In the last few months Russia's constellation of early-warning satellites underwent some changes. One of the satellites on highly-elliptical orbits, Cosmos-2430 (32268), launched in October 2007, did not perform a station-keeping maneuver in May 2012 and has drifted off station since then. This means that the HEO constellation is down to three satellites. No further launches of satellites of this type, 73D6, is expected.
The only geostationary early-warning satellite, Cosmos-2479 (38101), launched in March 2012, was initially place in the 80E point at the geosynchronous orbit, as it normally the case with new satellites of the 71Kh6 type. By the end of October 2012 it had been moved to the point at 166E. This point, which the Soviet Union registered as Prognoz-6 back in the 1980s, has never been used before. Deployment of a satellite at that point became possible after the Air and Space Defense Forces brought online the Eastern Command Center of the early-warning system near Komsomolsk-on-Amur in April 2012.
Comments
Does that mean that Russia finally has satellite coverage over Northern Pacific? If I remember correctly 71X6 was the KMO type satellite, which was designed for submarine launch surveillance rather than land-based missiles.
Yes, this satellite should be able to see launches from the Pacific. Take a look at my previous post - there are links to some good pictures there.