Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) was a Soviet ICBM program in the 1960s that after launch would go into a low Earth orbit and would then de-orbit for an attack. It had no range limit and the orbital flight path would not reveal the target location. Motto: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) Translation: Workers of the world, unite!) Anthem: The Internationale (1922-1944) Hymn of the Soviet Union (1944-1991) Capital (and largest city) Moscow Official languages None; Russian de facto Government Socialist Republic/Federation of Soviet Republics  - Last President Mikhail Gorbachev  - Last Premier Ivan Silayev... A Minuteman III ICBM test launch from Vandenberg AFB, California, United States. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit in which objects such as satellites are below intermediate circular orbit (ICO) and far below geostationary orbit, but typically around 350 - 1400 km above the Earths surface. ...

This would allow a path to North America over the South Pole, hitting targets from the south, which is the opposite direction from which NORAD early warning systems are oriented. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The Outer Space Treaty banned nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction in earth orbit. However, it did not ban systems that were capable of placing weapons in orbit, and the Soviet Union avoided violating the treaty by conducting tests of its FOBS system without live warheads. The Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies also known as the Outer Space Treaty (the Treaty), was opened for signature in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union (the three...

The Soviets developed three missiles to employ FOBS, with only one entering service:

• The orbital missile 8K69 was initially deployed in 1968, and the first regiment with the R-36 orbital missiles was put on alert in 1969.
• The Global Rocket 1, or GR-1, was cancelled due to engine problems.
• The R-46 was not developed, and eventually scrapped.

The U.S. Defense Support Program early warning satellites enabled the US to detect a FOBS launch. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The R-36 is a family of intercontinental ballistic missile and space launch vehicle designs created by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. ... Year 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... The Global Rocket 1 (GR-1) was a fractional orbital bombardment system intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed but not deployed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. ... The R-46 was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) design by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. ... Painting of a DSP satellite on station. ...

The SALT II treaty (1979) prohibited the deployment of FOBS systems: nSALT II was a second round of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks from 1972-1979 between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which sought to curtail the manufacture of strategic nuclear weapons. ... For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song). ...

Each Party undertakes not to develop, test, or deploy:

(...)

(c) systems for placing into Earth orbit nuclear weapons or any other kind of weapons of mass destruction, including fractional orbital missiles;

The missile was phased out in January 1983 in compliance with this treaty.However due to the the mystery shrouded russian ICBM programme there is a growing conceren among critics that the phasing out of this missile was a precedent to another advanced weapon system with multiple warhead capacity (see the film Space Cowboys). The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter. ... For the album, see Weapons of Mass Destruction (album). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Space Cowboys is a 2000 film by Clint Eastwood, released by Warner Bros. ...

External links

• http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/r-36o.htm