Liana targeting system. “Space reconnaissance”: what the Russian military will see from orbit
It doesn’t matter that Sauron is a negative hero for America. Russia is also a negative hero for its Western neighbors. Why not live because of what they invent for themselves? negative heroes? It’s better to do the opposite: hang the eye of Sauron over America, and let her try to get it in space.
They started first anyway
It is unlikely that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu went into such analyzes of modern American mythology when, at a recent conference call, he announced the need to deploy a strong orbital constellation of military satellites. This was, of course, a press statement:
Only with support from space can the greatest effectiveness of actions be achieved Armed Forces. Therefore we devote special attention this direction activities." And the press, accordingly, had to, by its nature, convey the signal to the West, no matter who they presented themselves as - light elves, gnomes or a "bright city on a hill."
The signal is extremely simple: did you hear what our president said about our new weapons? So: in vain you decided that without voluminous space tracking, communication and control systems it would not be scary for you. Firstly, such systems exist, and secondly, what we are saying is that “our army and navy must not only meet the requirements today, but also to be prepared for tomorrow’s methods of conducting armed struggle.”
Putin showed the West his "Dagger"
“Of course, the solution to this problem directly depends on the availability of a modern orbital constellation of military satellites,” Shoigu agreed with behind-the-scenes skeptics. After which the press was spared from further monitoring the exchange of opinions, and specific orders were given behind closed doors.
But one thing was made clear in the so-called “motivational” part: you, our precious partners, have decided that you can launch weapons and any orbital equipment into space to support combat operations on Earth? Why did you decide that you have a monopoly on this? So, excuse me, but you started it, and we will answer.
How will we answer?
IN open mode At that conference call the names of the devices were pronounced: “Pion-NKS” and “Bars-M”.
It’s also no coincidence, of course. This is what these systems are.
In total, the orbital military group includes about 140 reconnaissance satellites. This is said by official data, which does not say everything and does not say everything. The Americans, of course, have their own system for monitoring objects in space, and they also have a system for informing each other about the purpose and coordinates of the devices. So that surprises don't happen. But no one forces us to talk about the second or third purpose of the devices.
The Bars-M satellite is part of a system of specialized reconnaissance satellites that are engaged in observation and detailed photography of the Earth's surface. This is a continuation of the previous, unreached platform optical reconnaissance"Bars" - with its own propulsion system and a powerful optical system.
"Pion-NKS" together with the unmentioned "Lotos-S" work for the space reconnaissance and target designation system "Liana". “Lotuses” cover electronic reconnaissance and intercept enemy data transmissions and negotiations via any, including closed, communication channels. "Peonies" monitor the movements of enemy military equipment on the ground, in the air and in the ocean. The information they transmit is accepted by the Liana system, which processes it and transmits the coordinates of potential targets to command post in real time.
This just means that the as-yet-unnamed eternal cruise missile can calmly circle in the air on its ramjet nuclear engine, and Avangard can launch its nuclear hypersonic gliders in any desired location - they will receive target designations on time and completely. So, dear Western “partners,” don’t worry and don’t get your hopes up. Space is ours.
The Eye of Sauron in the Pentagon safes
But, according to some data, Russia’s modern space surveillance system for the United States has somewhat greater capabilities than those mentioned in open sources. They say that our satellites can distinguish targets up to three meters in size. Cars, that is, can be tracked. This, of course, is an epic version, if you don’t know that the USSR also had devices that distinguished Israeli tanks from Egyptian during the "War doomsday", that is, in 1973. Today's systems from orbit can scan the pads on the chests of American generals, and use them to track record issue.
So, this year the creation of the Liana system is planned to be completed completely. They say the Arsenal machine-building plant has already begun mass-producing satellites for it. Moreover, these satellites are of a new system. The fourth generation, which replaced the Persona system.
And in development, judging by targeted leaks, there are already fifth-generation devices that can generally look, figuratively speaking, into the safes of any enemy military department. No, not steel ones, of course; technology is unlikely to ever achieve such miracles. It will be quite difficult to dangle the bugbear from geostationary orbit. But since “safes” are increasingly electronic these days, the new Russian space reconnaissance system will be able to dig into them with great pleasure.
Actually, this is what Sergei Shoigu hinted at when he named the names of his satellites.
From Russian missiles now you can't even hideUS aircraft carriers
photo from space
Recently, the head of the Pentagon, Leon Panetta, stated the truism: “Any fifth grader knows that the US carrier strike group is not capable of destroying any of the existing powers in the world.”
