Russia's new radar to monitor all Europe including Britain

The new radar station in the Kaliningrad enclave will be ready to monitor missile launches from the entire European continent already on Tuesday, Nov. 29. The new station plays a significant role in the complex of measures, which Russia takes in response to the growing power of the US missile defense system. The radar station in the Kaliningrad region will be put into service of the air defense system on November 29, Viktor Esin, the former chief of Russia's missile troops told Izvestia newspaper.

The over-the-horizon missile warning radar Voronezh-DM is situated in the settlement of Pionerskoye of the Kaliningrad region. According to Viktor Yesin, the station will monitor the western direction on the distance of up to 6,000 kilometers. "The radar virtually covers all of Europe, including Great Britain," the official said.

The station will be able to detect all missiles launched in Europe and monitor airspace in western areas from the North Pole to the north of Africa.

The radar station of the new generation was developed at the Moscow Research Institute of Long-Distance Radio Communication. Unlike the stations of the previous generation, Voronezh-DM consists of only 23 blocks of equipment. The new station consumes 40 percent less electric power. It is possible to redeploy the radar station quickly, if necessary.

Russia has a similar radar station operating in the south, the Krasnodar region. Another station like that will be ready in 2012 in the Irkutsk region (Siberia).

The radar station in the Kaliningrad enclave can serve for 20 years and be modernized afterwards.

Last week, President Dmitry Medvedev released a harsh statement in connection with USA's refusal to guarantee that its missile defense system would not be aimed against Russia. The president ordered the Defense Ministry to put the radar station in the Kaliningrad region in operation and strengthen the defense of strategic nuclear forces.