The unique scientific installation Irkutsk non-coherent scattering radar (Irish infrared scattering radar – IISR) (UNU IRNR, reg. No. 01-28) is located in Eastern Siberia (52.88 ° N, 103.26 ° E) in 120 Km to the north-east of Irkutsk and Used to study the ionosphere. UNU IRNR is based on the Dnepr radar system and is a monostatic pulse radar with frequency scanning. Designed to study physical processes in the upper world, the radar has retained the basic capabilities of radar (RL) measurements of space objects (QRs).

Main characteristics of ULN IRNR:

• Operating frequencies 154 – 162 MHz
  
• Pulse power 2.5 – 3.2 MW
  
• Pulse width 140 – 820 μs
  
• Pulse repetition frequency 24.4 Hz
  
• Antenna system sectorial horn
  
• Antenna gain of 38 dB
  
• Angular dimensions of the beam are 0.5 deg. (North-South)
  
• 10 deg. (East-West)
  
• Scanning sector 60 degrees. (North-South)
  
• Linear polarization
  
• The noise temperature of the system is 400-500 K
  
  UNU is a part of the global network of incoherent scattering radars (NR), consisting of 9 units, each of which It is a unique scientific tool. The uniqueness of HP radars is also determined by their geographic location, since data on controlling the containment of observations of global ionospheric parameters distributions are especially important. Irkutsk Radar HP fills a significant gap in the longitude chain of radars USA , Europe and Japan It is the only one in Russia and is included in the “List of unique experimental installations of national importance requiring additional state support” of the Russian Federation (register N 01-28).

  Research and main results.

  Studies of the ionosphere on this radar began in the 80’s. From 1993 to 2014. (20-40 days a year) in the altitude range of 200-1200 km. in various helio-geophysical conditions. Based on the observation data by the HP method, the features of the variations in various helio-geophysical conditions are studied. Methods for diagnosing near-earth space are developing.

  As a result of the conducted researches, for the first time for the East-Siberian region, a series of data on the behavior of the F-region of the ionosphere appeared under various helio-geophysical conditions (times of day, seasons, levels of solar and magnetic activity). Experimental data on the time and amplitude characteristics of variations in the ionospheric parameters over time of such perturbations as: solar eclipse, ionospheric storms, and powerful ground explosions have been obtained. Experimental experiments were carried out on the two-frequency effect on the ionosphere of high-power microwave radio waves.

  Since 1995, we have been actively developing cooperative international research, including using modern technologies. These studies were conducted in collaboration with the Atmospheric Research Group from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA) of the project, which received an RG1-199 grant from the American Civilian Research Foundation And developments (CRDF) for the period 1996-98.

  Along with the ionospheric signal, 7-10% of the data contain a radar signal from space objects (satellites, fragments of the upper rocket stages, space debris). The algorithms that operate on the UI IRNR analyze such signals in real time, then the catalog is identified space-track.org and the objects are divided into Two groups: identified and unidentified, the processing results are stored basic data of the UHN IRNR .

  From 2007 to 2014, together with the Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) “Energia” them. The Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, using the Progress cargo spacecraft (TGK), carried out active space missions Experiments (EC) on the investigation of gas-plasma formations that occur during the operation of propulsion systems (DU) and their effect on the reflective characteristics of THC.

  In 2010 The second modernization of UNU was completed, it allowed to increase the installation potential due to the modernization of the receiving and transmitting tract and the wide use of modern digital technologies.

  Since 2010 at the University