MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/. The Russian upgraded space-based missile attack warning system will begin operating before 2020, the designer-general of the Almaz-Antei company, Pavel Sozinov, said on Monday.

Technical solutions are being tested to develop the space echelon of the ballistic missile attack warning system, and it is expected to begin operating before 2020, Sozinov told a conference marking the 100th anniversary of the air defese troops.

The designer-general said capabilities of the radar field over Russia at medium and high altitudes were considerably improved in recent years, but at low altitudes such capabilities are limited, and formation of a local group could solve the problem.

Russia’s industry has achieved significant success in the development of fuel for missile interceptors and heat-resistant coatings not destoyed by heat of up to 3,500 degrees Centigrade. Work also continues to develop coatings for warheads to resist heat of thousands of degrees, he added.