Leon Panetta
Indeed, American AUGs are invulnerable, because aviation “sees” further than any ground (and sea) radar system. They quickly manage to “detect” the enemy and do whatever their heart desires from the air.
US carrier strike group
However, ours managed to find a way to “put black marks” on the American fleet - from space. In the late 70s, the USSR created the Legend naval space reconnaissance and target designation system, which could point a missile at any ship in the World Ocean. Due to the fact that high-resolution optical technologies were not available at that time, these satellites had to be launched into a very low orbit (400 km) and powered by a nuclear reactor. The complexity of the energy scheme predetermined the fate of the entire program - in 1993, “Legend” ceased to “cover” even half of the maritime strategic directions, and in 1998 the last device ceased service. However, in 2008 the project was revived and already on new, more efficient physical principles. As a result, by the end of this year, Russia will be able to destroy any American aircraft carrier anywhere on the planet within three hours with an accuracy of 3 meters.
The United States made a safe bet on the aircraft carrier fleet - the “poultry farms”, together with the missile escort of the destroyers, became inaccessible and extremely mobile floating armies. Even the powerful Soviet navy there was no hope of competing with the American on equal terms. Despite the presence in the USSR Navy of submarines (nuclear submarine pr. 675, pr. 661 “Anchar”, diesel submarine pr. 671), missile cruisers, coastal complexes RCC, large fleet missile boats, as well as numerous anti-ship missile systems P-6, P-35, P-70, P-500, there was no confidence in the guaranteed defeat of the AUG. Special combat units could not correct the situation - the problem was reliable over-the-horizon detection of targets, their selection and provision of accurate target designation for approaching cruise missiles.
nuclear "Poultry Farm" type "Nimitz"
The use of aviation to guide anti-ship missiles did not solve the problem: the ship's helicopter had limited opportunities, moreover, was extremely vulnerable to carrier-based aviation. The Tu-95RTs reconnaissance aircraft, despite its excellent capabilities, was ineffective - the aircraft required many hours to arrive in a given area of the World Ocean, and again the reconnaissance aircraft became an easy target for fast carrier-based interceptors.
TU-95RTs
Modification |
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Wingspan, m |
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Height, m |
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Wing area, m2 |
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Weight, kg |
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empty plane |
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maximum takeoff |
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Engine type |
4 TVD NK-12MV |
Thrust, kgf |
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Maximum speed, km/h |
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Cruising speed, km/h |
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Flight range, km |
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without refueling |
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with refueling |
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Practical ceiling, m |
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Crew, people |
Such an inevitable factor as weather conditions, finally undermined the confidence of the Soviet military in the proposed target designation system based on a helicopter and reconnaissance aircraft. There was only one way out - to monitor the situation in the World Ocean from space.
The largest companies were involved in the work on the project scientific centers countries - Physics and Energy Institute and Institute atomic energy them. I.V. Kurchatova. Calculations of orbital parameters were carried out under the leadership of Academician Keldysh. The parent organization was the Design Bureau of V.N. Chelomeya. Development of nuclear onboard power plant was carried out at OKB-670 (NPO "Red Star"). At the beginning of 1970, the Leningrad Arsenal plant produced the first prototypes. The radar reconnaissance device was put into service in 1975, and the radio reconnaissance satellite in 1978. In 1983, the last component of the system was put into service - supersonic anti-ship missile P-700 "Granite".
Supersonic anti-ship missile P-700 "Granit"
In 1982 unified system has been tested in action. During the Falklands War, data from space satellites allowed the command of the Soviet Navy to monitor the operational and tactical situation in the South Atlantic, accurately calculate the actions of the British fleet, and even predict with an accuracy of several hours the time and place of the landing of the British landing force in the Falklands. The orbital grouping, together with the ship's information receiving points, ensured the detection of ships and the issuance of target designation for missile weapons.
The first type of satellite US-P (“guided satellite - passive”, index GRAU 17F17) is an electronic reconnaissance complex created for detecting and direction finding objects with electromagnetic radiation. The second type of satellite US-A (“managed satellite - active”, index GRAU 17F16) was equipped with a two-way side-view radar, providing all-weather and 24-hour detection of surface targets. The low operating orbit (which excluded the use of bulky solar panels) and the need for a powerful and uninterrupted energy source (solar batteries could not work on the shady side of the Earth) determined the type of onboard power source - the BES-5 Buk nuclear reactor with a thermal power of 100 kW (electric power - 3 kW, estimated operating time - 1080 hours).
