On April 27 and 28, 2024, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (HUR MO) reported in separate press releases that using the Polish loitering munition Warmate, produced by WB Group, they managed to destroy Russian radars: the mobile 48Ya6-K1 Podlet-K1 and the portable Repeynik.
48Ja6-K1 Podlet-K1 / Photo: Ministry of Defence Of Russian Federation
On Saturday, April 27, the HUR MO released a video of an attack carried out by the Special Unit Gusy-9 in cooperation with the 15th Independent Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade (SBRA) Black Forest. The radar was located in the area of Krasnaya Polana village in the Belgorod region on Russian territory. The attack involved at least two Warmate combat drones: one hit the operating radar antenna, the other struck the command and power supply cabin.
This is a mobile S-band radar that rotates in azimuth and electronically scans in elevation, especially for low-flying targets. The upper phased array antenna is used for detecting and tracking targets. The lower two antennas are secondary radars, the narrower one is for the international SIF Mark XII standard, and the larger antenna at the back is for the domestic Russian friend-or-foe standard. The small antennas located next to and on top of the phased antenna array are compensation antennas, which protect against active jamming.
This radar operates in conjunction with the S-300 and S-400 Triumf anti-aircraft and missile defense systems.
On July 18 and August 23, 2023, the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to destroy two radars of this type, located respectively near the village of Lazurne in the Kherson region and in the area of the village of Olenivka, situated on the Tarkhankut Peninsula in the western part of Crimea.
However, the first radar of this type was lost on November 13, 2022, when Ukrainian forces attacked the then-occupied Chornobaivka military airport on the outskirts of Kherson.
On Sunday, April 28, the HUR MO released a video recording of another use of the Warmate loitering munition. The attack occurred two days earlier, once again carried out by the Special Unit Gusy-9. The location of the attack was not disclosed, but the destroyed target was the portable NRLS Repeynik radar.
The system was introduced into service in November 2022, and according to available information, the Russian Armed Forces received 37 units (as of August 25, 2023).
NRLS Repeynik / Photo: Wikimedia Commons
This radar is used for all-around detection and tracking of objects with a very low effective radar cross-section, such as mini and micro-class unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), moving at speeds up to 55 m/s at distances up to 15 km and altitudes up to 5000 m.
Used in both attacks, the Warmate 1 is designed for identifying and striking, depending on the type of warhead, lightly armored targets or enemy infantry. Warmate 1 can be operated as a standalone system, carried by soldiers or transported as an integrated element of a vehicle. The system is equipped with control modules that allow for full automation of most flight phases and support the operator in the targeting phase. Control of the flying combat vehicle is conducted in real-time based on video feed from the observation subsystem. The operator has full control over the selection of the system’s mode of operation, switching between a reusable reconnaissance mode and a single-use combat mode.
Warmate 1 has a weight of 4 kg, a fuselage length of 1.1 m, and a wingspan of 1.4 m. It is powered by an electric motor fueled by a battery, which allows for a 1.5-hour flight. Its armament consists of an interchangeable warhead. Warmate 1 operates using an autopilot system assisted by an automatic target tracking system (videotracker).