Russian Radar systems

calripson wrote:It is interesting that in ham radio ionospheric skip usually produces a signal about 2700-3000 miles away. I assume the process here is similiar. I wonder how wide an area the radar sees and if they can vary the covergae zone. For example, the radar in Mordovia is seeing Denmark. Would they have to built a radar to farther to the east to see Polish airspace ? Farther to the west to see Great Britain ? Why not put a radar of this type in Kalingrad to see the British Isles ?

Also, I would think this type of radar would be easy to spoof/jam.

sepheronx wrote:The other early warning radar just shoot a strong signal but is limited due to the curviture of the earth. OTH radar uses the ionosphere to reflect the signal so that they are not so limited. But usually the resolution is lower and quality of signals are not the best, hence the other radars are meant to work in conjunction with the OTH and are better for accurate tracking. I dunno if it runs off of UHF or VHF though. One my father help build in dew lines was VHF.

flamming_python wrote:Meh, ELF all the way. I'm the only one of you fkers to have seen it  

Duga 29B6 "Container" working on short radio waves (decameter, from 3 to 30 MHz). They are reflected from the ionosphere with small losses. For these wavelengths there is no so-called "stealth technology" (passive technology reduce radiozametnosti). Any "low observable" aircraft, ship or cruise missile will provide an excellent return signal to the same amplified secondary radiation (re-reflections inside the structure).

They consist of tens of antenna-feeder masts with a height of 30 meters. In Kovylkino line of masts stretched nearly a mile. Despite this, Duga quite mobile. Antenna mast systems can quickly enough to meet equipped sites. And all the equipment, including a powerful computing complex, located in transportable containers. Because Duga "Container" does not require special construction of capital facilities, commissioning of new plants can occur quite quickly.

In addition, "Doug" violated the radio, because it works on frequencies which are actively used throughout the world. U.S., UK and Canada have expressed even protest the Soviet Union, but without any result. In this assignment so strange radio long remained a mystery. Naturally, the headlines in the Western press quickly filled assumptions that "Russian want to influence the minds of people all over the world." And the news that the signal sent by the ionosphere, quickly led to speculation about the impact of "treacherous Russian" on the Earth's climate. Echoes of these fables and excite the minds of today, including ours.

Second-horizon system is much more sophisticated, the station became "Wave". Their appearance would have been impossible without the participation of the prominent Soviet statesman - Navy Commander Sergei Gorshkov IG. Difficulty with the first Duga led to a skeptical attitude toward him in the Soviet leadership. Sergei G. whereas this was a devotee of military technology breakthrough. His efforts in the Navy were tested first combat laser systems and systems using electromagnetic pulses as damaging factors. Although really effective samples of such weapons only appear today to merit the Soviet Navy Commander should include the fact that he was not afraid to take responsibility, giving the course developments that then seemed fantastic

In 1986, the station "Wave" started working in a test mode in the Far East (near Nakhodka). She was constantly improved, modernized its software and algorithmic complex, increased energy potential. By 1990, the station steadily detect and track aircraft carrying U.S. groups in the Pacific Ocean at distances much higher than 3000 kilometers, and individual air targets - at distances up to 2800 km

In 1999, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, in the interest of the fleet, was built new Duga "Taurus". It uses less power and signal used to detect ships and air targets at ranges up to 250 km. Development of the "Taurus" were coastal Duga "Sunflower", which is now being built in different parts of our country and even offered for export. Their range of action is about 450 km.

It was launched in pilot mode in 2002. Since that time have accumulated vast experience horizon radar, and technical facilities of the station repeatedly modernized. Currently, all major modes using it worked, and the Far East started the preparations for the construction of the station has burst "Container". There will be built more than ten such stations, which will in the short term to cover a continuous radar field, throughout the country and extensive adjacent air space.

calripson wrote:OTH radar is nothing new - it was used by the US since the 1960s and USSR from 1970s. The US disabled most OTH radar in the 1990s. The problem with it are two fold: one resolution is very bad. At ranges of 3,000 miles with even very long radar you can only locate target within kilometers of airspace. Two, it is readily spoofed so in real war I would be highly suspect that the US/NATO would not have the technology to make Russian OTH radar less than reliable.

calripson wrote:When I say disabled, I mean the US removed its own radar in the 1990s because it was felt the military value was not worth the operational cost.

Viktor wrote:because I could think of many systems Russia has and US does not. Anyway Russia withdrew its own ineffective OTH radar systems but this new breed is showing excellent results which is why 10+ are ordered with probably few more iterations in the pipes.

Viktor wrote:

Austin wrote:Can some one tell me the decameter band radar Container operate in fixed wave length say 10 or 20 or 100 m or they operate in multiple wave length between 10 to 100 m ?

