Laser tank compression. The Ministry of Defense will receive a lightsaber
In the late 70s – early 80s of the 20th century, the entire world “democratic” community was dreaming under the euphoria of Hollywood “ Star Wars" At the same time, behind the Iron Curtain, under the canopy of the strictest secrecy, the Soviet “evil empire” was little by little turning Hollywood dreams into reality. Soviet cosmonauts flew into space armed with laser pistols - “blasters”, battle stations and space fighters were designed, and Soviet “laser tanks” crawled across Mother Earth.
One of the organizations involved in the development of combat laser systems was NPO Astrophysics. General Director“Astrophysicists” was Igor Viktorovich Ptitsyn, and the General Designer was Nikolai Dmitrievich Ustinov, the son of that same all-powerful member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee and, concurrently, the Minister of Defense - Dmitry Fedorovich Ustinov. Having such a powerful patron, Astrophysics experienced virtually no problems with resources: financial, material, personnel. This did not take long to affect itself - already in 1982, almost four years after the reorganization of the Central Clinical Hospital into an NGO and the appointment of N.D. Ustinov's general designer (before that he headed the laser ranging department at the Central Design Bureau) was
SLK 1K11 "Stiletto".
The task of the laser complex was to provide countermeasures to optical-electronic battlefield surveillance and control systems in the harsh climatic and operational conditions imposed on armored vehicles. The co-executor of the chassis theme was the Uraltransmash design bureau from Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) - the leading developer of almost all (with rare exceptions) Soviet self-propelled artillery.
Under the leadership of the General Designer of Uraltransmash, Yuri Vasilievich Tomashov (the director of the plant was then Gennady Andreevich Studenok), the laser system was mounted on a well-tested GMZ chassis - product 118, which traces its “pedigree” to the chassis of product 123 (Krug air defense missile system) and product 105 (self-propelled gun SU-100P). Uraltransmash produced two slightly different machines. The differences were due to the fact that in the order of experience and experiments, the laser systems were not the same. Combat characteristics complex were outstanding at that time, and they still meet the requirements for conducting defensive-tactical operations. For the creation of the complex, the developers were awarded the Lenin and State Prizes.
As mentioned above, the Stiletto complex was put into service, but for a number of reasons was not mass-produced. Two prototypes remained in single copies. Nevertheless, their appearance, even in conditions of terrible, total Soviet secrecy, did not go unnoticed by American intelligence. In a series of drawings depicting the latest designs equipment of the Soviet Army presented to Congress to “knock out” additional funds for the US Department of Defense included the very recognizable “Stiletto”.
Formally, this complex is in service to this day. However, for a long time nothing was known about the fate of the experimental machines. At the end of the tests, they turned out to be virtually useless to anyone. The whirlwind of the collapse of the USSR scattered them across the post-Soviet space and reduced them to the state of scrap metal. Thus, one of the vehicles in the late 1990s - early 2000s was identified by amateur historians of BTTs for disposal in the sump of the 61st BTRZ near St. Petersburg. The second, a decade later, was also discovered by BTT connoisseurs at a tank repair plant in Kharkov (see http://photofile.ru/users/acselcombat/96472135/). In both cases, the laser systems from the machines had long since been removed. The “St. Petersburg” car only retained its body; the “Kharkov” “cart” is in better condition. At present, enthusiasts, in agreement with the management of the plant, are attempting to preserve it with the goal of subsequent “museumification.” Unfortunately, the “St. Petersburg” car has apparently been disposed of by now: “We don’t keep what we have, but when we lose it we cry...”
