The Sozvezdiye Group was established in execution of Presidential Decree No. 993 of July 29, 2004 and on the basis of the Research Institute of Military Communications (NII-299), established by a resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers (Government) No. 747-77 of February 14, 1958.
The Group comprises 16 companies in the radio-electronics industry section of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The possibility of expanding the number of subsidies to 23 is currently being considered.
The Group's enterprises mostly develop, manufacture, upgrade, repair and scrap specialised and civilian telecommunications and control systems, networks and complexes.
The Group specialises in the following activities:
* strategic-level telecommunications and control systems and networks;
* tactical-level telecommunications and control systems and networks;
* automated telecommunications and control systems and networks for air-defence and missile-defence units;
* automated tactical-level telecommunications and control systems and networks;
* automated radio-electronic warfare telecommunications and control systems and networks;
* special-purpose automated telecommunications and control systems and networks;
* professional general-purpose telecommunications systems and networks.
In pursuance of Presidential Decree No 1600 of August 30, 2000, the Sozvezdiye Group is developing the Joint Tactical-Level Control System to facilitate automated troop and weapons control.
Automation is essential in enhancing troop-level combat potential during a time of troop cuts and a rough parity in terms of the main weapons systems. The relevant information-technical base of the Joint Tactical-Level Control System, namely, the full-fledged range of standardised stationary, mobile and portable software-and-hardware complexes comprising telecommunications systems and networks, computers and software-information systems is developed on the basis of advanced information technology.
Such complexes are intended to equip headquarters and command vehicles, as well as standard combat and specialised vehicles. They facilitate the integration of control, reconnaissance, telecommunications, radio-electronic warfare, navigation and enemy identification functions and reduce the direct control cycle by at least two-fold and enhance troop-level combat potential by at least 20%.
The Joint Tactical-Level Control System's experimental troop-level tests are currently being conducted at the Fifth Motorised Rifle Brigade of the Moscow Military District. The Group can annually equip up to six brigades with the Joint Tactical-Level Control System and telecommunications systems and networks by 2015.
The Group is also developing general-purpose telecommunications systems. Pursuant to the federal targeted programme The Development of the Electronic Components Base and Radio-Electronics, the Group implemented a number of R&D projects aiming to create a standardized electronic-modules line for wide-band wireless broadcasting networks throughout 2008-2009.
The Sozvezdiye Group finished developing WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) subscriber and mobile stations in 2008. In early 2009, such equipment was certified as AstraMAX under the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media.
The deployment of an experimental mobile WiMAX district is currently being completed in Voronezh. The pilot programme is to commence in February 2010.
In 2007-2009, the Sozvezdiye Group completed a modernisation project under the federal targeted programme The Development of the Defence Industry and purchased three surface assembly lines with quality-control segments, three machining centres and metal laser-cutters. This made it possible to expand production.