Russia will modernize
an early warning radar station located near Sevastopol in Crimea to detect
possible missile launches from the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, according
to the newspaper Izvestia.
The Russian
Defense Ministry plans to restore and modernize the Dnepr early warning
radar station near Sevastopol, Crimea, the newspaper Izvestia quoted a source in the military-industrial complex as saying
on Tuesday.
When restored, the station will be capable
of tracking down hypersonic, cruise and ballistic missiles launched
from ships in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea at ranges of up to 3,000 kilometers.
The source said that the Dnepr station's equipment will
operate in the super-high frequency band, which is expected
to increase the effectiveness of the Russian radar station
in the city of Armavir, which operates in the ultra-high
frequency band.
Izvestia quoted military expert Vadim Kozyulin
as saying that the Dnepr radar station will help provide Russia
with all-round defense against sophisticated missile attacks.
" For example, it takes a US Tomahawk
cruise missile
about two hours to reach Moscow, and duly detecting such a missile
will be precisely the task of the new Russian radar station
near Sevastopol," Kozyulin said.
The Dnepr early warning radar was built in 1968 and
was used to monitor the Black Sea, Southern and Central Europe,
as well as parts of the Middle East.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 it was transferred to Ukrainian sovereignty,
but continued to provide data for the Russian military
under lease.
In 2009, Russia cancelled the deal due to the fact
that the Dnepr radar's coverage could be substituted by a new Voronezh
radar station in Armavir.
Source: Sputnik News 17-05-2016
