The long-range surveillance radar, which was supposed to be installed on Bjelasica by the end of 2024, will not be operational for at least another two years, because the Broadcasting Center's telecommunications equipment must first be relocated from that mountain.
"Vijesti" was told this by the Ministry of Defense, answering questions about why the radar, which was provided to Montenegro by NATO, is not yet operational, what stage its installation is in, and how much its modernization costs.
From the department he heads Dragan Krapović (Democrats) responded that the Government provided 6,8 million euros through the capital budget for the construction of the radar site.
This project is behind schedule, as Montenegro has undertaken an obligation to its NATO partners to install and activate the radar on Bjelasica by October 2024 at the latest. In 2019, Montenegro received a second-hand 3D surveillance radar of the "HR 3000" type from NATO, which creates opportunities to continuously monitor and control airspace and ensure the exchange of radar images in the NATO defense system.
The Ministry explains that the radar is not operational because the conditions for the construction of a radar position on Bjelasica have not been created. They said that the location where the position is planned to be built is home to equipment from the Broadcasting Center.
"The Government of Montenegro has reached a conclusion to relocate the telecommunications equipment of the Broadcasting Center from the location on Mount Bjelasica. Activities are underway to relocate this equipment to another, more appropriate location," they stated.
As they added, in parallel with the activities that the Broadcasting Center is carrying out to relocate their equipment, the Ministry is implementing the procedure to implement the project of building a radar position for the needs of the Army of Montenegro through the Procurement Plan of that department for 2025.
"This is a project that, due to its specificity, can only be implemented by the Ministry of Defense. Of course, in accordance with the legal regulations governing special public procurement in the field of defense and security," they said.
The ministry will, as they announced, conduct a procedure for selecting the companies that will build the radar position, as well as the companies that will provide expert supervision over the execution of the works.
"The construction of the radar site will take two years," they stated.
They will not allow delays, pressures and obstructions.
The Ministry says that, although various executive bodies, including the current one, have addressed this issue and drawn conclusions with the aim of its implementation, concrete steps have been lacking until now.
"It is clear that the installation of the radar system on Bjelasica is a priority for the Ministry of Defense, which will be implemented in accordance with legal procedures, but without compromise when it comes to the interests of the state," they said.
Defense Minister Krapović, they add, is clearly sending a message that he will not allow delays, pressures, or obstructions that could jeopardize the implementation of this project, "which is of vital importance for national security."
"With this move, Minister Krapović confirms his commitment to strengthening Montenegro's defense capacities and the efficiency of managing the department entrusted to him," the Ministry notes.
The department previously said that the acquired radar is located at the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) in Luxembourg, where work is ongoing on its adaptation and modernization.
The radar will, as announced, with the consent of the NSPA, as well as based on the recommendation of the NATO Supreme Command of Allied Forces Europe (NATO SHAPE), be installed at the Zekova glava location on Bjelasica, which was selected because it meets the necessary airspace coverage conditions.
From the Zekova glava location, which is at an altitude of 2.117 meters, the radar will be able to "see" most of the airspace of Montenegro, but also parts of the airspace of its neighbors - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania, as well as the sky over most of the southern Adriatic and the Strait of Otranto.
The Raytheon HR-3000 radar belongs to a somewhat older generation of surveillance radars from the mid-1990s, but it is still modern enough and capable of meeting Montenegro's needs for electronic surveillance and control of its airspace. Although second-hand, the radar that Montenegro received from NATO has been modernized, and the Alliance will provide our country with full technical support for it for the next 15 years.
The "HR-3000" is a more advanced and capable variant of the HADR airspace surveillance radar developed by the American company "Hughes Aircraft" in the early 1990s with the intention of installing such devices predominantly on NATO's southeastern flank in Europe.
The alliance then ordered a total of ten such radars, which were installed at observation posts in Italy, Portugal, Greece and Turkey. These radars were later purchased by Germany and Norway, as well as Malaysia and Taiwan, so that a total of about 60 units were produced, which, when new, cost between eight and 10 million dollars each, depending on the accompanying equipment.
So far, 355.826 euros have been allocated for radar costs.
The Ministry of Defense said that radar costs are divided into operational and administrative, and that since 2020, a total of 366.115 euros have been paid for administrative costs.
The ministry stated that operating costs were paid in advance, in the amount of 300 thousand euros in 2021 and 2022.
"Of the total funds, 355.826 euros have been spent so far, which indicates that we are in a prepayment of 344.173 euros, which are used for all additional equipment that is necessary. For 2025, the budget of the Ministry of Defense has planned 168.500 euros for operational costs."
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