Russia To Launch Two New Anti-Missile Radars

Russia is all set to launch two new antimissile radars, one in the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad and the other in Siberia's Irkutsk Region in the year 2014, Russian A&D officials announced.

"Work is proceeding according to schedule; there are no delays or setbacks," Maj. Gen. Alexander Golovko said following the activation of the latest Voronezh-DM class radar station in Armavir, southern Russia.

The Armavir radar monitors an area from France and Spain in the west, to Algeria in the southwest, Sudan in the south, and Iran, Afghanistan and parts of India and Pakistan in the southeast, according to the Russian military.

Russia will put into operation seven advanced radar stations before 2018, officials said.

According to the reports, the MAEWS radar in Kaliningrad will monitor the space from the North Atlantic to North Africa, providing information on any ballistic missile launches in its area of responsibility. The radar has an effective range of up to 6,000 km.

Voronezh-DM class radars can be more quickly deployed to a new site and require a smaller crew to operate them compared to previous generation stations.