The missile attack warning system (EWS) refers to strategic defense on a par with missile defense, space control and anti-space defense systems. At present, the early warning systems are part of the Aerospace Defense Forces as the following structural units - the anti-missile defense division (as part of the Air and Missile Defense Command), the Main Missile Attack Warning Center and the Main Center for Space Situation Intelligence (as part of the Space Command).
SPRN of Russia consists of:
- the first (space) echelon - a grouping of spacecraft designed to detect launches of ballistic missiles from anywhere on the planet;
- the second echelon, consisting of a network of ground-based long-range (up to 6000 km) detection radars, including the Moscow missile defense radar.
SPACE ECHELON
The warning satellites in space orbit continuously monitor the earth's surface, using an infrared matrix with low sensitivity, they record the launch of each ICBM against the emitted torch and immediately transmit the information to the SPRN command center.
Currently, there are no reliable data on the composition of the Russian SPRN satellite constellation in open sources.
As of October 23, 2007, the SPRN orbital constellation consisted of three satellites. There was one US-KMO in geostationary orbit (Kosmos-2379 was launched into orbit on 08.24.2001) and two US-KS in a highly elliptical orbit (Cosmos-2422 was launched into orbit on 07.21.2006, Cosmos-2430 was launched into orbit on 2007-23-10).
On June 27, 2008, Cosmos-2440 was launched. On March 30, 2012, another satellite of this series, Kosmos-2479, was launched into orbit.
Russian early warning satellites are considered very outdated and do not fully meet modern requirements. Back in 2005, high-ranking military officials did not hesitate to criticize both the satellites of this type and the system as a whole. The then deputy commander of the space forces for armaments, General Oleg Gromov, speaking at the Federation Council, said: "We cannot even restore the minimum required composition of the missile attack warning system in orbit by launching the hopelessly outdated 71X6 and 73D6 satellites."
LAND ECHELON
Now in service with the Russian Federation is a number of early warning systems, which are controlled from the headquarters in Solnechnogorsk. There are also two KPs in the Kaluga region, near the village of Rogovo and not far from Komsomolsk-on-Amur on the shores of Lake Hummi.
Satellite image of Google Earth: the main command post of the early warning system in the Kaluga region
Installed here in radio-transparent domes, 300-ton antennas continuously track the constellation of military satellites in highly elliptical and geostationary orbits.
Satellite image of Google Earth: emergency command post of early warning system near Komsomolsk
The CP of the early warning system is continuously processing information received from spacecraft and ground stations, with its subsequent transfer to the headquarters in Solnechnogorsk.
View of the emergency command post of the early warning system from the side of Lake Hummi
Directly on the territory of Russia there were three radars: "Dnepr-Daugava" in the city of Olenegorsk, "Dnepr-Dnestr-M" in Mishelevka and the station "Daryal" in Pechora. In Ukraine, there are still "Dnepr" in Sevastopol and Mukachevo, which the Russian Federation refused to operate because of the too high cost of rent and the technical obsolescence of the radar. It was also decided to abandon the operation of the Gabala radar station in Azerbaijan. Here, the stumbling block was the attempts of blackmail by Azerbaijan and the multiple increase in the cost of rent. This decision of the Russian side caused a shock in Azerbaijan. For the budget of this country, the rent was not a small help. Radar support work was the only source of income for many local residents.
Satellite image of Google Earth: Gabala radar station in Azerbaijan
The position of the Republic of Belarus is exactly the opposite, the “Volga” radar station was granted to the Russian Federation for 25 years of gratuitous operation. In addition, there is a node "Window" in Tajikistan (part of the complex "Nurek").
A notable addition of the early warning system in the late 1990s was the construction and adoption (1989) of the Don-2N radar in the Moscow suburb of Pushkino, which replaced the Danube-type stations.
Radar "Don-2N"
As an anti-missile defense station, it is also actively used in the missile attack warning system. The station is a truncated regular pyramid, on all four sides of which there are round HEADLIGHTS with a diameter of 16 m for tracking targets and anti-missiles and square (10.4x10.4 m) HEADLIGHTS for transmitting guidance commands to the board of interceptor missiles. When repelling the strikes of ballistic missiles, the radar is capable of conducting combat work in an autonomous mode, regardless of the external situation, and in peacetime conditions - in a mode of low emitted power to detect objects in space.
