The leading countries of the world are working on aircraft and air attack weapons with minimal visibility for enemy detection equipment. In parallel, the creation of surveillance and detection systems capable of detecting such complex targets is underway. One of the results of this work was the Russian RLK 52E6 "Struna-1". Due to its special operating principle, it detects even small-sized and inconspicuous objects.
From R&D to R&D
By the mid-eighties, several research projects were launched in our country aimed at finding ways to counter the technologies of stealth aircraft. The likely enemy had already received new stealth aircraft, and our army needed appropriate detection equipment.
In 1986, the Central Research Institute of Radioelectronic Systems (TsNIIRES) and several other organizations were assigned to carry out research work on the topic of the so-called. bistatic radar. The research took several years and ended in success. TsNIIRES confirmed the fundamental possibility of creating a radar station based on a non-standard principle.
The direct development of the station was entrusted to the Nizhny Novgorod Scientific Research Institute of Radio Engineering (NNIIRT). In the first half of the nineties, the institute carried out new research projects, as a result of which the development of the radar itself began. In 1997-98 the first prototype of the promising station, which received the 52E6 index, was sent to the test site. The name "String-1" is also used. In some sources the Barrier-E cipher appears.
At the level of theory
The concept of a bistatic radar, worked out by TsNIIRES and NNIIRT, was not new - according to this scheme, the first Soviet radar RUS-1 was built in the late thirties. However, it retained significant potential and was of interest in the context of detecting subtle objects. The essence of this concept lies in the division of the station into a transmitting and receiving unit, which are separated by a considerable distance.
A "traditional" radar of an active type directs a sounding signal of a certain configuration to the target, after which it receives the attenuated reflected radiation. The essence of the so-called. stealth technology consists in a sharp attenuation of the reflected signal, as well as in its redirection away from the radar. Thus, the reflected signal is almost indistinguishable from background noise, and target detection is difficult.
The bistatic radar type 52E6 uses a "translucent" location. During operation, the transmitter sends signals towards the remote receiver. By distortion of pulses reaching the receiver, static or moving objects are detected. Further, the radar automation is capable of tying a track and transmitting data to consumers.
This method of operation makes it possible to dramatically increase the effective scattering area of the target in comparison with the EPR during the operation of a "traditional" radar. Accordingly, the likelihood of detecting a small-sized, low-altitude or inconspicuous target increases. Thus, the creation of a bistatic "translucent" radar promised great advantages in the context of the development of air defense.
Real samples
The 52E6 "Struna-1" radar complex passed state tests in 1998. Over the next few years, this product was improved, and in 2005 it was put into service. By this time, the work of the radar was checked both under test conditions and during military exercises.
A few years after that, an improved version of the 52E6MU complex was submitted for testing. Its refinement continued until the end of the decade, and in 2010 this radar was adopted. By this time, NNIIRT and related enterprises launched production and managed to supply the army with several sets. In addition, one of the products was shown at the MAKS-2009 exhibition.
According to NNIIRT reports, the first two-link kit 52E6MU was manufactured in 2008. The next year, another one was delivered. No new deliveries have been reported during the tenths. Nothing is known about export orders.
Technical features
According to open data, the 52E6MU product is a decimeter bistatic / multi-link radar system operating "in the light". All radar equipment is housed in containers on towed or self-propelled chassis, which simplifies transportation and deployment. The complex includes all the necessary means to cover large areas and monitor the air situation.
A set of radar "Struna-1" can include up to 10 receiving and transmitting posts, coupled with the control machine. The complex also includes various maintenance and support facilities. Station components are deployed along the perimeter of the protected area subject to technical constraints. The working means of the complex maintain communication by radio.
The RLK 52E6 receiving and transmitting post is a container with a lifting mast on which the antenna device is located. The latter includes a transmitting array and a receiving phased array with three beams of the directional pattern. Emission is carried out in a sector with a width of 55 ° in azimuth and 45 ° in elevation. The post carries out the transmission of a probing signal, and also receives signals from the two nearest posts. By processing the received signals, each post determines the presence of air targets. All information about the situation goes to the command post.
RLK 52E6MU can form a continuous radar barrier of arbitrary shape hundreds of kilometers long. The maximum distance between receiving and transmitting posts is 50 km. Depending on the target class, the depth of the barrier zone reaches 12.8 km. The detection altitude is from 30 m to 7 km. Targets are tracked at speeds up to 1500 km / h. Analyzing the incoming data, the automation of the complex distinguishes between bombers and fighters, helicopters, ASP, etc.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Struna-1 radar with spaced-apart posts has important advantages over other radars, but not without its drawbacks. Proper deployment and application of such a technique allows its full potential to be realized.
The main advantage is the ability to detect subtle or small targets that are too complex for "traditional" radars. With the use of one 52E6MU complex, it is possible to create a control zone with a length of up to 500 km along the front. Using this technique together with other radars, it is possible to create a highly effective layered detection system capable of detecting all potentially dangerous objects - regardless of speed, altitude, stealth technology, etc.
The main disadvantage of "Struna-1" can be considered the specific configuration of the viewing area. The station creates an extended and narrow “barrier” several kilometers high. This makes it difficult to solve some of the observation tasks, which requires the involvement of other radars. An ambiguous feature of the complex can be considered the presence of a large number of different weapons deployed at considerable distances from each other. This makes it difficult to prepare for work.
In general, the bistatic radar 52E6 (MU) "Struna-1" is a specialized instrument capable of solving special tasks that are inaccessible to other existing systems. At the same time, she herself cannot do all the work required and needs the help of other locators.
Technique and reaction
According to known data, in the recent past, the Russian army received only a few Struna-1 complexes, and soon this equipment took up combat duty. According to some sources, the new radars are deployed in a westerly direction, where the appearance of inconspicuous air targets is most likely. Complexes 52E6 work together with other locators and supplement them.
Despite the small number and specificity of deployment, the 52E6 RLC attracted the attention of foreign experts and the press. Thus, over the past several years, foreign media regularly publish materials about Strun-1 with different intonations, from surprise to apprehension. This reaction is mainly related to the declared ability of the radar to detect and track stealth aircraft. Foreign armies, probably, also drew attention to the "String-1" and drew conclusions, but they are in no hurry to announce their opinion.
Thus, in the context of the development of radar facilities, an interesting situation has developed. The few radars of a new type are capable of detecting inconspicuous targets in the form of modern strike aircraft and their weapons. With such capabilities, the 52E6MU RLK is able not only to provide protection for the covered areas, but also to deter a potential enemy relying on stealth aircraft from tactical and strategic aviation.