On September 18, 1977, the Cosmos-954 spacecraft was successfully launched from Baikonur - the active satellite of the Legend ICRC. For a whole month "Cosmos-954" worked on space orbit, together with Cosmos-252. On October 28, 1977, the satellite suddenly lost control of ground control services. All attempts to guide him to success did not lead. It was also not possible to put it into the “disposal orbit”. At the beginning of January 1978, the instrument compartment depressurized spacecraft, “Cosmos-954” was completely out of order and stopped responding to requests from Earth. An uncontrolled descent of a satellite with a nuclear reactor on board began.
Spacecraft "Cosmos-954"
The Western world looked into the night sky in horror, expecting to see a falling death star. Everyone was discussing when and where the flying reactor would fall. Russian Roulette has begun. Early in the morning On January 24, Cosmos 954 crashed over Canada, showering the province of Alberta with radioactive debris. Fortunately for Canadians, Alberta is a northern, sparsely populated province; local population was not injured. Of course, an international scandal occurred, the USSR paid symbolic compensation and for the next three years refused to launch US-A. However, in 1982, a similar accident occurred on board the Cosmos-1402 satellite. This time the spacecraft sank safely in the waves of the Atlantic. If the fall had started 20 minutes earlier, Cosmos 1402 would have landed in Switzerland.
Fortunately, no more serious accidents with “Russian flying reactors” were recorded. In case of emergency situations, the reactors were separated and transferred to a “disposal orbit” without incident. In total, under the “Maritime Space Reconnaissance and Targeting System” program, 39 launches (including test ones) of US-A radar reconnaissance satellites with nuclear reactors on board, of which 27 were successful. As a result, the US-A reliably controlled the surface situation in the World Ocean in the 80s. Last run The launch of a spacecraft of this type took place on March 14, 1988.
IN present moment as part of the space group Russian Federation There are only passive signals intelligence satellites US-P. The last of them, Kosmos-2421, was launched on June 25, 2006, and was unsuccessful. According to official information, there were minor problems on board due to incomplete deployment of the solar panels.
During the period of chaos of the 90s and underfunding of the first half of the 2000s, Legend ceased to exist - in 1993, Legend ceased to “cover” even half of the maritime strategic directions, and in 1998 the last active device was buried. However, without it it was impossible to talk about any effective counteraction. American Navy, not to mention the fact that we have become blind - military intelligence was left without an eye, and the country's defense capability deteriorated sharply.
"Cosmos-2421"
The reconnaissance and target designation systems were returned to life in 2006, when the government instructed the Ministry of Defense to study the issue from the point of view of using new optical technologies for precise detection. 125 enterprises from 12 industries were involved in the work, the working name is “Liana”. In 2008, a well-developed project was ready, and in 2009, the first experimental launch took place and the experimental vehicle was placed into a given orbit. New system more universal - due to the higher orbit it can scan not only large objects in the ocean, which the Soviet “Legend” was capable of, and any object up to 1 meter in size anywhere on the planet. The accuracy has increased more than 100 times - up to 3 meters. And at the same time, no nuclear reactors that pose a threat to the Earth's ecosystem.
In 2013, Roscosmos and the Russian Ministry of Defense completed the experimental creation of Liana in orbit and began debugging its systems. According to the plan, by the end of this year the system will be 100% operational. It consists of four newest radar reconnaissance satellites, which will be based at an altitude of about 1 thousand km above the surface of the planet and constantly scan ground, air and sea space for the presence of enemy objects.
“Four satellites of the Liana system - two Peonies and two Lotuses - will detect enemy objects - planes, ships, cars - in real time. The coordinates of these targets will be transmitted to the command post, where a virtual card real time. In the event of war, high-precision strikes will be carried out against these objects,” a representative of the General Staff explained the principle of operation of the system.
There was also a “first pancake”. “The first Lotos-S satellite with the index 14F138 had a number of shortcomings. After being launched into orbit, it turned out that almost half of it was not functioning. on-board systems. Therefore, we demanded that the developers bring the equipment to perfection,” said the representative Space Force, which are now included in the Aerospace Defense. Experts explained that all the satellite’s shortcomings were associated with shortcomings in software satellite “Our programmers have completely redesigned the software package and have already reflashed the first Lotus. Now the military has no complaints against him,” the Ministry of Defense said.
Satellite "Lotos-S"
Another satellite for the Liana system was launched into orbit in the fall of 2013 - Lotos-S 14F145, which intercepts data transmissions, including enemy communications ( electronic intelligence), and in 2014, the promising radar reconnaissance satellite Pion-NKS 14F139, which is capable of detecting an object the size of car on any surface. By 2015, Liana will include another Pion, thus expanding the size of the system’s constellation to four satellites. After reaching the design mode, the Liana system will completely replace the outdated Legend-Tselina system. It will increase by an order of magnitude the capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces to detect and destroy enemy targets.
