Moscow and Astana have agreed the terms of Russia's use of a Kazakh radio communications center as part of Russia's ballistic missile early warning system, media reports said on Saturday.

The head of the Defense Ministry's international cooperation department, Sergei Koshelev, said the measure would enhance Russia's defense capability and help build a unified regional air and missile defense system.

"It will also give boost to the mutually-beneficial defense cooperation between our two countries," Koshelev added.

The Balkhash radio communications facility is an important element of Russia's ballistic missile early warning system, which ensures the security of all members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Armenia and Tajikistan.

The Dnepr long-distance radar, which is part of the Balkhash facility, provides round-the clock observation of outer space and registers ballistic missile launches in the entire southeastern collective security region.

Russia has long been leading efforts to build a joint air defense shield for the CIS, a loose organization of former Soviet republics.

related report
Russian Aerospace Forces to Receive Advanced Missile Defenses
The Russian Aerospace Forces will receive a modernized missile defense system in the near future, Colonel Andrei Cheburin announced.

"I'm sure that in the short-term perspective we will receive an upgraded missile defense system," Cheburin told RSN Radio.

He noted that currently the modernization of missile defenses is underway which will seriously enhance their combat capabilities.

Cheburin added that this year an interceptor missile was successfully launched from the Sary-Shagan range.

"We also successfully located and tracked all ballistic missiles launched from our continent," he said.

Source: Sputnik News