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Science & Technology
Russian Radars & SAMs vs Drones - Continued
2026-04-28
[Sarcastosaurus] Information-dense and long. Here is one list and the first paragraphs to get you started, dear Reader:
  • FSTH-LD02: Detection radar 12-18 GHz, 10 km

  • FSTH-LD03: Detection radar 8-12 GHz, 15 km

  • Tor: Acquisition radar 4-8 GHz, 32 km. Target radar 18-27 GHz, 25 km.

  • Pantsir: Acquisition radar 2-4 GHz, 50 km. Target radar 8.5-10.68 and 13.4-17.7, 28 km.

  • Buk: Acquisition radar 3-4 GHz, 160 km. Tracking radar 6-10 GHz, 85 km.

  • S400: Acquisition radar 1-2 GHz, 600 km. Tracking radar 8-12 GHz, 400 km.

  • S350: AESA radar 8-12 GHz, 150 km in rotating mode, 230 km in stationary mode.

CAPABILITIES OF SELECTED RADARS VS. DRONES
In 2023, the Russians said that the Tor-M2 is the most effective means against enemy drones up to 32 km and that reconnaissance drones have no chance to survive. The reality is that the Tor can only detect drones at 3-4 km. Even when they are detected at such close range, the tracking computer has a large error in the exact location, altitude and velocity of such a small target because the wavelengths used were meant to track larger aircraft, such as helicopters and jets. Because of this, SAMs that are fired in the approximate direction of a drone will fly by without exploding. Russia started with 129 Tor systems in 2022 and more have been built since then. At least 59 were destroyed by last June.

In 2021, Russia said they upgraded the Pantsir-S1M missile and gun system so it could detect and kill any drones, even though a 2020 Russian study said that they were poorly adapted to fight drones and that firing a missile at a drone is practically impossible. Azerbaijan used the large Bayraktar TB2 drone to destroy 100 Armenian vehicles and the Pantsir systems that were defending them in 2020. The Pantsir didn’t do well against small drones in Syria, where Turkish EW may have jammed its radar, or in Libya. In Ukraine, we don’t see any videos of successful engagements against drones but reports say that there are very few successes. We do see a lot of Pantsirs being destroyed because they either didn’t detect the drone or couldn’t successfully engage it with its missiles or guns. They started the war with 116 Pantsirs and Russia produces about 14 Tors and Pantsirs a month, but Ukraine says they eliminated half of Russia’s Pantsirs.

Buk systems are effective against large drones at high altitudes but have difficulty detecting small drones or drones at low altitude. Reconnaissance drones are able to observe FPV drones damage and destroy systems. Russia started with 310 Buk systems and may have lost as many as 150 as of last month.
Posted by:Clem+Elmish4239

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