The best share fell to another, undoubtedly unique device, jointly produced by Astrophysics and Uraltrasmash. As a development of the “Stiletto” ideas, the new SLK 1K17 “Compression” was designed and built. It was a new generation complex with automatic search and targeting of a multichannel laser (solid-state laser on aluminum oxide Al2O3) at a glare object, in which a small part of aluminum atoms is replaced by trivalent chromium ions, or simply on a ruby crystal. To create population inversion, optical pumping is used, that is, illuminating a ruby crystal with a powerful flash of light. The ruby is shaped into a cylindrical rod, the ends of which are carefully polished, silvered, and serve as mirrors for the laser. To illuminate the ruby rod, pulsed xenon gas-discharge flash lamps are used, through which batteries of high-voltage capacitors are discharged. The flash lamp is shaped like a spiral tube that wraps around a ruby rod. Under the influence of a powerful pulse of light, an inverse population is created in the ruby rod and, thanks to the presence of mirrors, laser generation is excited, the duration of which is slightly less than the flash duration of the pump lamp. An artificial crystal weighing about 30 kg was grown especially for “Compression” - a “laser gun” in this sense cost a pretty penny. The new installation required large quantity energy. To power it, powerful generators were used, driven by an autonomous auxiliary power plant(APU).
As a base for the heavier complex, the chassis of the latest at that time self-propelled gun 2S19 "Msta-S" (product 316). To accommodate a large amount of power and electron-optical equipment, the Msta conning tower was significantly increased in length. The APU is located in its stern. In front, instead of the barrel, an optical unit was placed, including 15 lenses. The system of precision lenses and mirrors was covered with protective armor covers in field conditions. This unit had the ability to point vertically. In the middle part of the cabin there were workplaces for operators. For self-defense, an anti-aircraft machine gun mount with a 12.7 mm NSVT machine gun was installed on the roof.
The vehicle body was assembled at Uraltransmash in December 1990. In 1991, the complex, which received the military index 1K17, entered testing and was put into service the following year, 1992. As before, the work on creating the Compression complex was highly appreciated by the Government of the country: a group of Astrophysics employees and co-executors were awarded the State Prize. In the field of lasers, we were then ahead of the whole world by at least 10 years.
However, at this point Nikolai Dmitrievich Ustinov’s “star” began to decline. The collapse of the USSR and the fall of the CPSU overthrew the former authorities. In the context of a collapsed economy, many defense programs have undergone serious revision. “Compression” did not escape this fate either - the prohibitive cost of the complex, despite advanced, breakthrough technologies and good results, forced the leadership of the Ministry of Defense to doubt its effectiveness. The super-secret “laser gun” remained unclaimed. The only copy was hidden behind high fences for a long time, until, unexpectedly for everyone, in 2010 it miraculously ended up in the exhibition of the Military Technical Museum, which is located in the village of Ivanovskoye near Moscow. We must pay tribute and thank the people who managed to pull this most valuable exhibit out from under the stamp of complete secrecy and made this unique car public domain - a clear example advanced Soviet science and engineering, witness to our forgotten victories.
The top-secret machine (many of the technologies used in it are still classified as secret) was designed to counter the enemy's optical-electronic devices. Its development was carried out by employees of NPO Astrophysics and the Sverdlovsk plant Uraltransmash. The former were responsible for the technical content, the latter had the task of adapting the platform of the then-newest self-propelled gun 2S19 "Msta-S" to the impressive size of the SLK turret.
The Compression laser system is multi-band - it consists of 12 optical channels, each of which has an individual guidance system. This design practically negates the enemy’s chances of defending against a laser attack using a light filter that can block a beam of a certain frequency. That is, if the radiation came from one or two channels, then the commander of an enemy helicopter or tank, using a light filter, could block the “dazzle.” It is almost impossible to counteract 12 rays of different wavelengths.
In addition to the “combat” optical lenses located in the upper and lower rows of the module, the aiming system lenses are located in the middle. On the right is the probing laser and the receiving channel of the automatic guidance system. Left - day and night optical sights. Moreover, for operation in the dark, the installation was equipped with laser illuminator-rangefinders.
To protect the optics during the march, the frontal part of the SLK turret was covered with armored shields.
As the publication Popular Mechanics notes, at one time a rumor was spread about a 30-kilogram ruby crystal specially grown for use in the Compression laser. In reality, 1K17 used a laser with a solid working fluid with fluorescent pump lamps. They are quite compact and have proven their reliability, including in foreign installations.