SOC wrote:Where'd that come from?  I'd be interested to see what the numbers are referring to in the key.  That radar shown there should also be the trial system at Gorodets, it's not the same configuration deployed at Kovylkino.

etaepsilonk wrote:Good day, everyone   
Could you, if possible, provide me some links or information, regarding Russian "passive radars"? I'm particularly interested in Vera, and kolchuga (also, is the latter actually related to the Ukrainian version, or is it a different design?). Thank you   

Russia has significantly bolstered its western air defence capability with the standing up of a new long-range radar system and the deployment of fighter aircraft to Belarus, state media disclosed on 9 December.

A new over-the-horizon radar system is officially being trialled near the town of Kovylkino in the Russian republic of Mordovia, but is believed to be already monitoring air traffic over much of Europe and the Middle East, while a Russian Air Force (VVS) squadron of Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker' fighters recently arrived at the Baranovichi Air Base in Belarus, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

The western-facing radar at Kovylkino, known as the 29B6 Container, is a static system comprising a number of separate antenna masts that are 30 m in height and stretch for more than a kilometre. According to Russian media reports, the radar has a 3,000 km range that, when coupled with its 180° field of regard, takes in most of Europe and a large swathe of the Middle East. The same reports credit the system with being able to track airborne targets (including cruise missiles) from sea level up to 100 km (near space).

Whereas most long-range radar systems are typically restricted in their coverage by the curvature of the earth, the Container is said to avoid this problem by reflecting its short-wave radio signals (3 to 30 MHz) off the ionosphere. These signals are then bounced back from the ground, and the process repeats itself until the signal loses its energy.

According to RIA Novosti, the Container is part of the 590th separate radio-technical unit, which includes a command post, a transmission and reception antenna, and a communications and data management unit.

With the radar activated on 2 December, it is expected to be declared fully operational by the end of 2015. A second system, covering Russia's eastern air defence region, is expected to be built before the end of the decade.

On the same day that the turning on of the Container radar was disclosed, Russia announced it had deployed a squadron of Su-27s to Belarus for the first time, as part of a bilateral defence agreement between the two countries. Four fighters will be on permanent stand-by at the Baranovichi Air Base near Belarus' borders with Lithuania and Poland.

These fighters will be joined by 2015 by further aircraft, to be stationed at a new Russian air base in Belarus. The facility in northwest Belarus will be the first Russian base in the country since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Of all the former Soviet republics, Belarus has kept the closest political and military ties with Moscow. Through the Union State agreement of 1999, Belarus and Russia have furthered their political, economic, and social integration. A consequence of this agreement is that the former Soviet republic has almost become the de facto first line of defence in the west for its much larger neighbour. To this end, Russia has already provided Belarus with new state-of-the-art, ground-based air defence units, such as the S-400 Triumf (SA-21 'Growler') surface-to-air missile (SAM) system and agreed to provide it with Yakovlev Yak-130 'Mitten' advanced jet trainer/light attack aircraft (to be delivered in 2015).

This build-up of Russia's air defences (in the west, particularly) ties in with increasingly bellicose statements regarding the global military balance of power and the proposed European missile defence shield that have been emanating out of Moscow in recent months and weeks. Russia does not regard the European missile defence shield as being a purely defensive system, and RIA Novosti quoted President Vladimir Putin as warning at the annual State of the Nation address on 12 December that foreign attempts to secure a military advantage over Russia "would be futile".

Arrow wrote:The question is how accurate is this radar? Do you think that can detect cruise missiles flight low to the ground?

Developed by NPK NIIDAR, also responsible for the 77Ya6DM Voronezh-DM BMEW radar system, Container provides extremely long-range airspace monitoring to a range of 3,000 km.

Following completion of initial development and trials, the first production system entered initial operational service on 2 December. The initial system is aligned on a bearing of 240 degrees for monitoring airspace west of Russia. A second 29B6, currently under construction in Russia's Eastern Military District, is scheduled for service entry in 2018.

The 29B6 is a bi-static system, featuring transmitter and receiver stations separated by approximately 250 km. The 440 m wide transmitter, sited near Gorodets on the outskirts of Nizhny Novgorod, incorporates 36 elements of varying configuration.

The Kovylkino receiver features a 1,300 m wide array composed of numerous 35 m tall elements. The array features three sections. The inner section is 900 m wide with 7 m spacing between elements, and is flanked on either side by a 200 m wide section with 14 m spacing.

Transmission frequency is between 3 and 30 MHz, the signal reflected off the ionosphere to provide the OTH capability. By incorporating a single signal reflection, NPK NIIDAR designers assert that accuracy is significantly improved over earlier Cold War-era OTH systems. Older OTH systems incorporated multiple signal reflections to obtain significantly greater range for the ballistic missile early warning (BMEW) role.