Satellite image of Google Earth: Moscow missile defense radar "Don-2N"
The ground component of the Missile Attack Warning System (EWS) are radars that control outer space. Radar detection type "Daryal" - over-the-horizon radar of the missile attack warning system (SPRN).
Radar "Daryal"
Development has been underway since the 1970s, and the station was commissioned in 1984.
Satellite image of Google Earth: radar "Daryal"
The stations of the Daryal type should be replaced by a new generation of Voronezh radar stations, which are built in a year and a half (previously it took 5 to 10 years).
The newest Russian radars of the Voronezh family are capable of detecting ballistic, space and aerodynamic objects. There are options that work in the meter and decimeter wavelengths. The basis of the radar is a phased array antenna, a pre-fabricated module for personnel and several containers with electronic equipment, which allows you to quickly and cost-effectively upgrade the station during operation.
HEADLIGHT radar Voronezh
Adopting Voronezh into service allows not only to significantly expand the capabilities of missile and space defense, but also to concentrate the ground grouping of the missile attack warning system on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Satellite image of Google Earth: radar station Voronezh-M, Lekhtusi, Leningrad Region (object 4524, military unit 73845)
The high degree of factory readiness and the modular principle of building the Voronezh radar made it possible to abandon multi-storey structures and build it within 12-18 months (the previous generation radars were commissioned in 5-9 years). All equipment of the station in container design from manufacturers is delivered to the places of subsequent assembly on a pre-concreted site. During the installation of the Voronezh station, 23-30 units of technological equipment are used (the Daryal radar - more than 4000), it consumes 0.7 MW of electricity (Dnepr - 2 MW, Daryal in Azerbaijan - 50 MW), and the number the staff serving it is no more than 15 people.
To cover potentially dangerous areas in terms of missile attack, it is planned to put 12 radars of this type on alert. The new radar stations will operate in both meter and decimeter ranges, which will expand the capabilities of the Russian missile attack warning system. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation intends to completely replace, within the framework of the state armament program until 2020, all Soviet radar stations for early warning missile launches.
For tracking objects in space, the ships of the measuring complex (KIK) of the project 1914 are intended.
KIK "Marshal Krylov"
Initially, it was planned to build 3 ships, but the fleet included only two - KIK "Marshal Nedelin" and KIK "Marshal Krylov" (built according to the modified project 1914.1). The third ship, the Marshal Turquoise, was dismantled on the slipway. The ships were actively used both to support ICBM tests and to accompany space objects. KIK "Marshal Nedelin" in 1998 was withdrawn from the fleet and dismantled for metal. KIK "Marshal Krylov" is currently part of the fleet and is used for its intended purpose, based in Kamchatka in the village of Vilyuchinsk.
Satellite image of Google Earth: KIK "Marshal Krylov" in Vilyuchinsk
With the advent of military satellites capable of performing many roles, there was a need for systems for their detection and control. Such sophisticated systems were necessary to identify foreign satellites, as well as provide accurate orbital parametric data for the use of PKO weapon systems. The systems "Window" and "Krona" are used for this.
The Okno system is a fully automated optical tracking station. Optical telescopes scan the night sky, while computer systems analyze the results and filter out stars based on analysis and comparison of velocities, luminosities, and trajectories. Then the parameters of the satellite orbits are calculated, tracked and recorded. Okno can detect and track satellites in Earth's orbit at altitudes ranging from 2,000 to 40,000 kilometers. This, together with radar systems, has increased the ability to observe outer space. The Dniester-type radars were unable to track satellites in high geostationary orbits.
The development of the Okno system began in the late 1960s. By the end of 1971, prototypes of optical systems intended for use in the Okno complex were tested at an observatory in Armenia. Preliminary design work was completed in 1976. The construction of the Okno system near the city of Nurek (Tajikistan) in the area of the Khodjarki village began in 1980. By mid-1992, the installation of electronic systems and part of the optical sensors was completed. Unfortunately, the civil war in Tajikistan interrupted this work. They resumed in 1994. The system passed operational tests at the end of 1999 and was put on alert in July 2002.
