“Shooting down all foreign vehicles will not work”
The rapid development of technologies abroad for sensing the Earth from space and the operational processing of satellite information have dramatically changed the nature of enemy action. Concealing the movement of troops from the enemy is almost impossible today. This is what military expert Anton Lavrov thinks.
Photo: Alexandr Astafiev
“The movement of troops, transportation – we must proceed from the fact that they will not remain a secret for the enemy.” Satellite reconnaissance makes it possible to receive operationally important intelligence information, to identify “sore spots” behind enemy lines (bases, places for unloading and loading equipment) – 50,100 kilometers from the front line – and to quickly attack them with high-precision weapons. .. We must assume that this is a new reality,” said Anton Lavrov at the Ogarkov Readings military-scientific conference organized by the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST).
He noted that Russia is woefully behind the United States and its allies in the number of operating satellites in orbit. The total number of dynamic satellites for sensing the Earth at the disposal of the Western coalition is more than 500. While Russia has about 150 of all satellites – communication, navigation, observation.
The small number of observation satellites does not allow you to quickly receive current information. Many hours may pass before the satellite is again over the desired point.
At the same time, computer programs for processing satellite information created in the West make it possible to operate data from hundreds of commercial and military satellites. Thanks to this, it is possible to obtain detailed information about the required area very quickly.
Russia does not have such possibilities, because with the start of the special operation, it was deprived of the possibility to use data from a foreign spacecraft. At the same time, the armed forces of Ukraine, with the help of the United States and other NATO countries, have full access to the space resource.
In response to the question of how Russia's delay in satellite constellations can be compensated, Anton Lavrov recalled that Russia had recently tested the Nudol anti-satellite system. A missile launched from the ground hit an old satellite in orbit.
“In practice, we understand that (there are) constellations of tens and hundreds of dynamic sensing and reconnaissance satellites. We simply do not have and will not have enough ammunition and carriers to hold them all,” said Anton Lavrov.
At the same time, according to him, research vehicles launch several pieces into orbit per launch with relatively cheap carriers. “The enemy is working on measures to quickly restore satellite constellations,” he said. – To say that we will knock down everything is impossible. “Noodles” are not enough to “dazzle” the enemy.”
An expert commented on another possibility of disabling foreign military satellites.
“Saying that we will” distract “and a million bearings in orbit and all enemy satellites fail – it won't work. Because there are many constellations of satellites, there are many orbits, they work in different planes, he said. – Maybe our “Peresvet” will be capable of something. However, the results of his work on the satellites have not yet been officially announced.”
The Peresvet combat laser has been adopted by the Strategic Missile Forces. The complexes are in combat service in the Teykovskaya missile division and provide protection to the Yars mobile complexes.
So, the expert concludes, all movements of our troops are constantly “under fire” from foreign observation satellites. “The only way to avoid being hit is to spread out,” he concluded.