SPRN - Space Sentinels of Russia

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Now we know that our borders are covered not only by border guards, air defense systems, aviation and navy, but also by more global systems. The Raneems briefly spoke about the Russian missile attack warning system and promised to present a more complete and detailed version. Well, we promised - we do. We hope that the article will be of interest to a wide range of readers and possibly make you take a fresh look at the Russian early warning system. Make yourself comfortable, pour tea or coffee, it will be interesting!

Even the ancient people knew: the sooner you see a cave lion or aliens from a hostile tribe, the more time there will be to prepare for a possible battle with them. Over time, this rule became unshakable, and in our century it has become an axiom. Only instead of the cave lion there is now a hyena of transnational corporations, and instead of a tribe across the river - a superpower armed with intercontinental missiles with nuclear warheads on the other side of the ocean. And such a neighborhood forces us to take appropriate measures. One of the most important can be called tracking the launches of those very intercontinental missiles. Both in Russia and in the United States, this function is assigned to the missile attack warning system - an early warning system. Our story will go about the early warning system of Russia.

And it is necessary to start, of course, with the history of the emergence of the early warning system. When the two superpowers acquired nuclear-armed ICBMs, it further exacerbated strategic uncertainty and the temptation to strike first. In the event of an ICBM strike, the enemy would not have known about it until the very last moment. Even though the first ICBMs were imperfect, required a long preparation for launch, and were at the same time on the surface of the earth on the launch pad, their use posed a serious threat. Especially given the primitive, by today's standards, state of intelligence assets.

Taking these and other factors into account, in 1961-1962, by the Resolutions of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the formation of a missile attack warning system began. At the same time, the principles of creation and functioning were formulated:

Layered construction of the system;

Integrated use of the information received;

High automation of information collection;

Centralized data collection and management to avoid errors in field calculations.

As a means of detection, over-the-horizon radar was chosen - that is, radio waves propagate over the radio horizon line. However, engineers were faced with far from trivial tasks. The radars of those years were designed to detect aircraft at a range of two to three hundred kilometers. Now the task was to locate a ballistic missile several thousand kilometers away and calculate its trajectory. The sooner an enemy missile is spotted and the more accurately the likely place of impact is determined, the more it will facilitate the task of retaliatory strike and the work of civil defense services.

The work was started at the Radio Engineering Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences under the leadership of Academician A. L. Mints. Already in 1962, the 5N15 "Dnestr" radar was tested, and in 1967, the creation of an early detection complex of two 5N86 "Dnepr" radars began in Riga and Murmansk with a command post in Solnechnogorsk near Moscow. The command post served as a kind of connecting link in which incoming information was automatically analyzed, generalized and transmitted to the leadership of the country and the armed forces. The results of the tests were considered successful, and already in August 1970 the complex was put into service, and a little later it took over on combat duty.

General view of the radar station "Dnepr"

At the same time, the first combat military formation was born - a separate missile attack warning division, which was later reorganized into the 3rd separate missile attack warning army. Over time, the military structure of the PRN system significantly increased and became more complex and included separate military units and formations of air and anti-space defense.

In its usual form, the ground segment of the early warning missile system was formed in the early 1970s. By 1976, a network of Dnestr and Dnepr radars was deployed in the main missile-hazardous areas. Later, the radar stations "Danube-3" and "Danube-3U", which were, first of all, information means of anti-missile defense, were connected to the command post of the early warning system.

No one was going to limit the development and work of the early warning system by one radar. The beginning of the space age opened up new horizons in this direction as well. The idea of noticing a launching rocket before ground-based radars was tempting, so back in the 1960s, the development of an orbital satellite system started, which, using optical equipment, was supposed to detect the launch of missiles by the jet of a jet of a working engine. This system, created at the Central Research Institute "Kometa" under the leadership of Academician Anatoly Savin, was put into service under the name "Oko" as a space segment of the early warning system in 1983.

Spacecraft of the "Oko" system

However, the matter was not limited to this. The over-the-horizon radar method was very promising, which made it possible to detect targets beyond the radio horizon. The principle of operation of such radars is based on multiple reflections of short-wave radio radiation from the ionosphere and the earth's surface. In 1965, the Research Institute of Long-Range Radar (NIIDAR) decided to create a prototype of such a radar and conduct a set of tests. The result of the work, which received the code "Duga", was the commissioning of two over-the-horizon radars (ZGRLS) in the area of Chernobyl and Komsomolsk-on-Amur in 1975-1986. Looking ahead, we note that the well-known man-made disaster and the change in the military-political situation in the world quickly "put these radars out of the game".

ZGRLS "Duga" in Chernobyl today

Finally, the final chord should have been the simultaneous testing of all three systems. In 1980, these tests were carried out, and the early warning system in a new composition and with higher characteristics was put on alert. This design of the system made it possible to implement the scenario of a retaliatory strike, in which the launches of its ICBMs begin before the moment when the enemy warheads hit their targets.