The main object of the Okno system consists of ten telescopes covered by large folding domes. Telescopes are divided into two stations, with a detection complex containing six telescopes. Each station has its own control center. There is also an eleventh smaller dome. Its role is not disclosed in open sources. It may contain some kind of instrumentation used to assess atmospheric conditions prior to activating the system.
Satellite image of Google Earth: elements of the "Window" complex near the city of Nurek, Tajikistan
The construction of four Okno complexes was envisaged in various locations throughout the USSR and in friendly countries such as Cuba. In practice, the "Window" complex was implemented only in Nurek. There were also plans for the construction of auxiliary complexes "Okno-S" in Ukraine and the eastern part of Russia. In the end, work began only on the eastern Okno-S, which should be located in the Primorsky Territory.
Satellite image of Google Earth: elements of the "Window-S" complex in Primorye
Okno-S is a high-altitude optical observation system. The Okno-S complex is designed for monitoring at an altitude between 30,000 and 40,000 kilometers, which makes it possible to detect and observe geostationary satellites that are located over a wider area. Work on the Okno-S complex began in the early 1980s. It is not known whether this system has been completed and brought to operational readiness.
The Krona system consists of an early warning radar and an optical tracking system. It is designed to identify and track satellites. The Krona system is able to classify satellites by type. The system consists of three main components:
- Decimeter phased array radar for target identification
-CM-band radar with parabolic antenna for target classification
-Optical system combining an optical telescope with a laser system
The krona system has a range of 3,200 kilometers and can detect targets in orbit at altitudes up to 40,000 kilometers.
The development of the Krona system began in 1974, when it was found that current spatial tracking systems could not accurately determine the type of satellite being tracked.
The centimeter-range radar system is designed for precise orientation and guidance of the optical-laser system. The laser system was designed to provide illumination for an optical system that captures images of tracked satellites at night or in clear weather.
The location for the object "Krona" in Karachay-Cherkessia was chosen taking into account favorable meteorological factors and low dustiness of the atmosphere in this area.
Construction of the Krona facility began in 1979 near the Storozhevaya village in southwestern Russia. The object was originally planned to be located jointly with the observatory in the village of Zelenchukskaya, but concerns about the creation of mutual interference with such a close location of objects led to the relocation of the Krona complex to the area of the village of Storozhevaya.
The construction of capital structures for the Krona complex in the area was completed in 1984, but factory and state tests dragged on until 1992.
Before the collapse of the USSR, it was planned to use MiG-31D fighter-interceptors armed with 79M6 Contact missiles (with a kinetic warhead) as part of the Krona complex to destroy enemy satellites in orbit. After the collapse of the USSR, 3 MiG-31D fighters went to Kazakhstan.
Satellite image of Google Earth: radar of centimeter range and optical-laser part of the complex "Krona"
State acceptance tests were completed by January 1994. Due to financial difficulties, the system was put into trial operation only in November 1999. As of 2003, the work on the optical - laser system was not fully completed due to financial difficulties, but in 2007 it was announced that the "Krona" was put on alert.
Satellite image of Google Earth: decimeter radar with a phased array antenna complex "Krona"
Initially, during the Soviet era, it was planned to build three complexes "Krona". The second Krona complex was to be located next to the Okno complex in Tajikistan. The third complex began to be built near Nakhodka in the Far East. Due to the collapse of the USSR, work on the second and third complexes was suspended. Later, work in the Nakhodka area was resumed, this system was completed in a simplified version. The system in the Nakhodka area is sometimes called "Krona-N"; it is represented only by a decimeter radar with a phased antenna array. Work on the construction of the Krona complex in Tajikistan has not resumed.
Radar stations of the missile attack warning system, the Okno and Krona complexes allow our country to conduct operational control of outer space, timely identify and fend off possible threats, and give a timely adequate response in case of possible aggression. These systems are used to carry out various military and civilian missions, including collecting information about "space debris" and calculating safe orbits for operating spacecraft. The operation of the Okno and Krona space monitoring systems plays an important role in the field of national defense and international space exploration.
The article presents materials obtained from open sources, the list of which is indicated. All satellite imagery courtesy of Google Earth.
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