SURROUNDED BY MYSTERY
The space missile attack warning system (SPRN) is not used to receiving journalists. More precisely, in the 50 years of its existence, media representatives have been here only twice. The first time was in February of this year, when the half-century anniversary of the early warning system was celebrated. And the second time – also this year, on the eve of October 4, when the Space Forces celebrated the non-circular 64 years.
To say that there is a lot of state secrets in this military unit means to say nothing. The secretaries controlled every word of the speakers, watched the filmed videos, photographs, listened to the dictaphone records. The corner of the monitor is in the frame – the frame is in the basket.
“That's what you need to understand,” says Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Shestopalov, deputy commander for armaments. – We serve here so that not a single rocket launch on planet earth goes unnoticed.
PLATES UNDER THE BALLS
We rise to the roof of the main building of the unit. There is an antenna-ball, which can be seen on ships and in observatories. And around – for kilometers, a whole bunch of such balls (the exact number and even the order is a mystery). For astronomers, such balls open up and release a telescope. And here, under impenetrable balls, are giant 300-ton dish antennas. The balls are made of a special material that transmits any waves. And they are needed to protect the antennas from rain, snow and enemy eyes from heaven.
We want a dome – such an attraction of unprecedented openness. In the twilight a colossus hangs overhead – already the heart stops. A giant network of reinforcement holds the huge plate, mechanisms are able to make it move. The attendant presses the button, and the colossus, with a measured buzz, begins to ransack the sky.
A few floors below, the duty shift glares at the monitors.
The Russian Ministry of Defense showed how the missile attack warning system works
Komsomolskaya Pravda Other videos SHARE Tweet SHARE SHARE EMAIL What else to see
-
Natalia Poklonskaya answered questions about working in Cape Verde
TVNZ
-
Natalia Poklonskaya spoke out against the death penalty in Russia
TVNZ
-
Britney Spears: deprived of all rights
TVNZ
-
Guzeeva showed a video from the red zone of Kommunarka
TVNZ
-
A man climbed under the roof of one of the terminals in Vnukovo to a height of 30 meters
TVNZ
-
In Vnukovo, a drunken extreme climbed to a height of 30 meters
TVNZ
-
Sergei Kabakovich – about the murder of a KGB officer in Belarus
TVNZ
-
A Russian died while rescuing a girlfriend in a violent storm on the coast of Spanish Torrevieja
TVNZ
-
Londoners waiting in long lines frustrated by petrol shortages
TVNZ
-
Dealers selling barrels of marijuana arrested
TVNZ
-
Putin rested in the taiga with Shoigu
TVNZ
-
I want Larisa Andreevna!
TVNZ
-
Lavrov said that the Russian Federation and the United States are in contact on the issue of a possible visit of Nuland to Moscow
TVNZ
-
Lavrov: Mali authorities turned to PMCs from Russia for help in the fight against terrorism
TVNZ
-
Music was turned on at the site of the uncoordinated rally in Moscow
TVNZ
Click to Expand Repeat Video
-
Natalia Poklonskaya answered questions about working in Cape Verde Natalya Poklonskaya answered questions about working in Cape Verde
Natalia Poklonskaya spoke out against the death penalty in Russia Natalia Poklonskaya spoke out against the death penalty in Russia
Britney Spears: Disenfranchised The famous pop diva of the 2000s Britney Spears has been under the tutelage of her father for 12 years. Only, as it turned out, it was not at all caring for the daughter …
FOLLOWING
– Target type – ballistic missile. The coordinates of the launch point correspond to the US Warren missile base. The accompaniment time is 32 seconds, – the reports sound loud and clear. Of course, this is just training now. But the shift at the brigade on duty is real. Work goes on here around the clock – 24.7. And in the event of a real threat, not a single missile will escape or go unpunished.
SEE EVERYTHING THAT IS BURNING
How it works? Each antenna is associated with one of the satellites in a constellation called the Dome. It is this bundle that is the basis of the early warning system. The spacecraft monitors what is happening on its part of the planet around the clock, using infrared sensors, it records thermal radiation. Technologies, which, as you might guess, are a secret, make it possible to distinguish a rocket launch from a fire or lighter flame.
When a satellite hovering above the ground detects a rocket launch, it immediately transmits information to the “dish”. That “raises the alarm” – special systems calculate the trajectory and speed of the rocket. They calculate whether she is flying into the territory of Russia. God forbid – in this case, ground-based radars come into play, they lead the target, transfer it to the air defense missile systems, which are ready to destroy the uninvited guest at any time.
In general, the SPRN satellites are sentinels that detect the smoke in the enemy's camp and immediately report this to the command. And after that, all the algorithms that prevent the rocket from crossing our border come into effect. By the way, the system can track missile launches both on land and at sea, even from a submerged position and from an aircraft. If only there was thermal radiation that could be analyzed.
“We see everything that burns,” says Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Shestopalov. – By the way, we can record not only rocket launches, but also a lot of events that occur on the ground. But this is already a secret.
– And how long does it take from the detection of a launch to the information arriving at the decision-making center? I ask.
– This is very secret information, – the lieutenant colonel threw up his hands. – I will say this: due to the efficiency of the system, there is enough time to make this very decision.
FALSE ALARMS – ALMOST LIKE REAL
There is an agreement between the states according to which it is customary to warn partners about this before a training launch. In this case, the SPRN calmly accompanies the rocket from start to finish. However, not all comply with these agreements. For example, North Korea never warns anyone. And China, which launches quite a few missiles, does not always warn. And then the early warning missile system includes all the required procedures, in fact, it goes into an emergency mode of operation, until it is convinced that the launch is not directed against Russia. False alarms are becoming a big part of the operator's job. As we were told in the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense, this year alone, more than 110 launches of ballistic missiles and space rockets were detected.
CONTINUOUS RADAR FIELD CREATED IN RUSSIA
The space part of the early warning system is the first stage in the suppression of a possible missile attack. It is followed by ground-based radar stations (radars), each of which must guide the target in its own direction. To date, 10 radars in Russia have managed to create a continuous radar field, which ensures guaranteed detection of attacking ballistic missiles in all strategic directions.
The ground echelon of the early warning system is based on a network of new generation Voronezh radars, which are on alert in the Leningrad, Kaliningrad, Irkutsk, Orenburg regions, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk and Altai regions. The modernized radar station “Dnepr” in the Murmansk region, “Daryal” in the Komi Republic and “Volga” in the Republic of Belarus also continue to be on alert as part of the ground echelon of the early warning system.