Sergey Tikhonov “Expert Online”
Now even US aircraft carriers cannot hide from Russian missiles. The project of the maritime space reconnaissance and target designation system “Liana” has entered the launch stage, I think many will be interested in reading. I am very glad that construction of a more advanced and reliable replacement for the Legend system is being completed!
Recently, Pentagon chief Leon Panetta stated the truism: “ Any fifth grader knows that US aircraft carrier strike groups are not capable of destroying any of the existing powers in the world" Indeed, American AUGs are invulnerable, because aviation “sees” further than any ground (and sea) radar system. They quickly manage to “detect” the enemy and do whatever their heart desires from the air.
However, Soviet (Russian) scientists managed to find a way to “put black marks” on the American fleet - from space. In the late 70s, the USSR created the Legend naval space reconnaissance and target designation system, which could point a missile at any ship in the World Ocean. Due to the fact that high-resolution optical technologies were not available at that time, these satellites had to be launched into a very low orbit (400 km) and powered by a nuclear reactor.
The complexity of the energy scheme predetermined the fate of the entire program - in 1993, “Legend” ceased to “cover” even half of the maritime strategic directions, and in 1998 the last device ceased service. However, in 2008, the project was revived using new, more efficient physical principles. As a result, by the end of 2014, Russia will be able to destroy any American aircraft carrier anywhere on the planet within three hours with an accuracy of 3 meters.
The United States made a safe bet on the aircraft carrier fleet - the “poultry farms”, together with the missile escort of the destroyers, became inaccessible and extremely mobile floating armies. Even the powerful Soviet navy had no hope of competing with the American one on an equal footing.
Despite the presence in the USSR Navy of submarines (nuclear submarine pr. 675, pr. 661 "Anchar", DPL pr. 671), missile cruisers, coastal anti-ship missile systems, a large fleet of missile boats, as well as numerous anti-ship missile systems P-6, P -35, P-70, P-500, there was no confidence in the guaranteed defeat of the AUG. Special combat units could not correct the situation - the problem was reliable over-the-horizon detection of targets, their selection and ensuring accurate target designation for incoming cruise missiles.
The use of aviation to guide anti-ship missiles did not solve the problem: the ship's helicopter had limited capabilities, moreover, it was extremely vulnerable to carrier-based aircraft. The Tu-95RTs reconnaissance aircraft, despite its excellent capabilities, was ineffective - the aircraft required many hours to arrive in a given area of the World Ocean, and again the reconnaissance aircraft became an easy target for fast carrier-based interceptors. Such an inevitable factor as weather conditions completely undermined the confidence of the Soviet military in the proposed target designation system based on a helicopter and reconnaissance aircraft. There was only one way out - to monitor the situation in the World Ocean from space.
The largest scientific centers of the country were involved in the work on the project - the Institute of Physics and Energy and the Institute of Atomic Energy named after. I.V. Kurchatova. Calculations of orbital parameters were carried out under the leadership of Academician Keldysh. The parent organization was the Design Bureau of V.N. Chelomeya. The development of a nuclear on-board power plant was carried out at OKB-670 (NPO Krasnaya Zvezda).
At the beginning of 1970, the Leningrad Arsenal plant produced the first prototypes. The radar reconnaissance device was put into service in 1975, and the radio reconnaissance satellite in 1978. In 1983, the last component of the system, the P-700 Granit supersonic anti-ship missile, was put into service.
Supersonic anti-ship missile P-700 "Granit"
In 1982, the unified system was tested in action. During the Falklands War, data from space satellites allowed the command of the Soviet Navy to monitor the operational and tactical situation in the South Atlantic, accurately calculate the actions of the British fleet, and even predict the time and place of the English landing on the Falklands with an accuracy of several hours. The orbital grouping, together with the ship's information receiving points, ensured the detection of ships and the issuance of target designation for missile weapons.
First type of satellite US-P(“guided satellite - passive”, index GRAU 17F17) is a radio reconnaissance complex designed to detect and find direction objects with electromagnetic radiation. Second type of satellite US-A(“managed satellite - active”, index GRAU 17F16) was equipped with a two-way side-view radar, providing all-weather and 24-hour detection of surface targets.
