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The Soviet Union tested a hunter-killer satellite system over...

BONN, West Germany -- The Soviet Union tested a hunter-killer satellite system over West Germany hitting a target far out in space over Bavaria, government sources said Friday.

The sources said the Russian test took place in June 1982 and was successful but not technically perfect.

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According to the sources, the satellite test was part of a huge exercise involving the complete range of Soviet rocket hardware and was centered on an area above the Bavarian city of Munich.

A target satellite was put into orbit and then the hunter killer space vehicle was set in pursuit. It shot down the target but the sources said the exercise was technically flawed. They gave no further details.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper said land-based and sea-based nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles were involved in the maneuvers along with anti-ballistic systems.

Also tested were middle-range nuclear weapons, including the SS-20s which NATO is scheduled to to match this fall in Europe with new American cruise and PersOing-2 missiles.

'The Soviet Union conducted tests, which were not technically perfect, over West Germany. They were testing how to destroy a western satellite from the Soviet Union,' the newspaper said.

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Both the United States and the Soviet Union are known to be working on weapons for use in space but the Soviets have the only known hunter-killer satellite system.

Moscow has been testing the system since 1968 and it is tOought to be designed to knock out Western spy, navigational and nuclear early warning satellites.

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