The development of military equipment and weapons, including the creation of stealthy strike aircraft and high-precision ammunition for them, imposes new requirements on defense systems. Electronic intelligence systems (RTR) are gaining more and more importance, which can supplement, and in some cases even replace, radars. T. N. passive radar allows you to determine the location of the target by the radio signals emitted by it. Modern systems for this purpose in terms of the accuracy of determining the coordinates of the target are close to the "traditional" radar and have great prospects.
85В6 "Orion" electronic reconnaissance station of the "Vega" complex in a combat position
In the late nineties, the Belgorod NPP "Spets-Radio" created a new RTR complex called 85V6-A "Vega". This complex is designed to detect, identify and track various air, ground or surface targets. To detect a target, the complex receives and processes radio signals emitted by its radio-electronic equipment. Information about the number, coordinates and other parameters of targets can be transmitted to electronic warfare systems, air defense units, combat aviation, etc. With such capabilities, the Vega RTR complex can be used as part of air defense systems, monitoring the desired area, and is also capable of supporting other air defense systems when the enemy uses interference.
Complex 85V6-A "Vega" consists of several components working together. These are three 85В6-E "Orion" electronic intelligence stations and a command post. Thus, the Vega system includes four trucks with the necessary equipment. For power supply, all elements of the complex are equipped with their own diesel power plants mounted on car trailers. This architecture of the complex's technical means allows its individual elements to be placed at some distance from each other, with the help of which high target detection characteristics are achieved.
The vehicles with the Orion station can be located at a distance of up to 30 kilometers from each other. The maximum distance to the control point should not exceed 20 km, which is due to the peculiarities of the operation of data transmission systems. The mission of the Orion stations is to receive and process radio signals. The received information is transmitted via a secure channel to the control center, where it is analyzed. Using the triangulation method, the automation of the Vega system is able to determine the location of an object with radio-electronic devices turned on. In addition, the equipment independently determines the trajectories of the detected targets. Data on the position and movement parameters of the detected targets are transmitted to the command post or to other users: anti-aircraft units, electronic warfare systems, etc.
All equipment of the 85V6-E "Orion" electronic intelligence station is mounted on a wheeled chassis and a car trailer. The latter houses a diesel power plant based on two generators. In addition, the trailer carries a mast with a calibration signal source for setting up the station's main systems. The radio-electronic equipment is located on a truck, in a special van body. The base vehicle is equipped with a leveling system - hydraulic outriggers. On the roof of the box body there is a lifting and mast device with an antenna for receiving radio signals. During operation, the receiving antenna is located at a height of 13.5 meters and rotates around the vertical axis at a speed of 180 ° per second. This allows you to receive signals from any direction in azimuth, the maximum elevation angle is 20 °. The Orion RTR system is equipped with electronic equipment capable of processing up to 60 targets in one turn of the antenna. Orion's equipment operates in the frequency range 0.2-18 GHz. An instantaneous reception band of 500 MHz with a resolution of up to 1 MHz is provided. The duration of the received pulse is determined with an accuracy of 0.1 μs. The error in determining the direction to the target does not exceed 2-3 degrees (depending on conditions).
The target detection range depends on their parameters: the power of the emitted radio signals, the mode of operation of the emitters, etc. The maximum distance from which the Orion station can detect an enemy strategic bomber exceeds 400 kilometers. For tactical aviation, this parameter is within 150-200 km. Having received the signal, the station equipment compares it with the records in the existing database and determines the probable type of target. Information about the position and other parameters of the target is transmitted to the control center or other consumers with a delay of no more than 6-10 seconds. If necessary, the RTR 85V6-E Orion station can be used independently, not as part of the Vega complex.
If necessary, the set of means for detecting the Vega system can be supplemented with additional elements based on the Okhota radio control points. This makes it possible to improve the capabilities of the Vega complex to detect targets in the near zone.
When operating as part of the Vega complex, the Orion stations transmit the received information to the control point. Like the means of 85B6-E stations, the electronics of the control point is located in a van body on an automobile chassis. There is a diesel power plant. The control center is designed to collect information from three Orion stations and process the data. Using the triangulation method, the control center of the Vega complex increases the accuracy of determining the location of targets. Thus, the root-mean-square error at a distance of 150 km (when the Orion stations are separated by a distance of 30 km) does not exceed 5 kilometers.
The control center database contains information on approximately one thousand different electronic systems that can be recognized by the system. It is stated that, at the request of the customer, the number of records in the database can be increased. By processing data from the Orion stations, the control center of the Vega complex is capable of tracking up to 60 targets simultaneously. Information about targets can be transmitted to any consumers, from the command post of the formation to anti-aircraft complexes, etc.
