Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Abandoned ionospheric research station

During the 80s this place had the functioning antenna complex the size of a soccer field, plus the "Ural" super-computer presiding over it all... The Ionospheric Research Station is located near Zmiev, close to Kharkov and is still used from time to time by (no doubt desperate) scientists - the area was declassified recently (it used to be a top secret installation, hm... I wonder why). This marvel of Soviet technology seems to be no match for HAARP Research Station in Alaska, but looks can be deceiving - and in the meantime it serves as a good "stomping ground" for all sorts of explorers of creepy and abandoned places.

The High Frequency Transmitter and Antenna Array

The biggest antenna is capable of producing 25 MW impulse power (compare it to the HAARP station's 12.5 MW) and is 25 meters in diameter. The IS (incoherent scatter) radar is quite unique (there are only 9 in the world) and covers 100 meter x 100 meter area.

images are courtesy Neal, from KharkovForum and Fata-Morgana from Sun-Skadi site.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

i would like to blow that place up! Or maybe play paintball out there!

Ivica Miskovic said...

well, you r right about paintball ;)

Anonymous said...

Wasn't this a map in the N64 game Goldeneye?

Anonymous said...

haha paintball definitely and also that truely is the N64 Goldeneye map haha!

eugene said...

i dont know where zmiev is but kharkov is in ukraine not in russia

runningclam said...

Agree with Eugene. It's in Ukraine. But the Ukraine was the part of the Soviet Union when this thing was functioning.

Ivica Miskovic said...

ok, sorry for that, my mistake...i should write ex SSSR ... i apologize...

Anonymous said...

fuck russia they are going back to their old tricks