In the 1980s, it was planned to build four 90N6 "Daryal-U" radars in the region of Balkhash, Irkutsk, Yeniseisk and Gabala, as well as three 90N6-M "Daryal-UM" radars in Mukachevo, Riga and Krasnoyarsk and a 70M6 "Volga" radar with phased array antenna price Baranovichi | The new radar stations had better noise immunity and resolution, a range of up to 6 thousand kilometers, large computing power, and increased capabilities for selecting false targets. A significant modernization of the Dnepr radar station was also planned.

Radar "Daryal"

What we planned and what we managed

But they managed to build only the radar station in Baranovichi, Gabala and Pechora, as well as the experimental Daugava in Olenegorsk. The 90s were coming. We hope there is no need to explain what this meant for the country as a whole and the armed forces in particular. In, by geopolitical standards, the Soviet Union collapsed overnight, splitting into fifteen new states.

And, as the reader has already guessed, some early warning radar stations were not on the territory of Russia. The western and southern directions were completely blinded. Needless to say, what does the deprivation of such vital information as missile launches on the planet mean for a nuclear power? Not that this was the primary problem in those turbulent years, but it was a fact. First of all, of course, the young "Baltic tiger" - Latvia, got rid of the hated heritage of the invaders. Radar station "Dnepr" near the town of Skrunda worked until 1998, and then was blown up by the American company Controlled Demolition, Inc. The unfinished "Daryal" was demolished even earlier: in 1995.

Getting rid of the bloody communist legacy

But there were also positive aspects. We managed to come to an agreement with Ukraine and Belarus and Kazakhstan on the use of radar stations on their territory. At the moment, the "Dnepr" in Sary-Shagan and "Volga" near Baranovichi remain two operating radar early warning systems of Russia outside its territory. In 1991, the formation of the Oko-1 (US-KMO) space system began - the first echelon of the missile attack warning system. Moreover, this work continued in the midst of the "new democracy", which made it possible, at least temporarily, not to lose the most important element of the system.

In 1992, a 15-year contract was signed with Ukraine for the use of the Dnieper near Sevastopol and Mukachevo. In 2008, Russia announced its withdrawal from the agreement, and in 2009 the signal from these radar stations stopped arriving at the command post in Solnechnogorsk. However, this did not affect the country's defense capability in any way. Why is the answer below. "Daryal" in Azerbaijan's Gabala served until 2012 and would have served for another 10-20 years, if not for the disagreement between Russia and Azerbaijan on rental prices.

Remains of the radar station "Dnepr" in Sevastopol

"Daryal" in Gabala

As for Belarus, the Volga near Baranovichi was put into service already in 2003 and is still on alert. By the way, during its construction, a method was tested for erecting a building from large-sized modules with technological equipment, ready to be connected to life support systems, and this experience turned out to be very useful in the future.

Radar "Volga"

At the same time, the military-political leadership of Russia realized that the elements of such an important system are much more reliable to have on their own territory and not to depend on the political situation in their neighbors. Ultimately, this awareness resulted in the creation of third-generation over-the-horizon early warning radars. New radar 77Ya6 "Voronezh" developed by NIIDAR have been built since 2005, forming a whole family of radar stations with different operating ranges:

Voronezh-M and Voronezh-VP - meter;

Voronezh-DM - decimeter;

"Voronezh-SM" - centimeter.

Voronezh-DM

This variety is needed for confident target detection. Long wavelengths provide a long detection range, short wavelengths allow more accurate target parameters determination. But this is not the main thing in Voronezh. Their know-how and distinctive feature was their use in the construction of large-sized units of high factory readiness. All equipment is delivered in containers, so construction takes 1-1.5 years instead of the previous 5-9 years. This is where the experience gained during the construction of the Volga radar station came in handy.

"Voronezh" consists of 23-30 units of technological equipment, while the radar "Daryal" from 4070 and consume several times less energy. Thus, in less than 15 years, on average, one Voronezh was commissioned in two years - a pace that was previously unattainable. In addition, the principle of an open architecture is used, which allows you to change, increase, re-form unified macromodules with equipment for current tasks. The first radar station "Voronezh-M" was built in 2006 in the village of Lekhtusi, Leningrad Region, and there are seven radar stations in operation at the moment:

Voronezh-M - Lehtusi;

Voronezh-DM - Armavir;

Voronezh-DM - Pionersky;

Voronezh-M - Usolye-Sibirskoye;

Voronezh-DM - Yeniseisk;

Voronezh-DM - Barnaul;

Voronezh-M - Orsk.

And here attentive readers have probably already guessed why the termination of the use of radar in Ukraine did not lead to the appearance of a gap in the early warning system. Yes, they were replaced by a radar station in Armavir. And in general, now "Voronezh" have replaced almost all radar early warning systems in the former Soviet republics. By the way, the Armavir Voronezh also went through a baptism of fire, when on September 3, 2013, it recorded the launch of two target missiles from an American ship to test Israel's missile defense system. The station calculated the trajectory of the missiles, on the basis of which it was concluded that they were not dangerous for Syria. That is, it is quite possible that Voronezh prevented a clash between the superpowers in the Middle East.

