NIKA satellites under another name?

[Phillip Clark]

In the late 1980s the (still) Soviet Union unveiled a new class of recoverable applications satellite, the first of which was NIKA-T.   These satellites were planned for Sun-synchronous 400-500 km orbits and would use the Zenit-2 launch vehicle.   Typical on-orbit lifetimes would be at least six months.

Looking at the planned designs for Foton-M 4 and Bion-M, it would appear that these satellites are using the NIKA-T basic design (the solar panels have been reduced, the heat-radiating panels removed, but the marriage of the Vostok/Zenit sphere with the Yantar instrument module has been retained).

What is missing (so far) is a photoreconnaissance version of this class of satellite, although a switch to electro-optical reconnaissance could make such a satellite redundant.

And what about the Kuban reconnaissance satellite that was rumoured about the same time that the NIKA-T designs appeared?   Died with the Soviet Union?

[Danderman]

I've got nothing on this.