Most likely, the working fluid in the Soviet SLC could have been yttrium aluminum garnet doped with neodymium ions - the so-called YAG laser.
Generation in it occurs with a wavelength of 1064 nm - radiation in the infrared range, in complex weather conditions less susceptible to scattering compared to visible light.
A YAG laser in pulsed mode can develop impressive power. Thanks to this, on a nonlinear crystal it is possible to obtain pulses with a wavelength two, three, four times shorter than the original one. This is how multi-band radiation is formed.
By the way, the tower laser tank was significantly increased compared to the basic one for the 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled gun. In addition to optical-electronic equipment, powerful generators and an autonomous auxiliary power unit to power them are located in the rear part. In the middle part of the cabin there are operator workplaces.
The rate of fire of the Soviet SLK remains unknown, since there is no information about the time required to charge the capacitors that provide the pulse discharge to the lamps.
By the way, along with its main task - disabling the enemy’s electronic optics - the SLK 1K17 could be used for targeted guidance and designation of targets in conditions of poor visibility for “friendly” equipment.
“Compression” was a development of two earlier versions of self-propelled laser systems that had been developed in the USSR since the 1970s.
Thus, in 1982, the first SLK 1K11 “Stiletto” was put into service, the potential targets of which were optical-electronic equipment for tanks, self-propelled artillery units and low-flying helicopters. After detection, the installation performed laser probing of the object, trying to find the optical systems using glare lenses. Then the SLK hit them with a powerful impulse, blinding or even burning out the photocell, light-sensitive matrix or retina of the aiming soldier. The laser was aimed horizontally by rotating the tower, and vertically - using a system of precisely positioned large mirrors. The 1K11 system was based on the chassis of the Sverdlovsk Uraltransmash tracked minelayer. Only two machines were manufactured - the laser part was being finalized.
A year later, the Sanguin SLK was put into service, differing from its predecessor in its simplified target guidance system, which had a positive effect on the lethality of the weapon. However, a more important innovation was the increased mobility of the laser in the vertical plane, since this SLK was intended to destroy optical-electronic systems of air targets. During testing, Sanguin demonstrated the ability to consistently detect and engage helicopter optical systems at a distance of more than 10 kilometers. At close distances (up to 8 kilometers), the installation completely disabled the enemy’s sights, and at extreme ranges it blinded them for tens of minutes.
The complex was installed on an anti-aircraft chassis self-propelled gun"Shilka". A low-power probing laser and a receiving device for the guidance system, which records reflections of the probe beam from a glare object, were also mounted on the tower.
By the way, in 1986, based on the developments of Sanguin, the shipborne laser complex Aquilon was created. It had an advantage over the ground-based SLC in power and rate of fire, since its operation was ensured by the warship's energy system. "Aquilon" was intended to disable the optical-electronic systems of the enemy coast guard.
Development stories laser weapons in the USSR there were a lot of legends and speculations. Starting from its supposedly first use in the conflict with the PRC in 1969 and ending with the fantastic laser superweapon on the platform of the A-60 aircraft. Against this background, somehow little is said about real work enterprise of NPO “Astrophysics”, which since 1979 has created several full-fledged laser complexes “Stilet”, “Sangvin”, “Aquilon”, “Compression”.
An uninitiated person, seeing these machines, will certainly call them “laser tanks.” After all, outwardly this is what it is: a tracked chassis from a tank or self-propelled artillery complex, a rotating block of laser weapons instead of the usual guns. One “but”: the “laser tanks” of the Soviet Empire did not burn the advancing enemy as in Hollywood comics and could not do this, since their main purpose was “counteracting the optical-electronic surveillance systems of a potential enemy” and “controlling weapons on the battlefield.” True, it later turned out that enemy weapon operators did lose their eyes when they were hit by laser radiation (or could have lost them, because history is silent about the specific results of the tests). This is confirmed by the Chinese, who already in the early 2000s managed to introduce a number of our 25-year-old developments on one of their types of armored vehicles. Politely keeping silent about how many of their comrades were left without sight, pretending to be a potential enemy in an exercise...
