Author Topic: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects  (Read 18639 times)

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Here is the first of two articles on Russian space-related electronic warfare projects, published in this week’s edition of The Space Review:

https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4056/1

The first article covers ground-based mobile electronic warfare systems to jam communications satellites (Tirada-2 and Bylina-MM) and hamper observations of radar reconnaissance satellites (Krasukha-4 and Divnomorye). This is an attempt to collect all the information that is available on these highly classified projects from openly available sources, mostly procurement and court documentation, company annual reports, official yearbooks on Russia’s electronic warfare program and occasional press reports.

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #1 on: 11/02/2020 11:35 pm »
Part 2 of the article is now up on “The Space Review”:
https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4060/1

Topics discussed are:

- satellites that may be intended for space-based electronic warfare (OREST (canceled) and Ekipazh (14F350))

- project Sledopyt (also known as 14Ts032): a number of ground-based sites with the code name “1511” to collect signals intelligence on foreign satellites flying over Russian territory, possibly in support of the electronic warfare program (also discussed in this thread : https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=47007.0)

- project Tobol (also known as 14Ts227):  a number of ground-based sites with the code name “8282” under construction at several Russian satellite tracking facilities and described in one official document as a network of “electronic warfare complexes for space-related purposes”. The evidence suggests that the sites will be used for the protection of Russian communications and/or navigation satellites from electronic attack. One of the Tobol sites, situated at the NIP-13 satellite tracking facility near Ulan-Ude, was the subject of a PowerPoint presentation that somehow appeared online earlier this year, making it possible to locate the site on Google Earth.

Offline Quneitra

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #2 on: 11/15/2020 09:11 pm »
Hiya! I just came from that TSR article, and I really enjoyed it! I've got some information to share about the still-in-service Tirada-1D system, if that's of interest to anyone.

Tirada-1D is not the designation of the REB (electronic warfare) complex as a whole, but one of the jammers. This complex is known by the designation RP-379, and has the following components:

RP-379K: Command post for coordinating Tirada jammers.
RP-379D: Uplink jammer for UHF signals (the famous Tirada-1D).
RP-379S: Uplink jammer for SHF signals; probably operating in the C band? (Tirada-1S?)

RP-379D seems to be the most well-known component of the system and is pretty much the only one with information about it available. RP-379S barely even has pictures, I almost gave up until I stumbled across a Twitter post.

Characteristics of the Tirada-1D system are:
-Designed to jam FLTSATCOM/AFSATCOM transponders
-Operating frequency of 225-400 MHz
-Jamming power of 1 kW
-Capable of both jamming and reception of signals
-Consists of a control station, an electrical generator station, and 2 antenna trailers
-Modern units are based on the KamAZ 4310 chassis

Signals targeted by Tirada-1D:
-Narrowband analog FM and FDM signals
-Discrete analog FM and FDM signals
-Discrete FSK/PSK signals in FDM channels
-Discrete multipoint SK signals (requires targeting data from the RP-379K command post)

The meaning of "multipoint SK" is not entirely clear to me, I'm guessing its something like MFSK or QPSK?

I have not been able to find information about how the RP-379/Tirada-1 complex is structured, but based off of other COMJAM systems from its era, I would think (complete speculation on my part!) that it would consist of 1 RP-379K, 4-6 RP-379D, and 2 RP-379S. Jammers would probably be deployed in pairs, which is an almost universal tactic for communications jammers, and seems to be confirmed in a photo I saw. In such a case, they would operate either in a master-slave configuration or under the direct control of the RP-379K command post.

This complex was created by Elektropribor, which also produces the more widely known R-934 jammer, some time in the late 1980s according to their memoirs. A Tirada unit was based in Odessa in 1989. The Tirada complex is still in service with Russia as of 2018 (see this article) and appears to be/have been in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces as well (see this thread).

I've attached a few pictures of Tirada, the first shows an older version of the Tirada-1D, the 2nd and 3rd are of the current Tirada-1D system, and the 4th and 5th pictures are of the Tirada-1S on an older chassis. I hope this was of benefit or interest!

