Soviet Mars Passat Radar

[JFC Fuller]

Has anybody seen a comprehensive history of this system, what it was meant to, etc? I know it was made by Kvant in Ukraine (who subsequently transferred technology to China). All I have been able to find is the usual narrative that it never worked, but there are a whole host of curious questions about it:

1) If it never worked why did the Soviet's keep building ships with it, Baku, what became Kuznetzov, Varyag as launched had space for the arrays and the Ul'yanovsk model shows the system installed. surely they got at least some functionality out of it or had some confidence it would work eventually?

2) Why does it only ever seem to have been proposed for carriers? A Kirov class seems like an obvious candidate for a system of this size?

Attached is an image I found digging around on the net that shows the space the system took up in a carrier Island.

 

[Hood]

From what I can tell, Baku was delayed from her completion probably by 2-3 years (comparing against the launch to commissioning time of her near-sisters), but there is no evidence she ever in fact received an operational system before her decommissioning in 1995. NATO photo-reconnaissance revealed the 'arrays' to be concrete slabs and her post-Communist Russian service was fairly brief considering she should have been a far superior ship to her older sisters.

The main reason often given is that the Mars-Passat suffered from software problems rather than any hardware issue. Some western analysts have been puzzled by this given the fact that the Soviets managed to overcome software similar issues with the Vega-M used on the Beriev A-50. Plus they successfully introduced the Zaslon system on the MiG-31 and 36D6 'Tin Shield' and 76N6 'Clam Shell' radars used with SA-10 batteries from around the same timeframe.
But the fact Baku did not receive one is perhaps a sign of hardware delays in production and the head of the Severnoye SKB stated that the system was deemed too expensive.

Mars-Passat was meant to be an air-defence battle management system, so it made most sense for the system to be carried by the carriers as they were the main long-range aerial defensive platforms with their Su-33s and had the necessary dedicated C&C facilities.

 

[JFC Fuller]

None of which really answers any of the fundamental questions, it makes sense that the system went on carriers but that doesn't mean that its logical that it wasn't proposed for anything else. "Air defence battle management system" is essentially a combat management system, the kind of thing one would want on many types of surface combatant. The oft repeated slabs of concrete conclusion merely adds to the confusion, the system was being proposed for carriers as early as the mid-1970s and still seems to have been proposed for ships laid down in the late 1980s - thats a 15 year timeline in which it could have been abandoned.

I am sure there is a fascinating story around this topic but it seems that, at least in the open source, it has never been told and thats a shame given what we know about US efforts such as AN/SPG-59, ANS/SPS-32 & AN/SPS-33 and ultimately AN/SPY-1.

I also note the image in this post that appears to accredit the system with a 2,000km range and, based on the imagery, a space surveillance capability - if I am reading it correctly. That potentially hints at a very significant role.

 

[Hood]

I also note the image in this post that appears to accredit the system with a 2,000km range and, based on the imagery, a space surveillance capability. That potentially hints at a very significant role.

Not quite.
A translation of that image is (from top to bottom), square brackets is my additional info:
ц, у от спуtника легенда (все цели в радлсе 200km) - from the 'Legenda' satellite (all targets in 2000km radius) [Legenda was the targeting satellite for the Granit (SS-N-19) ASMs, note the ingoing arrow, it is signifying a datalink to the ship of radar data from Legenda]
марс-пассат - Mars-Passat [range] 550km at 10km altitude, 300km at 0.5km altitude
подберезовик - Podberezovik [MR-650] [range] 500km at 10km altitude, 200km at 0.2km altitude
подкат - Podkat [MR-350 Podkat-M] [range] 100km at 5km altitude, 50km at 0.5km altitude

Of course the diagram gives no indications of maximum altitudes, I would not read too much into the height of the stylistic arcs on the diagram in that regard. Certainly the satellite shown in Legenda and is not connected to the performance of Mars-Passat. The MR-650 Podberezovik and Mars-Passat are both quoted as having a maximum altitude of 30,480m but I would suspect the Mars-Passat has a higher max detection altitude. The high-level detection range is only 50km greater but at lower altitudes Mars-Passat had a more marked advantage and I presume would offer better detection of lower-RCS targets too.