So, the development of this type of weapons in the USSR began in the 1970s. In 1979, the first laser complex 1K11 “Stilet” was born on a special seven-roller chassis, developed on the basis of the SU-100P self-propelled gun with a 400-horsepower V-54-105 engine. To provide power to the laser, a second 400 hp engine was installed in the engine compartment. Additional armament is a 7.62 mm machine gun. According to various sources, only 2 of these vehicles were produced, which were adopted by the Soviet army. It is quite possible that there were a little more of them, but after the collapse of the USSR they found the remains of exactly two Stilettos with dismantled weapons.
Complex 1K11 "Stiletto". USSR, 1979.
In 1983, another self-propelled laser complex appeared from NPO Astrophysics, this time on the ZSU-23-4 Shilka platform, the SLK Sanguin. It used the “Shot Resolution System” (SRV) and provided direct guidance of a combat laser (without large-sized guidance mirrors) to the optical-electronic system of a complex target. In addition to the combat laser, the turret was equipped with a low-power probing laser and a guidance system receiving device that recorded reflections of the probe beam from a glare object. The complex made it possible to solve the problems of selection of a real optical-electronic system on a mobile helicopter and its functional damage, at a distance of more than 10 km - blinding of the optical-electronic system for tens of minutes, at a distance of less than 8-10 km - irreversible destruction of optical receiving devices. Despite its outstanding characteristics, the Sanguine was allegedly not mass-produced. There is no way to verify this official statement.
Complex "Sangvin". USSR, 1983.
In 1984, NPO Astrophysics delivered another combat laser complex to the customer, this time for Navy, "Aquilon". The system was intended to destroy the optical-electronic systems of the enemy coast guard. This complex was mounted on a large landing ship of Project 770 converted into “Experimental Vessel-90” (OS-90). The first firing began in the same year, the test results are not fully known. Perhaps another naval project of a combat laser based on the converted bulk carrier Dixon (1978-1985), which was started earlier, left its negative mark here. An attempt to create a combat laser led to extremely high costs, an abundance of technical problems and became the source of numerous tales back in the late USSR.
The carrier of the Aquilon laser complex is OS-90. USSR, 1984.
"Dixon" is an experimental ship for testing a combat laser. USSR, 1985.
On land, things were going very well, and by 1990, the development of the 1K17 “Compression” complex on a self-propelled chassis was completed. artillery installation"Msta-S". Created in cooperation between NPO Astrophysics and Uraltransmash, this device truly became a breakthrough for many years to come. In 1992, based on the test results, the “Compression” was adopted by the Russian Army, producing about 10 vehicles, one of which today can be seen as an exhibit at the Military Technical Museum in the Moscow Region. In 2015-2016, photographs of this complex began to appear frequently on the Internet, albeit with various obscure data about what it really is.
1K17 “Compression” had an automatic search and targeting of a glare object with the radiation of a multi-channel laser in which a small part of aluminum atoms is replaced by trivalent chromium ions (on a ruby crystal).
Museum exhibit 1K17 "Compression" built in 1990-91.
As domestic technical publications describe, an artificial ruby crystal weighing about 30 kilograms was grown especially for “Compression.” This ruby was shaped into a cylindrical rod, the ends of which were carefully polished, silvered, and served as mirrors for the laser. To illuminate the ruby rod, pulsed xenon gas-discharge flash lamps were used, through which batteries of high-voltage capacitors are discharged. The flash lamp is shaped like a spiral tube that wraps around a ruby rod. Under the influence of a powerful pulse of light, an inverse population is created in the ruby rod and, thanks to the presence of mirrors, laser generation is excited, the duration of which is slightly less than the flash duration of the pump lamp. Such a device required a lot of energy, and therefore, in addition to the main 840-horsepower V-84 engine, the vehicle was equipped with an auxiliary power unit (APU) and powerful generators.