Offline Quneitra

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #3 on: 11/15/2020 09:18 pm »
Also, a video with the RP-379D in action at 0:55, and a few Russian language slides about it:

« Last Edit: 11/15/2020 09:19 pm by Quneitra »

Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #4 on: 11/16/2020 09:45 am »
The meaning of "multipoint SK" is not entirely clear to me, I'm guessing its something like MFSK or QPSK?

My guess is that "multipoint SK" refers to any digital modulation scheme that modulates the amplitude and phase of a signal. For satellites communications, these can range from BPSK (binary phase shift keying), QPSK, 8PSK, 16APSK, 32APSK and above. See below for what these signal sets look like.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-four-DVB-S2-constellations-QPSK-8PSK-16APSK-and-32APSK-before-PLScrambling_fig2_319651224

By the way, I design error control decoders that use these types of signal sets.
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline Quneitra

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #5 on: 11/16/2020 12:21 pm »
The meaning of "multipoint SK" is not entirely clear to me, I'm guessing its something like MFSK or QPSK?

My guess is that "multipoint SK" refers to any digital modulation scheme that modulates the amplitude and phase of a signal. For satellites communications, these can range from BPSK (binary phase shift keying), QPSK, 8PSK, 16APSK, 32APSK and above. See below for what these signal sets look like.

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-four-DVB-S2-constellations-QPSK-8PSK-16APSK-and-32APSK-before-PLScrambling_fig2_319651224

By the way, I design error control decoders that use these types of signal sets.

Ahh, that makes sense, thanks for the information! Its my first time hearing about these higher order PSK forms.

If it can handle these complex digital waveforms, then I don't see any reason why it shouldn't also be effective against UFO and MUOS? Its strange to me that they only mentioned FLTSATCOM, I think.

Offline Quneitra

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #6 on: 05/16/2021 03:16 am »
Its been a while, but I've got some news related to the unknown jammer in the TSR article! Though, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your POV), its not anything to write home about.

So, this piece of hardware belongs to NPP Inprokom in Balakirevo, and is described as a "prospective electronic warfare complex" (unnamed), for jamming communication systems and countering satellites. No further information is given beyond this Kamaz mockup, a line explaining that the CEO ordered its development, and an image of what appears to be a communications truck (picture 2).

Digging through the Internet Archive, it seems that this was first posted some time between March and May 9th, 2018; the page can be seen under construction on March 9th, while the second snapshot on May 9th has it already complete. No further updates to the page appear to have been made, as the text of the May 9th, 2018 snapshot is exactly the same as right now (5/15/2021).

Inprokom is a company that is engaged in a variety of machine building activities in both the civilian and military sphere, such as field water purification systems and smokelayers, but seems to be most prominent for its safety and security equipment. From what I've seen, it has no experience in the EW, SIGINT, or communications field, or really much military work beyond the smokelaying and water purification systems they produce.

Now, though this is my personal speculation, but given the available information, this is what I think. Since Russia is spending a lot of money on EW, Inprokom is/was trying to jump in and get a piece of the cash pie for itself. However, whatever system they proposed doesn't seem to have attracted interest, development doesn't seem to have progressed, and their ability to produce such a system is questionable to begin with, so I doubt this will ever see the light of day.

Also, some places online seem to think that the first photo is that of a Tirada command station. I do not know yet if this is correct or not, but it calls into question whether this image is original to Inprokom or just some sort of placeholder.
« Last Edit: 05/16/2021 03:17 am by Quneitra »

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #7 on: 05/16/2021 07:01 pm »
Its been a while, but I've got some news related to the unknown jammer in the TSR article! Though, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your POV), its not anything to write home about.

Thank you for posting this. Actually, this looks like quite a significant find.

The picture of the truck with the satellite dish appeared in this tweet last year:
https://twitter.com/brokly990/status/1259022429382488072

It was not clear where it came from, but it now turns out the website of NPP Inprokom most probably is the source. I don’t think the picture on the website is a placeholder and that it really shows a mobile electronic warfare system that Inprokom is actively involved in (but not as the prime contractor).