The low operating orbit (which excluded the use of bulky solar panels) and the need for a powerful and uninterrupted energy source (solar batteries could not work on the shadow side of the Earth) determined the type of onboard power source - the BES-5 Buk nuclear reactor with a thermal power of 100 kW (electric power – 3 kW, estimated operating time – 1080 hours).
On September 18, 1977, the Cosmos-954 spacecraft, an active satellite of the Legend ICRC, was successfully launched from Baikonur. For a whole month, Kosmos-954 worked in space orbit, together with Kosmos-252. On October 28, 1977, the satellite suddenly lost control of ground control services. All attempts to guide him to success did not lead. It was also not possible to put it into the “disposal orbit”.
At the beginning of January 1978, the instrument compartment of the spacecraft depressurized; Kosmos-954 was completely out of order and stopped responding to requests from Earth. An uncontrolled descent of a satellite with a nuclear reactor on board began.
Spacecraft "Cosmos-954"
The Western world looked into the night sky in horror, expecting to see a falling death star. Everyone was discussing when and where the flying reactor would fall. Russian Roulette has begun. In the early morning of January 24, Cosmos 954 collapsed over Canadian territory, showering the province of Alberta with radioactive debris. Fortunately for Canadians, Alberta is a northern, sparsely populated province and no locals were harmed.
Of course, an international scandal occurred, the USSR paid symbolic compensation and for the next three years refused to launch US-A. However, in 1982, a similar accident occurred again on board the Cosmos-1402 satellite. This time the spacecraft sank safely in the waves of the Atlantic. If the fall had started 20 minutes earlier, Cosmos 1402 would have landed in Switzerland.
Fortunately, no more serious accidents with “Russian flying reactors” were recorded. In case of emergency situations, the reactors were separated and transferred to a “disposal orbit” without incident. In total, under the “Maritime Space Reconnaissance and Target Designation System” program, 39 launches (including test ones) of US-A radar reconnaissance satellites with nuclear reactors on board were carried out, of which 27 were successful. As a result, the US-A reliably controlled the surface situation in the World Ocean in the 80s. The last launch of a spacecraft of this type took place on March 14, 1988.
At the moment, the space constellation of the Russian Federation includes only passive electronic intelligence satellites US-P. The last of them, Kosmos-2421, was launched on June 25, 2006, and was unsuccessful. According to official information, minor problems occurred on board due to incomplete deployment of the solar panels.
During the period of chaos of the 90s and underfunding of the first half of the 2000s, Legend ceased to exist - in 1993, Legend ceased to “cover” even half of the maritime strategic directions, and in 1998 the last active device was buried. However, without it, it was impossible to talk about any effective counteraction to the American fleet, not to mention the fact that we became blind - military intelligence was left without an eye, and the country’s defense capability sharply deteriorated.
Passive electronic reconnaissance satellite "Cosmos-2421"
The reconnaissance and target designation systems were returned to life in 2006, when the government instructed the Ministry of Defense to study the issue from the point of view of using new optical technologies for precise detection. 125 enterprises from 12 industries were involved in the work, the working name is “Liana”. In 2008, a well-developed project was ready, and in 2009, the first experimental launch took place and the experimental vehicle was placed into a given orbit.
The new system is more universal - due to its higher orbit, it can scan not only large objects in the ocean, which the Soviet Legend was capable of, but also any object up to 1 meter in size anywhere on the planet. The accuracy has increased more than 100 times – up to 3 meters. And at the same time, no nuclear reactors that pose a threat to the Earth's ecosystem.
In 2013, Roscosmos and the Russian Ministry of Defense completed the experimental creation of Liana in orbit and began debugging its systems. According to the plan, by the end of 2014 the system will be 100% operational. It consists of four newest radar reconnaissance satellites, which will be based at an altitude of about 1 thousand km above the surface of the planet and constantly scan ground, air and sea space for the presence of enemy objects.
« Four satellites of the Liana system - two Peonies and two Lotuses - will detect enemy objects - planes, ships, cars - in real time. The coordinates of these targets will be transmitted to the command post, where a virtual real-time map will be formed. In the event of war, precision strikes will be carried out against these targets“- explained the principle of operation of the system by a representative of the General Staff.
There was also a “first pancake”. " The first Lotos-S satellite with the index 14F138 had a number of shortcomings. After being launched into orbit, it turned out that almost half of its on-board systems were not functioning. Therefore, we demanded that the developers bring the equipment to perfection“said a representative of the Space Forces, which are now included in the Aerospace Defense. Experts explained that all the satellite’s shortcomings were associated with flaws in the satellite’s software. " Our programmers have completely redesigned the software package and have already reflashed the first Lotus. Now the military has no complaints against him", - said the Ministry of Defense.