A powerful and efficient machine had only one drawback: being ahead at that time general level technological development, it was very expensive. Considering that in the early 1990s Russia was going through the dark years of Yeltsin’s destruction of factories and sales to the West secret technologies, the project was curtailed at the stage of releasing the first military batch of 1K17 “Compression”. At the same time, the accumulated experience and knowledge could not disappear, and as soon as money began to return to the military-industrial complex in the early 2000s, work on creating new laser weapon systems resumed. Taking into account the seriously changed overall technological level: the sizes of many components have decreased, and the characteristics have increased.
In 2017, Russian specialized publications and blogs talk about the creation of MLK, a “mobile laser complex.” It is planned to be installed on the standard chassis of conventional tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and even armored personnel carriers. It is expected that this will be a compact complex that will provide reliable protection for those in order of battle motorized rifle or tank units from aircraft and enemy precision weapons. Characteristics of MLK are not yet provided.
The passion for burning among an ordinary citizen of the USSR, as a rule, was limited to a soldering iron and a couple of boards. But among the Soviet military, this hobby resulted in a number of fantastic machines that will “give a light” anywhere and to anyone. We will talk about amazing self-propelled laser systems created by the joint efforts of Moscow and Ural scientists.
1K11 "Stiletto"
In the mid-60s of the last century, the minds of designers in the country of the Soviets were captured by new idea- combat lasers, namely mobile systems that could simultaneously be used to aim ballistic missiles and to blind the electronic “eyes” of enemy equipment.
Several design bureaus puzzled over the development of such technologies, but the Moscow scientific and production association Astrophysics won the competition. The Ural Transport Engineering Plant, where Yuri Tomashov, one of the founding fathers of the country’s self-propelled artillery, then worked, was responsible for installing the chassis and on-board complex. The choice of Uraltransmash was not accidental; by that time this Ural plant was already a recognized authority in the production of self-propelled artillery.
- The general designer of this system was the son of the USSR Minister of Defense Nikolai Dmitrievich Ustinov. The machine was intended to destroy, but not everything that hits the sight: the laser beam suppresses the optical-electronic systems of enemy military equipment. Imagine glass that splits into small cracks from the inside: you can’t see anything, it’s impossible to aim. The weapon becomes "blind" and turns into a pile of metal. It is clear that a very precise aiming mechanism is needed here, which would not get lost when the vehicle moves. The task of our design bureau was to create an armored carrier capable of carrying a laser installation as carefully as a glass ball. And we managed to do it,” Yuri Tomashov said in an interview with RG.
Prototypes of the Stiletto appeared in 1982. The range of its use in battle was even wider than originally expected. None of the optical-electronic guidance systems existing at that time could withstand his “gaze.” In battle it would look something like this: a helicopter, a tank, or any other military equipment tries to take aim, and at this moment the “Stiletto” is already sending out a blinding beam, which burns out the light-sensitive elements of the enemy’s gun guidance.
Field studies have also shown that the retina of the human eye literally burns out when hit by a “projectile” from the latest laser self-propelled gun. But what about slow enemy tanks or planes: the Stiletto is capable of incapacitating even ballistic missiles, which fly at a speed of 5-6 kilometers per second. Aiming and guiding the “laser tank” is carried out either by turning the turret horizontally, or using special large-sized mirrors, the position of which can be changed.
A total of two prototypes were built. They were not allowed into mass production, but their fate is not as sad as it could have been. Despite the exclusivity of the "series", both complexes are still in service Russian army, and their combat characteristics would still make any possible enemy admire and be horrified.
SLK 1K17 "Compression"
“Compression” also owes its birth to NPO Astrophysics and Uraltransmash. As before, Muscovites were responsible for the technical component and “smart stuffing” of the complex, and Sverdlovsk residents were responsible for its driving performance and competent installation of structures.
The first and only car was released in 1990 and looked like the Stiletto, but only in appearance. In the 10 years that passed between the release of these two machines, the Astrophysics association outdid itself and completely modernized the laser system. Now it consisted of 12 optical channels, each of which had an individual and independent system guidance This innovation was made to reduce the enemy’s chances of protecting himself from a laser attack using light filters. Yes, if the radiation in “Compression” came from one or two channels, then the conditional helicopter pilot and his car could have been saved from “blindness,” but 12 laser beams of different wavelengths reduced their chances to zero.
