MOSCOW. Jan 31 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sergei Ivnov will visit a new-generation radar in the Leningrad region on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency.
Ivanov will study the progress in the construction of the radar, which will cover Russia's northwestern regions when completed, the spokesman said.
He is expected to hear the report of Space Forces Commander Vladimir Popovkin on development prospects of the missile attack early warning system, the spokesman noted.
Ivanov earlier told reporters that construction of new radars is an important national security issue. "We will simply go blind without up-to-date radars," he said last week.
Earlier reports said that the first VHF-band new-generation radar would be deployed near St. Petersburg. A UHF-band radar is under construction in Southern Russia.
Radars of this type are to replace radars of a previous generation such as Dnerp and Daryal, including those deployed abroad, for instance, in Azerbaijan's Gabala or in Ukraine.
The new radars are different from Dnepr and Daryal-type systems, which form the core of over-the-horizon segment of the missile attack warning network, in having a short deployment period, advanced reliability and independence of operation. New-generation radars make it possible to reduce maintenance and operation expenses by 40 percent. The technology is also peculiar for short terms and low expenses on construction. These radars are more compact and require smaller capital investments in deployment.
Ivanov earlier said that the commissioning of a new radar in Southern Russia will eliminate the country's dependency on the information coming from missile attack early warning facilities in Azerbaijan and Ukraine.