Satellite "Lotos-S"
Another satellite for the Liana system was launched into orbit in the fall of 2013 - Lotos-S 14F145, which intercepts data transmissions, including enemy communications (radio intelligence), and in 2014 a promising radar reconnaissance satellite will go into space. Pion-NKS" 14F139, which is capable of detecting an object the size of a car on any surface.
By 2015, Liana will include another Pion, thus expanding the size of the system’s constellation to four satellites. After reaching the design mode, the Liana system will completely replace the outdated Legend-Tselina system. It will increase by an order of magnitude the capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces to detect and destroy enemy targets.
As stated by the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, in the near future Russia will create a new system space reconnaissance and target designation "Liana".
In 1978, the deployment of the Legend naval space reconnaissance and target designation systems (MRKTS) began in the Soviet Union. Over the next ten years, a group of more than 30 spacecraft was launched into space. The MRKTs included two types of satellites - US-P, intended for electronic reconnaissance, and US-A - for active radar reconnaissance, equipped with their own radars. The satellites had a mass of about 5 tons and were equipped with nuclear batteries. The MRKTs "Legend" system was intended to detect large groups surface ships(primarily aircraft carriers) of a potential enemy, and most importantly, provided target designation for large surface ships and submarines armed with supersonic heavy anti-ship missiles (ASM) long range. In particular, the possibility of firing anti-ship missiles "Basalt", "Granit" and "Vulcan" at maximum range(exceeding 500 kilometers) was provided primarily by this system.
"Legend" has shown its high efficiency in detecting large groups of surface ships. For example, using "Legend" Soviet fleet in 1982, almost continuous monitoring of the British fleet was carried out during the Falklands War and the time and place of the British landing on the Falkland Islands was extremely accurately predicted.
However, in 2001, due to the expiration of its service life, the Legend ICRC system was liquidated, and the satellites, which had largely exhausted their service life, were removed from orbit and burned up in dense layers atmosphere.
Back in the 1990s, the design of a new MRCC system began, however economic situation those years demanded that this project be shelved. In addition, the customer constantly made changes to the project, including the adaptation of new satellites to one or another launch vehicle. The first Lotos-S satellite of the new Liana system was launched into orbit in 2009, but its equipment was largely crude and ineffective. The launch of new satellites in the system was delayed for several years because... significant modification of the complex was required. According to some unconfirmed reports, since 2009, several satellites of the new Liana space reconnaissance system have been launched into orbit.
Apparently, the Ministry of Defense has now decided to take the issue of deploying a new space reconnaissance system “seriously.” As the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense stated, the deployment and maintenance of an orbital constellation for military purposes is one of the most important government tasks, and also stated that the success of these tasks directly depends on the quality work of developers and manufacturers space technology.
The Liana system includes two types of satellites: Lotos-S for electronic reconnaissance and Pion-NSK for active radar reconnaissance. According to available information, at the moment the Russian orbital constellation includes 4 satellites of the Liana system - two Lotuses and two Pions. Obviously, the plans of the Ministry of Defense provide for a significant increase in the number of satellites and the “full-fledged” deployment of the Liana system in orbit. This system will replace the satellites of the radio-technical intelligence system of the Main Intelligence Directorate, and will also replace the decommissioned ICRC “Legend” system, and at a qualitatively new level. Progress over last decades in the field of space technology, electronics and radio engineering, will make it possible to make satellites much lighter than US-A and US-P, and also to abandon the use of heavy nuclear batteries as a power source. Satellites Soviet system The ICRCs had a low elliptical orbit with an altitude of only 270 kilometers and could only detect groups of large surface ships, and in a relatively “narrow” sector. Liana satellites make it possible to detect objects in a much wider “field” due to a significantly higher orbit. At the same time, the capabilities of “Liana” make it possible to detect objects up to 1 meter in size, not only on water, but also on land and even in the air, and the accuracy of target detection has increased by more than 100 (!) times and reaches only 3 meters.
Full deployment of "Liana" will lead to high-quality new level capabilities of Russian space reconnaissance, allowing surveillance of necessary goals in a mode close to real. This will make it easy to detect the concentration of military groups of a potential enemy near Russian borders and will provide target designation for Russian ships anywhere in the world's oceans, allowing maximum use of the capabilities of their deadly supersonic anti-ship missiles.
Pavel Rumyantsev
The Liana project has entered the launch stage, I think many will be interested in reading it. I am very glad that construction of a more advanced and reliable replacement for the Legend is being completed!