There is a beautiful legend according to which a synthetic ruby crystal weighing 30 kilograms was grown especially for this machine. This ruby, coated with a thin layer of silver on top, played the role of a mirror for the laser. This seems unlikely to experts - even by the time the only laser machine appeared, this ruby laser would have already been obsolete. Most likely in self-propelled complex“Compression” used yttrium aluminum garnet with neodymium additives. This technology is called YAG and lasers based on it are much more powerful.
In addition to its main task - disabling the electronic optics of enemy vehicles - "Compression" could be used for targeted targeting of allied vehicles in conditions of poor visibility and difficult climatic conditions. For example, during fog, the installation can find a target and mark it for other vehicles.
KDHR-1N "Dal", SLK 1K11 "Stiletto", SLK "Sangvin"
The only produced car is in the museum of technology in the village of Ivanovskoye in the Moscow region. Alas, there was never a mass production of these two laser self-propelled guns: the collapse of the USSR and the short-sightedness of the military leadership of those years, and then the absolute lack of money, killed these brilliant technical projects in the bud.
Two variants were tested at once: “Stiletto” and the more powerful “Compression”. For this work the group was awarded the Lenin Prize. Laser self-propelled gun adopted, but, unfortunately, it never entered production. In the nineties, the complex was considered too expensive, recalls Yuri Tomashov.
In the late 70s and early 80s of the 20th century, the entire world “democratic” community was dreaming under the euphoria of Hollywood “Star Wars”. At the same time, behind the Iron Curtain, under the canopy of the strictest secrecy, the Soviet “evil empire” was little by little turning Hollywood dreams into reality. Soviet cosmonauts flew into space armed with laser pistols - “blasters”, battle stations and space fighters were designed, and Soviet “laser tanks” crawled across Mother Earth.
One of the organizations involved in the development of combat laser systems was NPO Astrophysics. The General Director of Astrophysics was Igor Viktorovich Ptitsyn, and the General Designer was Nikolai Dmitrievich Ustinov, the son of that same all-powerful member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee and, concurrently, the Minister of Defense - Dmitry Fedorovich Ustinov. Having such a powerful patron, Astrophysics experienced virtually no problems with resources: financial, material, personnel. This did not take long to affect itself - already in 1982, almost four years after the reorganization of the Central Clinical Hospital into an NGO and the appointment of N.D. Ustinov's general designer (before that he headed the laser ranging department at the Central Design Bureau) was
SLK 1K11 "Stiletto"
The task of the laser complex was to provide countermeasures to optical-electronic systems for monitoring and controlling battlefield weapons in the harsh climatic and operational conditions imposed on armored vehicles. The co-executor of the chassis theme was the Uraltransmash design bureau from Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg), the leading developer of almost all (with rare exceptions) Soviet self-propelled artillery.
Under the leadership of the General Designer of Uraltransmash, Yuri Vasilievich Tomashov (the director of the plant was then Gennady Andreevich Studenok), the laser system was mounted on a well-tested GMZ chassis - product 118, which traces its “pedigree” to the chassis of product 123 (Krug air defense missile system) and product 105 (self-propelled gun SU-100P). Uraltransmash produced two slightly different machines. The differences were due to the fact that in the order of experience and experiments, the laser systems were not the same. The combat characteristics of the complex were outstanding at that time, and they still meet the requirements for conducting defensive-tactical operations. For the creation of the complex, the developers were awarded the Lenin and State Prizes.
As mentioned above, the Stiletto complex was put into service, but for a number of reasons was not mass-produced. Two prototypes remained in single copies. Nevertheless, their appearance, even in conditions of terrible, total Soviet secrecy, did not go unnoticed by American intelligence. In a series of drawings depicting the latest models of Soviet Army equipment, presented to Congress to “knock out” additional funds for the US Department of Defense, there was a very recognizable “Stiletto”.
