Russian Company Introduces Compact Radars to Thwart Maritime Drone Threats

Ruselectronics Holding has developed portable radars capable of effectively detecting unmanned vessels at a distance of up to six kilometers, Andrey Komogortsev, the CEO of the Rybinsk Instrument-Making Plant (part of Ruselectronics), told Sputnik.

The Mini-Radar is a portable multi-function station that weighs less than 25 kilograms including the rotating unit and batteries. Initially, these stations were designed to protect critical infrastructure objects from aerial drones and to detect ground-based equipment.

"The surface of the water does not cause any additional radio interference when this radar is operating. Even an amateur three-meter boat is guaranteed to be visible from a distance of six kilometers. This allows using such stations to protect sea and river objects from unauthorized intrusion," Komogortsev said when asked whether such radars can be used for protection against maritime drones.

Denis Fedutinov, a leading Russian expert in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles and editor-in-chief of 'Bespilotnaya Aviatsiya' (lit. 'Unmanned Aviation') magazine, confirmed to Sputnik that such systems could be successfully used to defend against drone attacks from the sea on structures such as the Crimean Bridge, naval bases and other coastal facilities.

"Due to their portability, they do not require any additional infrastructure. At the same time, their detection range of small surface objects up to six kilometers, taking into account the previously declared maximum speed of Ukrainian maritime drones of 43 knots from open sources, will provide notification to relevant security forces at least four minutes before contact. In addition, the radars will track the exact location of unmanned vessels at any time of day," the expert explained.

He added that having coordinate information about targets, even in adverse weather conditions, with a few minutes' lead, will enable the effective interception of Ukrainian drones approaching the bridge. Fedutinov clarified that radars of this type typically operate in the millimeter wavelength range and can effectively detect air, ground and sea targets.

For comparison, the radar can detect an amateur three-meter-long boat almost flush with the water surface at a range of six kilometers, while Ukrainian unmanned vessels, according to publicly available data, are 5.5 meters long.

Russia’s National Antiterrorism Committee reported that on Monday night that Kiev had carried out a terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge using two unmanned surface vessels. As a result, a married couple from the Belgorod region was killed and their teenage daughter was injured. The road part of the bridge was damaged, and two-way traffic on this section expected to be restored by fall.