Feb 8 2004 11:57AM
MOSCOW. Feb 8 (Interfax) - Russia's radar engineering troops detected more than 1,000 foreign combat and spy planes in the vicinity of the Russian border in 2003, radar troops chief Alexander Shramchenko told Interfax.
In total, over 500,000 radar targets were detected last year, including over 80,000 foreign, he said.
The intensity of foreign combat and spy planes' flights did not decrease in 2003, and the radar troops were alerted 16% more often, said Shramchenko.
"The air situation was particularly disturbing in the Northwestern, Central, North Caucasian and Kaliningrad air defense zones," the general said.
Up to 40% of the radar engineering troops' units, as well as radar intelligence groups and dual-purpose radars of the State Civil Aviation Service were used to monitor Russia's air space, he said.
The system of gathering and processing information, and controlling the use of the country's air space is being perfected, Shramchenko said.