Formally, this complex is in service to this day. However, for a long time nothing was known about the fate of the experimental machines. At the end of the tests, they turned out to be virtually useless to anyone. The whirlwind of the collapse of the USSR scattered them across the post-Soviet space and reduced them to the state of scrap metal. Thus, one of the vehicles in the late 1990s - early 2000s was identified by amateur historians of BTTs for disposal in the sump of the 61st BTRZ near St. Petersburg. The second, a decade later, was also discovered by connoisseurs of BTT history at a tank repair plant in Kharkov. In both cases, the laser systems from the machines had long since been removed. The “St. Petersburg” car only retained its body; the “Kharkov” “cart” is in better condition. At present, enthusiasts, in agreement with the management of the plant, are attempting to preserve it with the goal of subsequent “museumification.” Unfortunately, the “St. Petersburg” car has apparently been disposed of by now: “We don’t keep what we have, but when we lose it we cry...”
This is how the Soviet laser complex was imagined in the West. Drawing from the magazine “Soviet Military Power”
The best share fell to another, undoubtedly unique device, jointly produced by Astrophysics and Uraltrasmash. As a development of the “Stiletto” ideas, the new SLK 1K17 “Compression” was designed and built. It was a new generation complex with automatic search and targeting of a multichannel laser (solid-state laser on aluminum oxide Al2O3) at a glare object, in which a small part of aluminum atoms is replaced by trivalent chromium ions, or simply on a ruby crystal. To create population inversion, optical pumping is used, that is, illuminating a ruby crystal with a powerful flash of light. The ruby is shaped into a cylindrical rod, the ends of which are carefully polished, silvered, and serve as mirrors for the laser. To illuminate the ruby rod, pulsed xenon gas-discharge flash lamps are used, through which batteries of high-voltage capacitors are discharged. The flash lamp is shaped like a spiral tube that wraps around a ruby rod. Under the influence of a powerful pulse of light, an inverse population is created in the ruby rod and, thanks to the presence of mirrors, laser generation is excited, the duration of which is slightly less than the flash duration of the pump lamp. An artificial crystal weighing about 30 kg was grown especially for “Compression” - a “laser gun” in this sense cost a pretty penny. The new installation also required a lot of energy. To power it, powerful generators were used, driven by an autonomous auxiliary power unit (APU).
The chassis of the then-newest self-propelled gun 2S19 “Msta-S” (product 316) was used as a base for the heavier complex. To accommodate a large amount of power and electron-optical equipment, the Msta conning tower was significantly increased in length. The APU is located in its stern. In front, instead of the barrel, an optical unit was placed, including 15 lenses. System of precision lenses and mirrors in hiking
conditions, it was closed with protective armor covers. This unit had the ability to point vertically. In the middle part of the cabin there were workplaces for operators. For self-defense, an anti-aircraft machine gun mount with a 12.7 mm NSVT machine gun was installed on the roof.
The vehicle body was assembled at Uraltransmash in December 1990. In 1991, the complex, which received the military index 1K17, entered testing and was put into service the following year, 1992. As before, the work on creating the Compression complex was highly appreciated by the Government of the country: a group of Astrophysics employees and co-executors were awarded the State Prize. In the field of lasers, we were then ahead of the whole world by at least 10 years.
However, at this point Nikolai Dmitrievich Ustinov’s “star” began to decline. The collapse of the USSR and the fall of the CPSU overthrew the former authorities. In the context of a collapsed economy, many defense programs have undergone serious revision. “Compression” did not escape this fate either - the prohibitive cost of the complex, despite advanced, breakthrough technologies and good results, forced the leadership of the Ministry of Defense to doubt its effectiveness. The super-secret “laser gun” remained unclaimed. The only copy was hidden behind high fences for a long time, until, unexpectedly for everyone, in 2010 it miraculously ended up in the exhibition of the Military Technical Museum, which is located in the village of Ivanovskoye near Moscow. We must pay tribute and thank the people who managed to pull this most valuable exhibit out of top secrecy and made this unique machine public knowledge - a clear example of advanced Soviet science and engineering, a witness to our forgotten victories.
