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Generational change

Russia's space-based early-warning system may be in somewhat better shape than I thought. One of the satellites - Cosmos-2379, deployed on the geostationary orbit - appears to be a second-generation satellite, which changes the picture quite a bit.

These satellites, known as 71Kh6, were developed for the US-KMO system, which was supposed to provide almost global coverage of missile launch areas (the first-generation system, US-KS, was designed to monitor only ICBM launch sites on the U.S. territory). The 71Kh6 satellites are believed to have "look-down" capability, which allows them to detect missile launches against the background of Earth.

Cosmos-2379 is deployed above the point 24W on the geostationary orbit, from where it can provide support to the two satellites on HEO and monitor most of the North Atlantic. I have some interesting clues about the shape of the coverage area and I hope I'll be able to post them soon.

[Early warning] [January 18, 2006] []

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References to this entry

AAAS Center for Science, Technology and Security Policy organized a small series of meetings at which Ted Postol and I discussed the U.S. plans to put conventional warheads on some of the Trident submarine missiles, which are part of the...
[Russia and the Prompt Global Strike] [October 7, 2006 9:37 PM] [#]
On October 23, 2006 the Space Forces conducted a successful launch of a Molniya-M rocket from the Plesetsk launch site. The satellite delivered into orbit, designated Cosmos-2430, is a new satellite of the US-KS early-warning system (also known as Oko).
[Launch of Cosmos-2430 early-warning satellite] [October 23, 2007 9:48 AM] [#]

Comments

So with the Cosmos 2379 , can it allso provide early warning of SLBM launches ??

And whats the reaction time does these EW satellite provides to their Space Forces? Can their also discriminate between the type of Missile launched based on their heat signature? As in can they detect the difference between a Minuteman SLBM, French M51 SLBM or a Chinese ICBM. And also the broad Traj they will follow to hit their targets.

Thanks
Austin

[Austin] [January 20, 2006] [#]

I think the answer is Yes to all your questions - Cosmos-2379 does seem to have the capability to detect SLBMs and it could probably tell the type of a missile it detects.

[Pavel Podvig] [January 20, 2006] [#]

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