I have seen unattributed comments elsewhere online that the system on Kuznetsov failed to detect anything, which would seem to indicate some serious issues. The software claim seems to have surfaced by the mid-90s, not sure where that came from, whether it was from a Russian source or Western speculation based on US development of similar radars. The decision to redesign Riga (aka Varyag) with the Forum system and the fact that only one complete complex was ever completed for Tbilsi (aka Kuznetsov) would indicate the Soviets had pulled the plug by 1990, whether due to software issues or delays in constructing the components. I suspect a combination of both factors were responsible.

Thinking more about the proposed ships I noticed another issue. Nearly all the platforms considered, apart from Baku, were nuclear powered. So I compared the electric generation capacity of the ships:
Pr.1143 - 6x 1500kW turbine-type generators & 4x 1500kW diesel-generators = 15,000kW
Pr.1143.4 - 6x 1500kW turbine-type generators & 4x 1500kW diesel-generators = 15,000kW
Pr.1143.5 - 9x 1500kW turbine-type generators & 6x 1500kW diesel-generators = 22,500kW
Pr.1143.7 - 10x 1500kW turbine-type generators & 8x 1500kW diesel-generators = 27,000kW

It seems that Baku was given no additional generation capacity over her sisters, despite the planned addition of Mars-Passat. Putting aside the different ECM/ESM suite, the only major radar change was the removal of MR-600 Voskhod. It would seem logical that the large and powerful Mars-Passat would have required more electric power than Voskhod, but none was provided for. Is this further evidence that Baku never received Mars-Passat (or was incapable of operating it in any case)?

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Mars-Passat was developed by the Ukrainian Kvant OKB and fell victim to a combination of technical issues, political issues and cost. The later carriers had provisions to carry Mars-Passat until it became clear it was not going to work. It seems to have been a technical dead end, with both subsequent carriers abandoning the system for the already existing, Russian, and lower technology, MR-650 Podberezovik (C Band) and MR-700 Fregat (E-band) radars.

 

[JFC Fuller]

Thanks Paul. It seems that the decision to pull the system from Varyag was made after her launch, in the famous photo of her and Kuznetzov side-by-side there is clearly a large square aperture awaiting the forward-facing Mars-Passat antenna yet by the time she left Ukraine that was long gone. That suggests the decision to abandon it was taken only in 1988/89.

This article claims that the second Ul'yanovsk would have received two MR-700 and one MR-650 instead of the Mars-Passat and acquired a different project number at the same time (1143.8), the first vessel would have had MR-650 in addition to Mars-Passat (one assumes replacing the MR-700 as seen on Kuznetzov). I have attached the image of the proposed 1143.8 Island without Mars-Passat, there is one MR-700 forward and one aft with the MR-650 right at the top of the Island. It is an interesting contrast with the model I posted in the first post.

 

[Grey Havoc]

The situation was doubtless not helped by the fact that in the late 1980s the surface fleet's R&D and construction funds were being increasingly diverted to the development and production of submarines, as a result of the dubious deal between Gorbachev and the so called 'Submarine Admirals' to oust Admiral Gorshkov.

 

[Grey Havoc]

A small bit of technical info on the radar:

http://cmano-db.com/pdf/sensor/1567/

 

[Tzoli]

Does any new info emerged on the Mars-Passat radar? Would it had been the Soviet equivalent of the Aegis SPY-1? Or maybe a more modern Soviet SCANFAR SPS-32/33?

 

[Anduriel]

Does any new info emerged on the Mars-Passat radar? Would it had been the Soviet equivalent of the Aegis SPY-1? Or maybe a more modern Soviet SCANFAR SPS-32/33?

There are scans of KGB report about state of it's development. It was... problematic to say the least. I could try to translate it.

 

[Anduriel]

26 aug 1986

Personal Top Secret

Copy #2

CENTRAL COMITEE OF COMUNIST PARTY OF UKRAINE

(to) Comrade Shcherbytsky V.V.





MEMO



About problems in creating “Mars-Passat” radar



During the process of counter intel support of Kyiv’s NPO “KVANT” of USSR’s Minsudprom (chief director comrade Stefanovich T.E., party committee secretary /meaning plant local party cell – Anduriel/ comrade Lisytsa L.I.) republican KGB obtained reliable data about low quality of 3D programmed /here программный обзор – program here means software program - Anduriel/ search radar (codename “Mars-Passat”) developed by NPO and failure to meet delivery deadlines to install it on built by Black Sea Shipbuilding Plant (ChSZ, Nikolayev city) heavy aircraft cruiser “Baku” /later – “Gorshkov ” and now known as “Vikramaditya” – Anduriel/ (order 104), which negatively impacts ship’s delivery deadlines to navy.

