The existing Tsiklon satellite navigation system required several minutes of observation by the receiving station to fix a position making them unusable for navigation positioning purposes. In 1968 to 1969 research institutes of the Ministry of Defence, Academy of Sciences, and Soviet Navy joined together to establish a single solution for air, land, sea, and space forces. This resulted in a 1970 requirements document that established the requirements for such a system. The constellation is currently operating in a degraded mode with only eight satellites fully operationall. That plan calls for 12 functioning satellites in 2001.
Work is underway to modernize the system.