Description
The five Soviet tests were meant to demonstrate their anti-ballistic missile defenses which would supposedly protect their major cities in the event of a nuclear war.
Each test involved a pair of R-12 missiles launched from the Kapustin Yar test complex, to high altitude above the Sary Shagan anti-ballistic missile testing range in Kazakhstan. The first missile carried a nuclear warhead. The second one carried sensors to evaluate the effects of the first missile's blast and to act as a target for the anti-ballistic missile being tested.
| Soviet Test Name | United States Name | Date | Nuclear weapon yield | Altitude | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K-1 | Test #128 | 27 October 1961 | 1.2 kilotons | 300 km (186 mi) | |
| K-2 | Test #127 | 27 October 1961 | 1.2 kilotons | 150 km (93 mi) | |
| K-3 | Test #184 | 22 October 1962 | 300 kilotons | 290 km (180 mi) | worst electromagnetic pulse effects |
| K-4 | Test #187 | 28 October 1962 | 300 kilotons | 150 km (93 mi) | |
| K-5 | Test #195 | 1 November 1962 | 300 kilotons | 59 km (37 mi) |
The worst effects of a Soviet high altitude test were from the electromagnetic pulse of the nuclear test on 22 October 1962 (during the Cuban missile crisis). In that Operation K high altitude test, a 300 kiloton missile-warhead detonated west of Dzhezkazgan (also called Zhezqazghan) at an altitude of 290 km (180 mi).
The Soviet scientists instrumented a 570-kilometer (350 mi) section of telephone line in the area that they expected to be affected by the nuclear detonation in order to measure the electromagnetic pulse effects. The electromagnetic pulse (EMP) fused all of the 570-kilometer monitored overhead telephone line with measured currents of 1500 to 3400 amperes during the 22 October 1962 test. The monitored telephone line was divided into sub-lines of 40 to 80 kilometres (25 to 50 mi) in length, separated by repeaters. Each sub-line was protected by fuses and by gas-filled overvoltage protectors. The EMP from the 22 October (K-3) nuclear test caused all of the fuses to blow and all of the overvoltage protectors to fire in all of the sub-lines of the 570 km (350 mi) telephone line. The EMP from the same test started a fire that burned down the Karaganda power plant, and shut down 1,000 km (620 mi) of shallow-buried power cables between Astana (then called Aqmola) and Almaty.
The Partial Test Ban Treaty was passed the following year, ending atmospheric and exoatmospheric nuclear tests.
Read more about this topic: The K Project
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