This is what the accompanying text literally says:

Quote
In cooperation with the prime contractor, a promising electronic warfare complex has been developed comprising a mobile jamming station.

Purpose:

-to jam the communication lines of the likely adversary
-to carry out microwave and satellite communications with the possibility of creating wireless interactive information networks
-to counter the orbital constellations of the likely adversary

Field of application: in accordance with the technical specifications
Composition: in accordance with the technical specifications
Technical features: in accordance with the technical specifications

As you mentioned, this particular page appeared on Inprokom’s website in early 2018, but if you look back further, it turns out there was another version of it between early 2017 and early 2018. Look under “военная техника” (military technology)  and you’ll see this page:

Quote
АППАРАТНАЯ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ И СВЯЗИ КСС (КОМПЛЕКС СПУТНИКОВОЙ СВЯЗИ)

НАЗНАЧЕНИЕ:
Управление элементами КСС (комплекс спутниковой связи) и осуществление в составе комплекса РЭБ (радиоэлектронная борьба), радиорелейной и тропосферной связи.

There was also a picture on the page, but that doesn’t appear to be visible on the archived website  (all I see is a question mark).

The title is hard to translate because it has some grammatical errors in it, but basically refers to a “satellite communications complex” (KSS). The purpose of the system is “to control elements of a satellite communications complex and ensure microwave and tropospheric communications as part of an electronic warfare complex.”

I also found this overview overview of Inprokom’s activities published in 2014, which refers to electronic warfare vehicles developed in 2013:
https://www.prizyv.ru/2014/02/vysokie-tehnologii-na-sluzhbe-bezopasnosti/


In short, Inprokom appears to be a subcontractor in an electronic warfare project and most likely provides a support vehicle used for communications (that would be the vehicle seen in the second picture in your post). This would be in line with the company’s profile, because it also converts “Tigr” 4x4 infantry mobility vehicles for military communications and builds pointing mechanisms for dish antennas.

https://inprokom.ru/catalog/voennaya-tehnika/perspektivnie-razrabotki/apparatnaya-svyazi/
https://inprokom.ru/catalog/oporno-povorotnie-ustroystva/

The vehicle seen in the first picture (based on a KAMAZ-6350 truck) could then possibly be the jammer itself. It could be either Tirada-2 or Divnomorye, both of which are known to use this type of truck. It’s worth noting that Inprokom is based in Balakirevo in the Vladimir province (just east of the Moscow region). Tirada-2’s prime contractor is the Vladimir Design Bureau of Radio Communications (VKBR) and most of the production work seems to take place in the Vladimir Factory “Elektropribor”,  both situated in the province’s capital.  This may well be a coincidence, but it is not unusual for subcontractors to be located in the same general area as the prime contractor.  Also, Divnomorye is said to consist of a single truck, without needing additional support vehicles. So my best guess is that what we’re seeing in the two pictures is a Tirada-2 type jammer (which actually comes in four versions, Tirada-2S, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4) and a support vehicle needed for communications. 

Offline Quneitra

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #8 on: 05/17/2021 02:12 am »
Hi Bart,

Wow, I guess my pessimism was uncalled for! Thanks for all of the extra digging, it seems like I underestimated how important this information was. ;D So this might actually be the first look we have at Tirada-2, and now we have confirmation that NPP Inprokom is part of the project?

On that note, I don't know if you've noticed, but it seems like both photos have been edited to remove the background, probably to prevent geolocation. But, the image of the control van isn't as cleanly edited as the one of the jammer, with a little bit of land (and concrete?) and sky visible. I wonder if this could be located in some way? At least the general area, maybe.

Offline Quneitra

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #9 on: 05/17/2021 02:23 am »
There was also a picture on the page, but that doesn’t appear to be visible on the archived website  (all I see is a question mark).

The title is hard to translate because it has some grammatical errors in it, but basically refers to a “satellite communications complex” (KSS). The purpose of the system is “to control elements of a satellite communications complex and ensure microwave and tropospheric communications as part of an electronic warfare complex.”

