kazbek”. If they are silent there too, artificial intelligence delegates the right to make decisions to any person located in the command bunker. And only after that it begins to act.

NATO called the creation of a nuclear strike system operating without a human command immoral. Meanwhile, the United States also has a similar complex.