Russian media reports the Russian Aerospace Forces has an operational air defense system that makes use of the country's vast GSM network (the same network used in mobile phones) to detect and track enemy missiles and aircraft intruding into Russian airspace.

This heretofore secret air defense system, which is identified as the "Rubezh airspace control system," is capable of detecting cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and low-flying aircraft such as supersonic B1-B Lancer bombers of the U.S. Air Force, said the Russian newspaper Izvestia.

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The paper said 2G cellular networks that use base stations to relay information with radiofrequency signals create stable electromagnetic fields. Metal objects such as missiles and bombers cause disturbances in these fields, thereby alerting the Russian defenses to the existence of an invader.

There are over 250,000 cellular networks base stations operating in Russia and this network is expanding.

Base stations will record the interference caused by any airborne metal object that crosses the electromagnetic field of a GSM network. Rubezh determines the coordinates of the invader with high precision by analyzing signals from base stations that recorded changes in the field. This result is achieved by using the Doppler Effect and triangulation.

Once Rubezh acquires and identifies the target, the system transmits the data to Russia's National Defense Management Center, and to Russian Aerospace Forces command and control centers for air defense systems.

Rubezh is being described as an innovative, cost-efficient solution that will greatly enhance the capabilities of Russia's anti-missile and anti-aircraft defense systems.

Ruselectronics, a Russian state-owned company that produces up to 80 percent of all Russian electronics components, will showcase the Rubezh airspace control system at the upcoming Army-2016 expo from September 6 to 11.

TagsRussian Aerospace Forces, air defense system, GSM network, Rubezh airspace control system, Izvestia