Ukrainian drones severely damage critical Russian radar stations
7:11 AM EDT, May 25, 2024, updated: 10:35 AM EDT, May 25, 2024
Over-the-horizon radars are one of the pillars of Russia's security. With a range measured in thousands of miles, they are intended to detect threats in advance—primarily ballistic missiles. One of the four such stations was severely damaged by Ukrainians.
On Thursday, May 23, Ukraine carried out an unprecedented attack on strategically significant installations located in Russia. The target of the Ukrainian drones was the radar station in Armavir (Krasnodar Krai, 44°55'32.0"N 40°59'02.0"E), consisting of two 77Ya-6DM Voronezh-DM over-the-horizon radars.
These radars are the size of multi-story buildings, so due to their dimensions, they were not destroyed. However, available recordings confirm that both were severely damaged.
This is a critical success for the Ukrainians, not only in a propaganda sense. The attack targeted one of the few essential facilities to Russia's strategic security. Each radar costs approximately 4.5 billion rubles (approximately 48 million USD), and its construction and commissioning require many years.
Russian Voronezh over-the-horizon radars
The Russian early warning network consists of four Voronezh-DM stations with UHF band radars (one of which was just damaged), four with VHF band radars, and one Voronezh-WP radar, also operating in the VHF band.
These radars are distributed on the edges of Russia, including the Kaliningrad Oblast. According to Russian sources, each station is capable of detecting an object the size of a soccer ball from a distance of 3,700-5,000 miles and simultaneously tracking up to 500 detected targets. In practice, this means controlling the airspace over Europe and part of the Atlantic.
Such an extensive range is because Voronezh-DM is an over-the-horizon radar (similar to, for example, Duga radars, which include the famous Moscow Eye). This device uses the ionosphere's properties (one of the atmospheric layers extending approximately 37 miles high).
The ionosphere contains plasma resulting from the ionization of gas molecules, enabling it to act as a considerable screen reflecting radar waves. A signal sent at the appropriate angle by the over-the-horizon radar—reflecting off the ionosphere and the ground—can reach far beyond the horizon, exceeding the range of ordinary radars.
