The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) has successfully targeted and destroyed a Russian “Nebo-M” radar station using the US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), according to a report from Ukraine’s General Staff.
“The destruction of this radar significantly reduces the Russian military’s ability to detect, track, and intercept both aerodynamic and ballistic targets,” the report said.
The General Staff assessed that Russia had only ten functioning systems of this type, each worth over $100 million, that remained after the latest hit.
According to the General Staff, eliminating the Nebo-M will provide a strategic advantage, allowing Ukraine to effectively create an “air corridor” to use Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG cruise missiles.
Russian Nebo-M radar
The Nebo-M radar system is highly advanced and expensive. It operates in “stealth mode” to scan the horizon for aerial threats.
The system combines input from three separate vehicle-mounted radars operating across the VHF, UHF, L, and X wave bands, with input controlled from a central command post.
The Nebo-M radar system, first introduced into Russian service in 2017, is a multi-purpose long-range radar.
According to its manufacturer, it can detect targets at ranges up to 600 kilometers (375 miles) away, monitor airspace up to 1,200 kilometers, and relay target locations to anti-aircraft missile systems for interception.
Russia claims the radar system is capable of detecting 5th-generation fighter jets, such as the US F-22 and F-35, as well as long-range ballistic missiles.
In April, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) successfully targeted a Russian Nebo-U long-range radar station located in the Bryansk region.
This radar had been monitoring airspace up to 700 kilometers into Ukrainian territory.
The Nebo-U radar played a crucial role in helping Russian forces detect Ukrainian weapons and supporting its bombers in their attacks on Ukrainian border settlements using guided aerial bombs.
Seven kamikaze drones hit the radar. Sources indicate that the Nebo-U complex is no longer operational and has likely been severely damaged.
US ATACMS
The ATACMS is a long-range, guided missile that gives commanders the immediate firepower to shape the battlespace.
Each ATACMS missile is packaged in a look-alike MLRS launch pod and fired from the MLRS family of launchers.
The maximum strike range of ATACMS is 300 km.
The ATACMS is a conventional surface-to-surface artillery weapon system capable of striking targets well beyond the range of existing Army cannons, rockets, and other missiles.
ATACMS missiles are fired from the HIMARS and MLRS M270 platforms.
The US has supplied Ukraine with ATACMS to target Russian facilities and troop concentrations located hundreds of kilometers away from the frontline.
The decision was difficult because Washington hesitated to provide Kyiv with sophisticated, long-range weapons.
This was mainly due to concerns that they could be used to target deep into Russia, as they have reportedly done several times already.
However, with Moscow’s recent claim, Litovkin said that Russia is not sending a strong message that Western military technology “is no longer a secret for us.”
“We have shown everyone that we have found an ‘antidote’ to the most vaunted and promoted Western types of military equipment, and we are using it effectively,” he explained.
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