Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has said Friday that Russia would beef up its early warning system by building a new radar station. "This is an important question of national security," Ivanov was quoted by Itar-Tass as saying. "Not having modern stations, we simply will go blind."Ivanov made his comments on his return from Azerbaijan, where he visited the Gabala radar station, which was built by the Soviet military to track missiles in the southern hemisphere. After the Soviet collapse, Azerbaijan — which shares a border with Iran to the south — grudgingly allowed Russia to continue using the station, which is considered a key part of Russia’s early warning system, Associated Press points out.
Russia also uses radars in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. IvanovÂ’s comments suggested Russia is searching for a replacement for the radars in Azerbaijan and Ukraine to track the south. "Technologies are becoming more sophisticated. So are radars," Ivanov was quoted by Interfax as saying. "Whereas large stations were built previously, modern technology allows us to make such projects less costly."
"Of course we trust our Iranian friends. This is just a routine upgrade."
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