So I took a look for fun, and, well...Inprokom is bad at deleting. :) The picture of the KSS is still available on their website, uncensored, if you copy the image link into your browser. I've attached it to this post in case they're watching and take it down. The comms tower isn't visible, but it looks to be the same as the van in the EW post. So more confirmation that Inprokom is providing the communications system for what is presumably Tirada 2.
« Last Edit: 05/17/2021 02:24 am by Quneitra »

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #10 on: 05/17/2021 12:32 pm »
So this might actually be the first look we have at Tirada-2, and now we have confirmation that NPP Inprokom is part of the project?

Based on the information given on the website, we can say with certainty that NPP Inprokom is involved in an electronic warfare project aimed at jamming space-based targets. The jammer seen in the picture has a KAMAZ-6350 chassis, which is known to be used by both Tirada-2 and Divnomorye, but as I explained in my post, there are several factors pointing in the direction of Tirada-2. Having said that, there is yet another comsat jammer called Bylina-MM which we've never seen pictures of. It's not even known what chassis it uses. So there's a good chance that we're seeing Tirada-2, but it's not 100 % certain yet.

On that note, I don't know if you've noticed, but it seems like both photos have been edited to remove the background, probably to prevent geolocation. But, the image of the control van isn't as cleanly edited as the one of the jammer, with a little bit of land (and concrete?) and sky visible. I wonder if this could be located in some way? At least the general area, maybe.

That will be nearly impossible, I'm afraid.

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #11 on: 11/10/2021 11:09 pm »
There is now strong evidence that KB Arsenal's nuclear-powered Ekipazh satellite will be used for space-based electronic warfare. See the Ekipazh thread, Reply 8:

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=48342.0

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #12 on: 02/11/2022 09:56 pm »
Some new information has come to light on a ground-based network of space-related electronic warfare systems known as Tobol or 14Ts227 (14Ц227). I discussed Tobol in an article on Russian space-related electronic warfare systems published on “The Space Review” in late 2020:

https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4060/1

There are at least seven Tobol complexes spread across Russian territory, all of them co-located with satellite tracking facilities (“NIP” in Russian short). They are code-named 8282/1 to 8282/7. Four (8282/1, 3, 4 and 5) are stationary and two (8282/6 and 8282/7) are mobile. Nothing is known about 8282/2 (if it exists at all). The layout of one of the stationary complexes (8282/3) as well as a picture of some of its antennas could be seen in a PowerPoint presentation that was available online for some time, but disappeared from the web shortly after the article was published (see attachments 1 and 2). Its main features are one large and about a dozen smaller parabolic antennas.

Three of the stationary Tobol complexes (8282/3 at NIP-13 near Ulan-Ude, 8282/4 at NIP-15 near Ussuriysk and 8282/5 at NIP-4 near Yeniseisk) seem to have reached operational status, as can be assessed from Google Earth imagery (see attachments 3, 4 and 5). 8282/1 is linked in documentation to NIP-14 at Shcholkovo (Moscow region), but is not seen in satellite imagery of the facility. However, a video shot by an urban explorer several years ago now shows that it is situated not at NIP-14 itself, but in a forest about 8 km northeast of NIP-14 (at a site designated F-3).

https://www.kik-sssr.ru/14.4_Friazino.htm

The 25-meter parabolic antenna seen there (called P-200P) was built in the Soviet days and probably has no connection to Tobol. For some reason, a board standing near the entrance of the construction site shows the Soyuz launch pad at Vostochnyy, which obviously has nothing to do with the Tobol complex under construction there (see attachment 6). From the latest available Google Earth imagery (May 2021) it is clear that the construction of 8282/1 was still in its early stages at the time (see attachment 7). Court documents reveal that at least one of the reasons for the delays in building 8282/1 was that the soil at the site was found to have been contaminated with a substance called benzopyrene.

One official document that I quoted in the article described Tobol as a series of “electronic warfare complexes for space-related purposes”, but its exact goal remains a mystery. A PhD dissertation linked it to navigation satellites and patents co-authored by the project’s chief designer Vladimir Vatutin seemed to suggest that it might be aimed at protecting Russian Glonass navigation satellites from electronic attack  (protection from electronic attack is considered an integral part of electronic warfare). However, there is no clear connection between the systems described in those patents and the actual hardware seen on the ground.

