The Voronezh-M type early-warning radar in Mishelevka was reported to begin combat duty service (UPDATE: It's "experimental combat duty") at 10:15 local time (05:15 MSK, 01:15 UTC) on May 23, 2012. The radar has been undergoing trial since March 2012.
The radar is also known as Voronezh-VP (77Ya6-VP), where VP stands for "high-potential." The antenna area of the Mishelevka radar is larger than that of its Voronezh-M predecessor deployed in Lekhtusi (which began combat duty in February 2011). One more antenna face will be added to the radar in the future extending its coverage to 240 degrees.
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There's at least one or more stage to go, isn't there? The final one is 'commissioned', any stages in between?
RIA Novosti have a report on this but with lots of errors: http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20120523/173620853.html
(the radar at Mishelevka will only be replacing the Dnepr radars at Mishelevka. There wasn't a Dnepr in Azerbaijan -it's a Daryal. Russia hasn't yet lost the use of radars in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan - although the lease for the Azerbaijan one is expiring this year.)
http://www.structure.mil.ru/structure/forces/cosmic/news/more.htm?id=11141533@egNews
Official video - clearly showing the 6 segments.
What is the maximum range detection of aircraft for Voronezh-M?
These radars don't look for aircraft.
View of the sector:
http://www.multimedia.mil.ru/images/military/military/photo/SAV_5465-1.jpg
From Russian MoD report:
http://www.multimedia.mil.ru/multimedia/photo/gallery.htm?id=6058@cmsPhotoGallery
Will the second antenna look north-east like the unfinished radar located in Krasnoyarsk?
Looks like it. It could replace the Daryal station in Yeniseysk that was dismantled because of the ABM treaty.
The south/south-west sector will probably be covered by the radar in Barnaul, so the only remaining azimuth is north-east.
They seem to be saying that they will replace both Dnepr radars on the site. One faces south-east and the other faces south (and north east). I would have presumed that they would be replacing the SE one first as it's the oldest, but the fan Alexandr has posted above is south south east.
From that photo the fan is 120 degrees and about facing about 165 degrees. This matches the aerial photo of the site found by Bernd http://russianforces.org/blog/2012/04/voronezh-m_radar_in_mishelevka.shtml
They have another 120 degrees to add to this. I'd guess that north east is more useful but they've talked about a new one in Yeniseysk which would cover that.
They will also will want to replace Balkhash in Kazakhstan - would one in Barnaul do that rather than a sw face here?
1) Irkutsk Dnepr had the coverage of 178 degrees (41-219 degrees azimuth).
2) During Irkutsk Voronezh opening Russian MoD officially declared: the system will have its coverage doubled to 240 degrees, covering an arc from India to the U.S. western coast.
3) Also it was officially declared that in East part of Russia it is planned to construct three (!!!) more radars: Yeniseysk, Barnaul and Omsk.
4) Moreover, general Ostapenko (commander of Russian Air and Space Defense) spoke twice about intention to construct one more radar in the Orenburg region.
See 'Post n°487' on this forum:
http://www.russiadefence.net/t410p480-s-400-500-news
The early warning network today
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=179887&d=1337811396
I don't know if Pavel is going to write up his tweet yesterday about the eastern oko control centre:
http://www.redstar.ru/index.php/newspaper/item/2589-vostochnyiy-rezident
Claims it went on combat duty 30 April 2012 after spending 10 years on 'experimental combat duty'?
It mentions a satellite launch on 17 May from Plesetsk. Presuming that is Kosmos 2480 that is believed to be a Kobalt-M though RIA Novosti say it's an Oko http://en.rian.ru/russia/20120517/173517900.html
Kosmos 2480 is not in an Oko orbit!
orbital period: 88.90
periapsis: 186
apoapsis: 255
inclination: 81.3
(from http://planet4589.org/space/log/satcat.txt)
They got Mishelevka wrong - the second face is not completed yet.
Yes. Kosmos-2480 is Kobalt. And "Oko launched in May" is journalistic mistake. Unfortunately, such mistakes happen often in the Krasnaya Zvezda. :-)
Novosti Kosmonavtiki photo set on a Dnepr (I'm presuming there are still two at this site):
http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/photogallery/gallery_234/index.shtml
Set on the Voronezh:
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/photogallery/gallery_233/index.shtml
What do we think this is a map of? Radars and missile bases? http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/photogallery/gallery_233/libraries/thumb.display.php?max=128&img=galleries/23.05.12/IMG_8499.jpg
There is a report about the far east Voronesh Radar on
http://users.livejournal.com/___lin___/209181.html
the Voronezh-M at Mishelevka is now on google earth
Cheers