Sura Ionospheric Heating Facility

The Sura Ionospheric Heating Facility, located near the small town of Vasilsursk about 100 km (60 miles) eastward from Nizhniy Novgorod in Russia, is a laboratory for ionosphere research.

The facility is operated by the radiophysical research institute NIRFI in Nizhny Novgorod.

[2] Using this facility, Russian researchers studied the behaviour of the ionosphere and the effect of generation of low-frequency emission on modulation of ionosphere current.

In the beginning, the Soviet Defense Department mostly footed the bill.

At the middle of the operating frequency range (4.5 – 9.3 MHz) a maximum zenith gain of about 260 (~24 dB) is reached, the ERP of the facility is 190 MW (~83 dbW).