A possible sign that Tobol may have another purpose comes in documentation related to a court case between the Ministry of Defense and Russian Space Systems, Tobol’s prime contractor.

https://kad.arbitr.ru/Card/5dfc4c02-a0d2-4855-ab75-44d801db07f7

From this it can be learned that the two parties signed a contract on May 22, 2017 for a research project called Rasshireniye (“expansion”). Its goal is to study the possible evolution and applications of a network of “specialized complexes for the electronic attack of space assets (Russian acronym SK RPKS) using the technical possibilities achieved by the 14Ts227 (Tobol) system.”

In other words, Russian Space Systems is studying electronic attack systems benefiting from the experience it has gained with Tobol. Although this does not necessarily mean that Tobol itself is also intended for electronic attack, it does strongly point in that direction. This raises the possibility that Tobol was designed not for the electronic protection of Glonass satellites (as I speculated in the article), but for the electronic jamming of foreign navigation satellites, GPS/Navstar in particular. Although Russia is known to have electronic warfare systems that can affect GPS users in a local area (something called “downlink jamming”), there were no indications so far that it can attack the navigation satellites themselves.  Obviously, this would give it an enhanced capability to interfere with the operation of GPS-guided weapons (such as cruise missiles) aimed against Russian territory.   

It is noteworthy that in the imagery of the stationary Tobol complexes the small dish antennas can be seen pointing in different directions. Possibly, each of them tracks one of several navigation satellites that are above the local horizon at any given time.     

One can only guess what applications the Russians have in mind for the Tobol follow-on system being studied under “Rasshireniye”.  In 2019 Tobol’s chief designer Vladimir Vatutin did co-author an article in Russian Space Systems’ journal  that discusses the possibility of using electronic warfare systems to prevent optical and radar reconnaissance satellites from sending their images to geostationary data relay satellites.   This could potentially deny an enemy the opportunity to take high-resolution images of Russian territory.  The issue containing the article was removed from the website of Russian Space Systems not long after it caught the attention of some Russian media outlets. The article (with an English abstract) is still available here:

https://docplayer.com/172466083-Vozmozhnosti-obespecheniya-radioelektronnoy-zashchity-rayonov-na-poverhnosti-zemli-ot-nesankcionirovannogo-nablyudeniya.html



Offline Blackstar

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #13 on: 02/15/2022 11:22 pm »
One can only guess what applications the Russians have in mind for the Tobol follow-on system being studied under “Rasshireniye”.  In 2019 Tobol’s chief designer Vladimir Vatutin did co-author an article in Russian Space Systems’ journal  that discusses the possibility of using electronic warfare systems to prevent optical and radar reconnaissance satellites from sending their images to geostationary data relay satellites.   This could potentially deny an enemy the opportunity to take high-resolution images of Russian territory.  The issue containing the article was removed from the website of Russian Space Systems not long after it caught the attention of some Russian media outlets. The article (with an English abstract) is still available here:

A problem I have with this is that it has long been reported that American reconnaissance satellites communicate at a frequency that does not penetrate the atmosphere. If the Russians wanted to jam that communications link, I assume they would have to do it with another satellite. If the communications frequency won't penetrate Earth's atmosphere from above (satellite to the ground), presumably it cannot be broadcast from the ground into space for the same reason.

Now they might try to jam the downlink from the communications satellite to the ground, but that's going to come down over the United States, not Russia.

Online edzieba

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #14 on: 02/16/2022 01:39 pm »
One can only guess what applications the Russians have in mind for the Tobol follow-on system being studied under “Rasshireniye”.  In 2019 Tobol’s chief designer Vladimir Vatutin did co-author an article in Russian Space Systems’ journal  that discusses the possibility of using electronic warfare systems to prevent optical and radar reconnaissance satellites from sending their images to geostationary data relay satellites.   This could potentially deny an enemy the opportunity to take high-resolution images of Russian territory.  The issue containing the article was removed from the website of Russian Space Systems not long after it caught the attention of some Russian media outlets. The article (with an English abstract) is still available here:

A problem I have with this is that it has long been reported that American reconnaissance satellites communicate at a frequency that does not penetrate the atmosphere. If the Russians wanted to jam that communications link, I assume they would have to do it with another satellite. If the communications frequency won't penetrate Earth's atmosphere from above (satellite to the ground), presumably it cannot be broadcast from the ground into space for the same reason.

