By RIA Novosti
Moscow : A new missile early warning radar station will go into service by the end of the current year, the Russian Space Forces commander has said.
Col. Gen. Vladimir Popovkin Friday said the construction of the Voronezh-type radar in Armavir in southwest Russia is going according to schedule.
“We intend to put the station on combat duty by the end of 2008,” he said.
It was previously reported that the Armavir station would become operational in 2009.
With an effective range of 4,000 km, the Voronezh-type radar has capabilities similar to its predecessors, the Dnepr and Daryal, which are currently deployed outside Russia, but uses less power and is more environmentally friendly.
Russian top military officials said earlier the addition of new radars would provide comprehensive and reliable early warning coverage for the whole of Russia’s territory.
Washington wants to place 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar station in the neighbouring Czech Republic, purportedly to counter a missile threat from Iran and other “rogue” states.
Russia has fiercely opposed the plans, saying the European shield would destroy the strategic balance of forces and threaten Russia’s national interests.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed last year setting up of missile defence information exchange centres in Moscow and Brussels. Russia also offered the US use of radar stations at Armavir and Gabala in Azerbaijan, as alternatives to the missile shield deployment in Central Europe.