Development and creation of “Mars-Passat” is done on the basis of СС of CPSU and Sovmin #126-48 04.02.1975 and #635-188 05.07.1981. Approx. cost of development is 90 mil. rubles, 87 mil. was used by 01.08.1986.

May-June testing of reduced configuration prototype (RCP) of “Mars-Passat” radar at object 614 (Izberbash city, Dagestan ASSR) showed serious miscalculations that were made during development of a radar (machinery complex connections /завязка машинного комплекса – I think they meant processing systems – Anduriel/, usage of a single measurer /rangefinder? – Anduriel/ for all ESA channels which significantly complicates program-algorithmic system, choice of automatic mode as main one which with approved operator’s stations configuration can’t provide ability to work during jamming) that make overall operability questionable. Additionally, because of significant differences between RCP and full configuration variant /FCV - Anduriel/ of a radar in hardware and software test results don’t provide objective picture about “Mars-Passat” capabilities in relation to TTZ. Based on this, State Commision suspended evaluation.

By the operative sources opinion system’s functionality could've been checked before in NPO using Universal complex modelling system (UCMS), developed on Sovmin’s StateCom On Mil. Industry Questions order, the former of which was checked and was in working order by the time of 1st stage testing phase (December 1985). But due to the fact that the UMCS would’ve revealed radar complex’s inoperability, it wasn’t used during the testing and in the April of 1986 was disassembled.

Several lead experts from NPO “Kvant” called attention of NPO’s management and Chief Designer (comrade Gladysh F.L.) on issues during the development of “Mars-Passat”, but these opinions were ignored by Chief Director comrade Stefanovich T.E. and Chief Engineer Tuka B.Yu. due to Chief Designer assurances of chosen development path being a correct one. Customer’s representatives in NPO “Kvant” didn’t show necessary level of tenacity in checking reliability of selected technical solutions.

Despite the factual inoperability of RCP and FCV’s low probability of function, NPO “Kvant” right now sends “Mars-Passat” systems that are not connected by software to ChSZ /Black Sea Shipbuilding Plant – Anduriel/ and tries via Minsudprom to solve the question of installation of information and computing complex’ hardware on ship w/o completion of full volume of tests. This necessitates further refinement of it on “Baku” during latter’s running, mooring and state tests and would be extremely difficult to do. By NPO’s leading experts opinion, refinement could take at least 1.5 -2 years, which calls into the question the timely creation of “Mars-Passat” not just for “Baku”, but for new generation carrier “Leonid Brezhnev” (order 105) /now known as “Kuznetsov” – Anduriel/, hardware for which already in production w/o necessary changes in radar functional scheme.

Due to mentioned above republican Committee /KGB – Anduriel/ investigated version about deliberate harmful actions by specific individuals involved in development of a radar, but no data on hostile intent was found.



The reasons for the current situation are serious miscalculations in organizing the work on the topic by the leadership of the NPO (copying the foreign AEGIS station from the USA without considering the level of the domestic component base, involving insufficiently qualified managerial and regular performers in the development, weak administrative control over the progress of work, ignoring critical remarks regarding certain technical decisions made), which are being hidden from the Ministry of the Shipbuilding Industry of the USSR and the Customer. Repeated assurances are given that the complex will be delivered for Order 104 within the established deadlines and will fulfill the tasks assigned to it.

Considering the complexity of the "Mars-Passat" system project and the novelty of the technical solutions, leading specialists from the NPO "Kvant" propose to appoint an interdepartmental competent commission to determine the true state of the radar complex and make decisions on the future direction of the work.



Reported to the KGB of USSR.

We inform you for your information.



CHAIRMAN OF KGB OF UKRAINIAN SSR



S. MUKHA

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Links to files:

Форумы Balancer'а / Image view - Марс-Пассат F.16-Op.01-Spr.1245-0083.jpg -

Форумы Balancer'а / Image view - Марс-Пассат F.16-Op.01-Spr.1245-0084.jpg -

Форумы Balancer'а / Image view - Марс-Пассат F.16-Op.01-Spr.1245-0085.jpg -