Sary Shagan
Encyclopedia
Sary Shagan is an anti-ballistic missile
Anti-ballistic missile
An anti-ballistic missile is a missile designed to counter ballistic missiles .A ballistic missile is used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads in a ballistic flight trajectory. The term "anti-ballistic missile" describes any antimissile system designed to counter...

 testing range located in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...

 at coordinates 46°23′N 72°52′E.

On 17 August 1956 the Soviet Council of Ministers authorized plans for an experimental facility for missile defense located at Sary Shagan, on the west bank of Lake Balkhash
Lake Balkhash
Lake Balkhash is one of the largest lakes in Asia and 12th largest continental lake in the world. It is located in southeastern Kazakhstan, in Central Asia, and belongs to an endorheic basin shared by Kazakhstan and China, with a small part in Kyrgyzstan. The basin drains into the lake via seven...

. The first missile launched from the facility was a V-1000
V-1000
V1000 may refer to:* Vickers V-1000, a jet-powered cargo aircraft* Fakel V-1000, a Fakel-designed experimental Soviet ABM of Type "A"* Bandini 1000 V, a 1970 race car prototype* Hesketh V1000, a British motorcycle* Britten V1000, a New Zealand motorcycle...

 on 16 October 1958, but the facilities for full scale testing were not ready until 1961. Sary Shagan remains in use to this day, with the latest known launch at 30 October 2007. The range will be used as the landing site for the Russian inter-planetary mission Phobos Grunt's sample return canister in 2014.

Other notable military complexes on site

In the 1970s the Vympel OKB built the Terra-3
Terra-3
Terra-3 is a laser testing centre, located on the Sary Shagan anti-ballistic missile testing range in Karagandy Province of Kazakhstan. -Development:...

 laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...

 testing centre at Sary Shagan.

In 1977 the site was expanded with a modern Pechora/Daryal-type radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...

, to replace the old missile early warning radar
Early warning radar
An early warning radar is any radar system used primarily for the long-range detection of its targets, i.e., allowing defences to be alerted as early as possible before the intruder reaches its target, giving the defences the maximum time in which to operate...

s. This new radar became operational in 1982.
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