(KYIV, UKRAINE) – Ukrainian special forces from the Lasar’s Group unit of the National Guard of Ukraine have destroyed a Russian counter battery radar system deep behind the front line in the Luhansk region, according to footage and information released by the unit.
The system targeted in the operation was the 1K148 Yastreb AV radar complex, a specialised counter battery radar used by Russian forces to detect artillery fire and track projectiles. The estimated value of the system is about 50 million US dollars.
According to the National Guard unit, the operation was carried out with support from the duty command section of the Regional Radio Electronic Intelligence Centre North. The team provided information on the suspected location of the Russian radar system.
Using the intelligence provided, operators from Lasar’s Group identified the precise position of the radar installation and deployed heavy strike drones towards the site.
The first aerial strike successfully hit the target area. Following the initial attack, Russian troops attempted to move the radar system in an effort to save the equipment.
Ukrainian drone operators then tracked the movement of the radar. During the operation, a pilot landed a bomber drone directly on the Yastreb AV radar system, allowing the operators to follow its movement and maintain visual contact with the target.
Using this method, the Lasar’s Group crews continued to track the radar along its relocation route.
Subsequent drone strikes were then carried out against the moving system, ultimately destroying the radar complex.
The unit said the operation eliminated another valuable Russian military asset on the battlefield.
Counter battery radar systems such as the Yastreb AV are designed to locate the origin of artillery fire and guide retaliatory strikes. Their destruction can reduce the effectiveness of enemy artillery coordination.
Ukraine has increasingly relied on drone operations and electronic intelligence to locate and destroy Russian military equipment, particularly high value assets operating behind the line of contact.
