Система ПВО Москвы С-25 (Беркут) / Moscow Air Defense System S-25 Berkut

The S-25 (The original name "Air Defense System Berkut") is a first-generation Soviet air defense system designed to defend Moscow from a massive strike by bombers. The fire control radar of this system was capable of tracking 20 targets, and aiming 20 missiles at them simultaneously. All other SAMs were able to aim missiles at several targets simultaneously only with the advent of electronically scanned antennas, but the 20 target channels remained unattainable for any other air defense system. The S-25 was a quarter of a century ahead of the development of air defense systems. It was on duty until the end of the 80s, when the last batteries were replaced with the S-300.

At 1:05, the announcer mentions the flight of an American U-2 aircraft over Moscow on July 5, 1956. Although the S-25 system has entered service, the missiles have not yet been delivered to the positions. This happened a few days after the U-2 flight.

The creation of the S-25 took place in complete secrecy under the control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Ministry of Defense learned about the development of this system only in 1953. Initially, the military demanded that the system be capable of shooting down not only Tu-4 bombers, but also maneuverable front-line bombers of the Il-28 type. It was a constructive and useful requirement.

But then a catastrophe almost happened with the S-25: outstanding Soviet commanders, led by Marshal I. S. Konev, having learned about the development of long-range ballistic missiles, demanded that the S-25 be able to shoot them down too, otherwise the creation of this system loses its meaning. The project was under threat of closure. However, the creators of the S-25 system managed to explain to the marshals that this is impossible, and that the interception of ballistic missiles is a matter of the future.