Also soon the Voronezh-SM in Vorkuta, Voronezh-VP in Olenegorsk will be commissioned and the construction of Voronezh-SM in Sevastopol is planned. The range, depending on the type, is 4200 or 6000 kilometers.

The fruits of labor were the restoration by 2017, together with the radar of previous generations, of a continuous over-the-horizon radar field around Russia. The importance of this achievement in ensuring the country's security can hardly be overestimated. Thanks to a well-coordinated radar, training (for now, thank God) launches of ballistic missiles and carrier rockets are detected in a timely manner, spacecraft and the air situation are monitored. The threat will be discovered wherever it comes from. Of course, all this works in a single system, there is a constant exchange of information, detection and identification of objects.

At the command post of the early warning system

They did not forget about over-the-horizon radars. Now, in the village of Kovylkino, he serves as a ZGRLS 29B6 "Container" developed by NIIDAR. Its range is shorter than that of Voronezh: 2500-3000 kilometers. However, the main advantage of ZGRLS is the ability to detect objects below the radio horizon line. This becomes doubly relevant after the demise of the INF Treaty, because the detection radius makes it possible to "detect" the launches of any missiles from Western Europe up to France, and also covers a good half of the Mediterranean Sea, Transcaucasia and a piece of Central Asia. So far, there is only one "Container", but in the future it is planned to commission up to ten ZGRLS of this type.

ZGRLS "Container" …

… And its radius of action

If things are very decent with the radar system, then with the space echelon of the early warning system, not everything is so smooth. The Oko-1 system ceased to function in 2014, and the new Unified Space System (UES) has only three 14F142 Tundra satellites, while at least 8-10 spacecraft are required for stable operation. But the space component is the first to detect rocket launches and gives significantly more time for response. Some consolation is the ability of the Tundra satellites not only to detect the torch of the jet stream of a launching rocket, like satellites of past generations, but also to calculate the trajectory, which facilitates the work of ground-based radars. But in general, the CEN needs a significant replenishment of the group.

Literally three weeks ago, one could write a conclusion and end the article on this. However, life makes its own adjustments to the plans.

On October 3 of this year, Emperor Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Valdai Club that Russia is helping China to create a national missile attack warning system. No, we are not talking about the construction of Voronezh in China. So far, the matter is limited to the transfer of technology, consultations of Russian engineers and designers, testing of individual units at the request of the Chinese side

However, even this speaks of taking relations between the two countries to a completely different level. SPRN are not tanks and aircraft. This is a strategic system. And assistance in its creation speaks of the same strategic nature of the relationship between the powers. The only thing "cooler" is assistance in the creation of intercontinental ballistic missiles and strategic nuclear forces in general. Whatever liberal experts say, who think in terms of trade turnover and the size of GDP, Russia and China are de facto strategic allies for each other, the level of cooperation between which cannot be compared with what it was before. The short-sighted policy of the United States led to a strategic alliance between Russia and China and, accordingly, to the unification of the two powers against a common geopolitical enemy.

It is against the West and the old world order imposed on it that the two countries are opposed. And assistance in the creation and deployment of an early warning missile system may indicate that the Chinese do not have time. Still, even China's technological leap does not mean a rapid breakthrough in such a high-tech field of technology. But do not have time for what? One involuntarily recalls an analytical note by the Russian General Staff on the risk of a major war until 2020. And if you look at the physical map of Eurasia, you can find that several mountain ranges interfere with Russia "viewing" the southern hemisphere.

That is, China is probably assigned the role of the vanguard in the Asia-Pacific direction. An early warning radar network on its territory will allow Russia to control the waters of the Indian and South Pacific Ocean. China, in turn, with a high degree of probability will be able to receive information from Russian radar stations in the Arctic about ICBMs flying through the Arctic, as well as about missile launches from nuclear submarines in the Atlantic. Both countries will benefit from significant gains in time.

All this sharply worsens the chances of the United States and NATO to deliver a sudden disarming strike against Russia and China, and raises the cost of a conflict with them. The policy of containing China in Asia is becoming less effective, more risky and costly. Especially against the background of the general modernization of the strategic nuclear forces of the PRC. As for Russia and China themselves, in the event of a possible cold snap in relations, the risks will not be so significant. Since the countries border each other, the flight time of the missiles will be scanty anyway. The main threat will be short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles, and incomplete-range ICBMs. The benefit from the early warning system is likely to be small. But the main thing is that discord between the powers is very unlikely.

For more than 50 years, the Russian missile attack warning system has gone from a couple of experimental stations to a network of state-of-the-art radars covering thousands of kilometers. The entire perimeter of the country is under control. Not a single attack will hide from their vigilant gaze. This means that you and I can sleep even more peacefully. You won't be able to take us by surprise.