Duga-1 and Duga-2
Encyclopedia
Duga-1 and Duga-2 were Soviet
experimental over-the-horizon radar
(OTH) systems. They were developed for the Soviet ABM
early-warning network. Both of these radar systems were aimed east and were fairly low power. They were predecessors of the Duga-3 or "Steel Yard" OTH system, which operated from 1976 to 1989.
Duga-1 was the first experimental system. It was built outside Mykolaiv
in the Ukraine
, and successfully detected rocket launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome
, about 2,500 kilometers away.
The second prototype, Duga-2, was built on the same site. Duga-2 was able to track launches from the Far East, and from submarines in the Pacific Ocean
, as the missiles flew towards Novaya Zemlya
in the Arctic Ocean.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
experimental over-the-horizon radar
Over-the-horizon radar
Over-the-horizon radar, or OTH , is a design concept for radar systems to allow them to detect targets at very long ranges, typically up to thousands of kilometers...
(OTH) systems. They were developed for the Soviet ABM
Anti-ballistic missile
An anti-ballistic missile is a missile designed to counter ballistic missiles .A ballistic missile is used to deliver nuclear, chemical, biological or conventional warheads in a ballistic flight trajectory. The term "anti-ballistic missile" describes any antimissile system designed to counter...
early-warning network. Both of these radar systems were aimed east and were fairly low power. They were predecessors of the Duga-3 or "Steel Yard" OTH system, which operated from 1976 to 1989.
Duga-1 was the first experimental system. It was built outside Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv , also known as Nikolayev , is a city in southern Ukraine, administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv is the main ship building center of the Black Sea, and, arguably, the whole Eastern Europe.-Name of city:...
in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, and successfully detected rocket launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
, about 2,500 kilometers away.
The second prototype, Duga-2, was built on the same site. Duga-2 was able to track launches from the Far East, and from submarines in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, as the missiles flew towards Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya , also known in Dutch as Nova Zembla and in Norwegian as , is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean in the north of Russia and the extreme northeast of Europe, the easternmost point of Europe lying at Cape Flissingsky on the northern island...
in the Arctic Ocean.