Now they might try to jam the downlink from the communications satellite to the ground, but that's going to come down over the United States, not Russia.
V-band is attenuated by the atmosphere, but not completely blocked (e.g. Starlink intends to use V-band uplinks and downlinks for future satellites). Sufficient transmit power for a ground system could provide effective jamming, particularly if the ground system aligned with the LOS between the observation platform and the SDS, i.e. sat behind the observation platform from the point of view of the relay and shouted louder. The paper seems mostly about how to create a database of orbits to calculate these conjunctions for a given ground location and siting of the emission equipment as part of an overall system for area protection. Even greater transmit power could blind any SDS/TDRS satellites in view.
Of course, with the assumption that the current generation of KENNENs can store-and-forward imagery, the best that could be achieved would be delaying downlinks by half an orbit.

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #15 on: 02/16/2022 01:58 pm »
One can only guess what applications the Russians have in mind for the Tobol follow-on system being studied under “Rasshireniye”.  In 2019 Tobol’s chief designer Vladimir Vatutin did co-author an article in Russian Space Systems’ journal  that discusses the possibility of using electronic warfare systems to prevent optical and radar reconnaissance satellites from sending their images to geostationary data relay satellites.   This could potentially deny an enemy the opportunity to take high-resolution images of Russian territory.  The issue containing the article was removed from the website of Russian Space Systems not long after it caught the attention of some Russian media outlets. The article (with an English abstract) is still available here:

A problem I have with this is that it has long been reported that American reconnaissance satellites communicate at a frequency that does not penetrate the atmosphere. If the Russians wanted to jam that communications link, I assume they would have to do it with another satellite. If the communications frequency won't penetrate Earth's atmosphere from above (satellite to the ground), presumably it cannot be broadcast from the ground into space for the same reason.

Now they might try to jam the downlink from the communications satellite to the ground, but that's going to come down over the United States, not Russia.

As explained in the Russian article, the idea would be to jam (literally "block") the receiver on the relay satellite, not the uplink signal itself, so I'm not sure if what you describe here would stop them from doing that.

The article itself does not specifically refer to American reconnaissance satellites, but one of the drawings in the article (attached here) leaves little to the imagination. It shows the positions of SDS (Satellite Data System) relay satellites both in highly elliptical and geostationary orbits with respect to a Keyhole (KH) optical reconnaissance satellite and a Lacrosse radar reconnaissance satellite.

It is not at all inconceivable that this is one of the applications being eyed for the Tobol follow-on system that is currently being studied under the "Rasshireniye" project (or a role for which Tobol itself could be adapted). First, one of the co-authors (Vladimir Vatutin) is known to be Tobol's chief designer. Second, the article describes a network of jamming stations spread across Russian territory that would work in close coordination with a "central control station" as well as the space surveillance headquarters. Tobol apparently works in very much the same way, with the Titov Space Control Center in Krasnoznamensk near Moscow acting as the nerve center.

Another sign that this article may be more than a purely academic study is that it was taken offline as soon as it caught the public eye. It appeared in late 2019 in a journal published by Russian Space Systems (Tobol's prime contractor) and was available for some time on the company's website. Then in early 2020 some Russian media took notice of it and published stories with titles like "Roscosmos has found a way of preventing spy satellites from keeping an eye on Russia":

https://ria.ru/20200116/1563476073.html

Subsequently, Russian Space Systems pulled the article offline, although the rest of the issue remains available (the issues are not available as complete downloads, instead there are individual links to each article): 
https://spacedevice.ru/nomera-zhurnala/soderzhanie-nomera-tom-6-vypusk-4-2019/
(the article on p. 37-43 is gone)

This is, of course, naive, because as soon as something has appeared online, it is virtually impossible to completely erase it. 
The article is still available via another link (which I gave in the previous post) and can also be downloaded from the elibrary.ru website. If they thought it was too sensitive, they shouldn't have published it in the first place.


