Sources in U.S. intelligence community told Ankit Panda that Russia conducted a test launch of the Nudol anti-satellite system in Plesetsk on March 26, 2018, this time from a transporter erector launcher.

The Nudol system, also known as PL-19, is believed to be a direct-ascent ASAT developed by the Almaz-Antey design bureau. The system appears to have the internal designation 14Ts033 (14Ц033), the interceptor is known as 14А042 (14А042). There were three test launches of the interceptor in 2014-2015 (one of them unsuccessful) and two after that - in May 2016 and in December 2016. This would make the March 2018 test the sixth one.

It is not clear whether the test was just a test of a missile or it involved an intercept attempt. It appears that it didn't this time. I am reasonably certain that the first three tests were just tests of the missile, not the interceptor. So, it seems that the tests still do not involve a kill vehicle.

Just as a reminder - the December 2016 test was said to be conducted from a "site in central Russia." Kapustin Yar was suspected, but if the March 2018 was the first test from TEL then it is less clear how the test could have taken place there. Another interesting data point - construction at the Chekhov radar site near Moscow is said to be somehow connected to the Nudol program, but the exact nature of that connection is not clear.