MOSCOW. Jan 21 (Interfax-AVN) - The Volga radar in the Belarussian city of Baranovichi and the Okno optronics system in the Tajik town of Nurek, both put on test duty in 2002, will start accomplishing combat missions in the first half of 2003, Russian Space Forces Commander Anatoly Perminov told reporters in Moscow on Tuesday.
In response to a question from Interfax-Military News Agency, Perminov said that Volga and Okno are already accomplishing all combat missions. The service of crews at the facilities is identical to that at facilities on combat duty. Volga will be put on combat duty in late January to early February and Okno in the first half of 2003, the commander said.
According to Perminov, assets in the Space Forces inventory ensure control over the entire range of space objects, as well as full monitoring of the outer space. He said that the Magnit radio system would be commissioned and put on combat duty and the Soyuz- 2 (Rus) space launcher system would be completed in 2003. Rus will deliver military and dual-use satellites from the Plesetsk space center in northern European Russia.
According to experts, the Volga radar is capable of tracking, identifying and positioning targets in the Western direction in an azimuthal sector of 120 degrees. Specialists say the Volga has high precision thanks to its digital computers. The radar is modular, which makes it possible to set it up gradually and upgrade it in the field. Experts believe that Volga's putting on combat duty will fix the hole in the northwestern strategic theater, created by the decommissioning of a similar radar in the Latvian town of Skrunda.
Okno is a specialized element of the space control system and is intended for search for and automatic detection of space objects at altitudes of up to 40,000 kilometers. Okno was launched in 1979. However, the work was suspended in 1992 to 1995 due to the political situation in Tajikistan. For Russia, Okno's commissioning will make it possible to detect high-orbit space objects. Only Russia and the U.S. have such systems. They can be used for controlling space objects, collecting data on them, detecting their orbits, classes, intents, status, as well as the national and corporate origin.