[FPSPACE] AP: Report: Russian S-300 Missile Crashes

[JamesOberg@aol.com]

JimO: Is "Ashuluk" near Kapustin Yar?

Report: Russian S-300 Missile Crashes
By ANNA DOLGOV
AP-NY-09-20-00 1413EDT
  
MOSCOW (AP) - Russian officials on Wednesday confirmed the armed forces had 
conducted tests of an anti-missile missile that would guard against 
short-range rocket attacks, but would not comment on a report one of the 
weapons had crashed into its launcher shortly after it was fired. 

The daily Moskovsky Komsomolets said a Russian S-300 air-defense missile had 
turned upside down but by ``fantastic luck'' had failed to explode after 
crashing back into its launcher, which was just 200 yards from a launcher 
containing another missile. 

Officials at the Defense Ministry and Air Force on Wednesday confirmed that 
the exercises had taken place, but did not confirm the report that a missile 
had crashed. 

The Ashuluk training grounds in the Astrakhan region, some 800 miles south of 
Moscow, were cordoned off by troops after the accident, Moskovsky Komsomolets 
said. The accident appeared to have been caused by the failure of the engine. 

The ``Defense-2000'' exercises in the Astrakhan region last week were held to 
practice shooting down tactical missiles, the daily Izvestia reported. The 
S-300 is designed to defend specific targets - a much smaller system than the 
nationwide anti-ballistic missile defense that the United States is working 
on. 

Washington says its proposed system would serve to guard against threats from 
countries such as North Korea and Iran. Moscow opposes the U.S. plan, saying 
it would alter the balance of power that has helped prevent a nuclear 
conrontation. 

Vladimir Simonov, general director of the Russian Agency for Navigation 
Systems, said several types of missiles were tested and the results would set 
the course for future development.