#6
Izvestia
January 23, 2003
THIRTY YEARS IS NOT THE MAXIMUM
Russia's missile defense capacities will be updated
Author: Dmitry Litovkin
[from WPS Monitoring Agency, www.wps.ru/e_index.html]
RUSSIA IS ENHANCING ITS MISSILE DEFENSE CAPACITIES. TWO UNIQUE MISSILE ATTACK
WARNING SYSTEM FACILITIES WENT INTO SERVICE IN 2002. EXISTING HARDWARE, THOUGH
AGING, CAN STILL COMPETE SUCCESSFULLY WITH NEWER HARDWARE ELSEWHERE AROUND THE
WORLD. REFORMS OF THE SPACE TROOPS WILL BE COMPLETED BY 2005.
The shock means of the Russian missile defense system are in full operational
readiness for the immediate repulse of a missile attack. The two facilities of
the missile attack warning system (MAWS) that were put into operation in 2002
will contribute to that too. This is what Russian Space Troops Commander Anatoly
Perminov said at a news conference.
"The interceptors are getting old," the Space Troops commander
admitted. "However, they all undergo a technical inspection every month,
and work is being done to prolong their service lifetimes. In 2002 a training
launch of an interceptor was carried out at the Balkhash testing ground. The
results showed the high potential of the Russian missile defense system and the
opportunities to extend its lifespan. In the meantime, industries were assigned
to update interceptors," Perminov emphasized.
Not only missiles will undergo the process of renovation, but also facilities
that are part of the MAWS system. For example, after a fire at the Space Troops
facility near the settlement of Kurilovo, Moscow region, it was decided not to
restore the destroyed equipment, but to install new hardware instead.
"We still have equipment which is almost 30 years old," Perminov
says. "However, this does not mean that it is useless. We recently
conducted a joint experiment with the Americans. From their shuttle, we released
spheres with a diameter of 5, 10, 15, and 20 centimeters. Unlike the American
system, our MAWS system was able to detect a 5- centimeter sphere at a distance
equivalent to that between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Even with their newer
equipment, our American partners are unable to match that at present..."
In 2002 the technical capacities of the Russian missile defense system
actually expanded. It gained two facilities at once, unique in their
capabilities: the Volga radar station at Baranovichi (Belarus) and the Okno
("Window") optic-electronic complex in Nurek (Tajikistan). Volga can
detect the launches of all types of strategic ballistic missiles within about
5,000 kilometers. Developed by the design bureau of the Krasnogorsk plant, the
Okno optic-electronic complex is meant for automatic detection of high-orbit
objects in space, at altitudes to 40,000 kilometers, tracking their orbits, and
determination of their class, destination, state, and origin.
Perminov noted that in 2003-05 the Space Troops would include 60- 65 military
satellites and 15-16 dual-use satellites. As a result, "silent zones"
will be completely eliminated from the Russian missile defense system.
(Translated by P. Pikhnovsky)
BACK TO THE TOP  #241 CONTENTS NEXT ARTICLE
|