Recently, the head of the Pentagon, Leon Panetta, stated the truism: “Any fifth grader knows that the US carrier strike group is not capable of destroying any of the existing powers in the world.” Indeed, American AUGs are invulnerable, because aviation “sees” further than any ground (and sea) radar system. They quickly manage to “detect” the enemy and do whatever their heart desires from the air. However, ours managed to find a way to “put black marks” on the American fleet - from space. In the late 70s, the USSR created the Legend naval space reconnaissance and target designation system, which could point a missile at any ship in the World Ocean. Due to the fact that high-resolution optical technologies were not available at that time, these satellites had to be launched into a very low orbit (400 km) and powered by a nuclear reactor.
The complexity of the energy scheme predetermined the fate of the entire program - in 1993, “Legend” ceased to “cover” even half of the maritime strategic directions, and in 1998 the last device ceased service.
However, in 2008, the project was revived using new, more efficient physical principles. As a result, by the end of this year, Russia will be able to destroy any American aircraft carrier anywhere on the planet within three hours with an accuracy of 3 meters.
The United States made a safe bet on the aircraft carrier fleet - the “poultry farms”, together with the missile escort of the destroyers, became inaccessible and extremely mobile floating armies. Even the powerful Soviet navy had no hope of competing with the American one on an equal footing. Despite the presence in the USSR Navy of submarines (nuclear submarine pr. 675, pr. 661 "Anchar", DPL pr. 671), missile cruisers, coastal anti-ship missile systems, a large fleet of missile boats, as well as numerous anti-ship missile systems P-6, P -35, P-70, P-500, there was no confidence in the guaranteed defeat of the AUG. Special combat units could not correct the situation - the problem was reliable over-the-horizon detection of targets, their selection and ensuring accurate target designation for incoming cruise missiles. The use of aviation to guide anti-ship missiles did not solve the problem: the ship's helicopter had limited capabilities, moreover, it was extremely vulnerable to carrier-based aircraft. The Tu-95RTs reconnaissance aircraft, despite its excellent capabilities, was ineffective - the aircraft required many hours to arrive in a given area of the World Ocean, and again the reconnaissance aircraft became an easy target for fast carrier-based interceptors. Such an inevitable factor as weather conditions completely undermined the confidence of the Soviet military in the proposed target designation system based on a helicopter and reconnaissance aircraft. There was only one way out - to monitor the situation in the World Ocean from space. The largest scientific centers of the country were involved in the work on the project - the Institute of Physics and Energy and the Institute of Atomic Energy named after. I.V. Kurchatova. Calculations of orbital parameters were carried out under the leadership of Academician Keldysh. The parent organization was the Design Bureau of V.N. Chelomeya. The development of a nuclear on-board power plant was carried out at OKB-670 (NPO Krasnaya Zvezda). At the beginning of 1970, the Leningrad Arsenal plant produced the first prototypes. The radar reconnaissance device was put into service in 1975, and the radio reconnaissance satellite in 1978. In 1983, the last component of the system, the P-700 Granit supersonic anti-ship missile, was put into service.
Supersonic anti-ship missile P-700 "Granit"
In 1982, the unified system was tested in action. During the Falklands War, data from space satellites allowed the command of the Soviet Navy to monitor the operational and tactical situation in the South Atlantic, accurately calculate the actions of the British fleet, and even predict the time and place of the English landing on the Falklands with an accuracy of several hours. The orbital grouping, together with the ship's information receiving points, ensured the detection of ships and the issuance of target designation for missile weapons.
The first type of satellite US-P (“guided satellite - passive”, index GRAU 17F17) is an electronic reconnaissance complex created for detecting and direction finding objects that have electromagnetic radiation. The second type of satellite US-A (“managed satellite - active”, index GRAU 17F16) was equipped with a two-way side-view radar, providing all-weather and 24-hour detection of surface targets. The low operating orbit (which excluded the use of bulky solar panels) and the need for a powerful and uninterrupted energy source (solar batteries could not work on the shadow side of the Earth) determined the type of onboard power source - the BES-5 Buk nuclear reactor with a thermal power of 100 kW (electric power – 3 kW, estimated operating time – 1080 hours).
On September 18, 1977, the Cosmos-954 spacecraft, an active satellite of the Legend ICRC, was successfully launched from Baikonur. For a whole month, Kosmos-954 worked in space orbit, together with Kosmos-252. On October 28, 1977, the satellite suddenly lost control of ground control services. All attempts to guide him to success did not lead. It was also not possible to put it into the “disposal orbit”. At the beginning of January 1978, the instrument compartment of the spacecraft depressurized; Kosmos-954 was completely out of order and stopped responding to requests from Earth. An uncontrolled descent of a satellite with a nuclear reactor on board began.
