ZALA Lancet attack drone. © Marina Lystseva/TASS
A rare Ukrainian 80K6KS1 Phoenix-1 aerial surveillance radar has been destroyed by the Russian military using a Lancet loitering munition.aerial surveillance
It is unknown when and where exactly the radar was targeted. However, video footage of the strike was posted to social networks on June 29. The footage shows a Lancet loitering munition directly hitting the radar’s main antenna, effectively destroying it.
The Phoenix-1 radar was developed by the Ukrainian state-owned Iskra Research and Production Facility. It was first presented in 2021, less than a year before the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
The 3D aerial surveillance radar is said to have a range of up to 400 kilometers and was designed to be compatible with the Soviet-made Buk-M1 medium-range air defense systems. It can reportedly be integrated with other Soviet and even Western systems.
The Lancet, which was used to target the rare Ukrainian radar, was developed by the ZALA Aero Group, a subsidiary of Russia’s defense giant Kalashnikov Concern.
The company produces two versions of the loitering munition, the Izdeliye-52 with an endurance of 30 minutes and a one-kilogram warhead and the larger Izdeliye-51 that has an endurance of 40 minutes and is armed with a warhead weighting three kilograms.
The loitering munition flies towards the designated area with a GLONASS-aided inertial navigation system. After arriving in the area, the operator utilizes an onboard electro-optical system via a two-way data-link to detect, track and lock on the target. A laser-ranging system then controls the detonation of the warhead.
The small radar cross-section and minimal infrared signature of the electric-powered loitering munition makes it very difficult to detect and intercept.
Ukrainian attempts to stop Lancet loitering munitions with air defense fire, electronic warfare or countermeasures have been mostly unsuccessful.
According to Lostarmour.info, a website that tracks and documents military losses, the Russian military has so far used Lancet loitering munitions to destroy or damage 106 radars and communication systems of Kiev forces. The number includes only strikes verified by video.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