Offline weedenbc

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #16 on: 02/17/2022 03:12 pm »
And even if they can't jam the American government satellites, there are plenty of commercial imagery satellites that don't use rely satellites that could be jammed. Especially if they want to prevent the public from seeing imagery about Russian military activities, which is much more likely to come from commercial satellites rather than classified US government satellites.
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Brian Weeden

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #17 on: 02/17/2022 09:44 pm »
And even if they can't jam the American government satellites, there are plenty of commercial imagery satellites that don't use rely satellites that could be jammed. Especially if they want to prevent the public from seeing imagery about Russian military activities, which is much more likely to come from commercial satellites rather than classified US government satellites.

I guess the only way of affecting the operations of optical commercial imaging satellites would be to blind their sensors using the Peresvet mobile laser system. The Russians claim it's operational, but it's hard to say how effective it is at doing that job.   Also, Peresvet is co-deployed with mobile ICBM units and seems to be intended mainly to disguise their movements and not so much to prevent imaging of other military activities.

What they could potentially jam are radar reconnaissance satellites. The Russians have two types of mobile EW units (Krasukha-4 and Divnomorye) which they themselves claim can hamper observations by radar satellites (although they seem to be designed mainly to target airborne radars).

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #18 on: 04/13/2022 10:42 pm »
Recently published court documentation makes it possible to learn something more about Tirada-2, a mobile electronic warfare system intended to jam communications satellites. The documentation describes a court case between the Ministry of Defense and the Elektropribor factory in the town of Vladimir, the manufacturer of the Tirada-2 system.

https://kad.arbitr.ru/Card/b30a3a58-b853-48a4-b452-e37b477d0be9
This link no longer appears to work outside Russia, but two of the three documents are still available here (only at certain times of the day):
http://www.consultant.ru/cons/cgi/online.cgi?req=doc&rnd=ClTcKA&base=MARB&n=2159444#cD5kX2TYxXvB1RRj1
http://www.consultant.ru/cons/cgi/online.cgi?req=doc&base=AMS&n=402636#FjCtu2T8wZwXDxHP1

According to the documents, the Ministry of Defense awarded a contract to Elektropribor on June 29, 2018 for the delivery of two Tirada-2U units (also designated RB-104A). These are described as “automated control posts for satellite communication jamming stations” (the “U” probably stands for “upravleniye”, the Russian word for “control”). The first was to be delivered by November 2019 and the second by November 2020. The first one had still not been delivered by July 2020, which led to the court case in question. Apparently, the delays had something to do with measures needed to protect the units from foreign technical intelligence, more specifically with the different security levels of what are described the “command and staff”  and “control and communication” functions of Tirada-2U.

Each Tirada-2 complex presumably consists of two vehicles, one the actual jammer itself and the other the control post (unless the two aforementioned functions are spread over two separate vehicles). The jammers come in four types (Tirada-2S, Tirada-2.2, Tirada-2.3 and Tirada-2.4), each of which may be designed to interfere with different satellite frequencies. The Tirada-2U control post may be compatible with all four types. Pictures of what could be a Tirada-2 jammer and a Tirada-2U control post are in Replies 6 and 9 in this thread.

In another development, a recent report on the Drive website identifies a container left behind by Russian forces in the Kiev area as the control post of a Krasukha-4 mobile electronic warfare system (see the attached picture). Krasukha-4 is designed to jam large radars, including those installed on low-orbiting satellites. The report characterizes this as a “potential intelligence goldmine”.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/44879/ukraine-just-captured-part-of-one-of-russias-most-capable-electronic-warfare-systems

Offline B. Hendrickx

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Re: Russian space-related electronic warfare projects
« Reply #19 on: 06/07/2022 07:13 pm »
Nast-R, a network of ground-based systems being developed by MAK Vympel to monitor radar satellites, may also be designed to perform electronic warfare against such satellites. See the thread on Russian space surveillance systems:

https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=55993.0
(Reply 5)

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