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Russia May Have Accidentally Revealed its New Military Satellites, IHS Markit ReportsIHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions, today released a report identifying what appears to be a previously unknown Russian military satellite program. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170622005445/en/ Analysis by Jane's Intelligence Review identifies what appears to be a previously unknown Russian military satellite program named 'Repei'. (Photo: Business Wire) Key points:
On 6 June, a delegation headed by Russian Minister of Defence (MoD) Sergei Shoigu visited the ISS Reshetnev satellite factory near Krasnoyarsk. Intended to acquaint Russia's leadership with the company's military products, it was a relatively low-key visit that was not even mentioned on the company's website. Several photographs of the visit taken by a TASS photographer were released by the Russian MoD ad subsequently appeared on the Press Association and Getty websites. One of the photographs showed the delegation inspecting a board containing information on a geostationary satellite identified as the 'Repei-S' and what appears to be a sister satellite named 'Repei-V' that will fly in highly elliptical orbits. Significantly, the name Repei (meaning 'burdock') had not previously been associated with any Russian satellite project known in open sources. What are the Repei satellites? The satellite shown in the photograph has a pair of large antennae, indicating it could be either a communications satellite or a signals intelligence (SIGINT) satellite intended for intelligence collection. Writing in a forthcoming feature for Jane's Intelligence Review, Bart Hendrickx - an experienced observer of the Russian space programme - assesses that Repei may be one of two things:
Was the leak accidental? Although the other photographs from the visit were accessible at the time of publication, the picture showing the Repei board was unavailable on the MoD's website. Jane's assesses that the photograph could have been removed from the ministry's website once it became clear that it unintentionally identified the Repei satellite. Alternatively, the release of the photograph could represent a deliberate leak, similar to the apparently intentional leak of supposedly classified information about the development of a nuclear torpedo, the Status-6, on Russian state television in November 2015. However, if this was a deliberate leak, it has so far received far less prominence in Russian media than the Status-6 leak. In addition, the photograph's absence from the ministry's website would support the assessment that the leak was genuinely accidental. Notes: Bart Hendrickx has written extensively on Soviet and Russian space history for 25 years. He is the co-author of the book Energiya-Buran: The Soviet Space Shuttle. Jane's Intelligence Review is a monthly security and intelligence publication produced by IHS (News - Alert) Markit. About IHS Markit (www.ihsmarkit.com) IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO) is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 key business and government customers, including 85 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world's leading financial institutions. Headquartered in London, IHS Markit is committed to sustainable, profitable growth. IHS Markit is a registered trademark of IHS Markit Ltd and/or its affiliates. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners © 2017 IHS Markit Ltd. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170622005445/en/ |