Spacecraft "Cosmos-954"
The Western world looked into the night sky in horror, expecting to see a falling death star. Everyone was discussing when and where the flying reactor would fall. Russian Roulette has begun. In the early morning of January 24, Cosmos 954 collapsed over Canadian territory, showering the province of Alberta with radioactive debris. Fortunately for Canadians, Alberta is a northern, sparsely populated province and no locals were harmed. Of course, an international scandal occurred, the USSR paid symbolic compensation and for the next three years refused to launch US-A. However, in 1982, a similar accident occurred on board the Cosmos-1402 satellite. This time the spacecraft sank safely in the waves of the Atlantic. If the fall had started 20 minutes earlier, Cosmos 1402 would have landed in Switzerland.
Fortunately, no more serious accidents with “Russian flying reactors” were recorded. In case of emergency situations, the reactors were separated and transferred to a “disposal orbit” without incident. In total, under the “Maritime Space Reconnaissance and Target Designation System” program, 39 launches (including test ones) of US-A radar reconnaissance satellites with nuclear reactors on board were carried out, of which 27 were successful. As a result, the US-A reliably controlled the surface situation in the World Ocean in the 80s. The last launch of a spacecraft of this type took place on March 14, 1988.
At the moment, the space constellation of the Russian Federation includes only passive electronic intelligence satellites US-P. The last of them, Kosmos-2421, was launched on June 25, 2006, and was unsuccessful. According to official information, minor problems occurred on board due to incomplete deployment of the solar panels.
During the period of chaos of the 90s and underfunding of the first half of the 2000s, Legend ceased to exist - in 1993, Legend ceased to “cover” even half of the maritime strategic directions, and in 1998 the last active device was buried. However, without it it was impossible to talk about any effective counteraction to the American fleet, not to mention the fact that we became blind - military intelligence was left without an eye, and the country’s defense capability sharply deteriorated.
"Cosmos-2421"
The reconnaissance and target designation systems were returned to life in 2006, when the government instructed the Ministry of Defense to study the issue from the point of view of using new optical technologies for precise detection. 125 enterprises from 12 industries were involved in the work, the working name is “Liana”. In 2008, a well-developed project was ready, and in 2009, the first experimental launch took place and the experimental vehicle was placed into a given orbit. The new system is more universal - due to its higher orbit, it can scan not only large objects in the ocean, which the Soviet Legend was capable of, but any object up to 1 meter in size anywhere on the planet. The accuracy has increased more than 100 times – up to 3 meters. And at the same time, no nuclear reactors that pose a threat to the Earth's ecosystem.
In 2013, Roscosmos and the Russian Ministry of Defense completed the experimental creation of Liana in orbit and began debugging its systems. According to the plan, by the end of this year the system will be 100% operational. It consists of four newest radar reconnaissance satellites, which will be based at an altitude of about 1 thousand km above the surface of the planet and constantly scan ground, air and sea space for the presence of enemy objects.
“Four satellites of the Liana system - two Peonies and two Lotuses - will detect enemy objects - planes, ships, cars - in real time. The coordinates of these targets will be transmitted to the command post, where a virtual real-time map will be formed. In the event of war, high-precision strikes will be carried out against these objects,” a representative of the General Staff explained the principle of operation of the system.
There was also a “first pancake”. “The first Lotos-S satellite with the index 14F138 had a number of shortcomings. After being launched into orbit, it turned out that almost half of its on-board systems were not functioning. Therefore, we demanded that the developers bring the equipment to perfection,” said a representative of the Space Forces, which are now included in the Aerospace Defense. Experts explained that all the satellite’s shortcomings were associated with flaws in the satellite’s software. “Our programmers have completely redesigned the software package and have already reflashed the first Lotus. Now the military has no complaints against him,” the Ministry of Defense said.
Satellite "Lotos-S"
Another satellite for the Liana system was launched into orbit in the fall of 2013 - Lotos-S 14F145, which intercepts data transmissions, including enemy communications (radio intelligence), and in 2014 a promising radar reconnaissance satellite will go into space. Pion-NKS" 14F139, which is capable of detecting an object the size of a passenger car on any surface. By 2015, Liana will include another Pion, thus expanding the size of the system’s constellation to four satellites. After reaching the design mode, the Liana system will completely replace the outdated Legend-Tselina system. It will increase by an order of magnitude the capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces to detect and destroy enemy targets.