Russia Uses Chinese Commercial Radars to Hunt Ukrainian Drones

Russian air defense units are reportedly using a Chinese-made commercial radar system together with FPV interceptors to track and destroy Ukrainian drones, Militarnyi reported, citing Telegram channel Potuzhnyi Informator on October 5.

According to the channel, the 22nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment of Russia’s 11th Army Corps is operating a portable radar produced by Zhejiang Fanshuang Technology.

The system is sold on Chinese marketplaces and comes in versions with a detection range of 5, 10, or 20 kilometers. Depending on the configuration, the most expensive model costs around $220,000–230,000.

The radar features “black” and “white” lists, allowing operators to mark friendly drones to speed up identification and reduce the risk of friendly fire. The manufacturer also claims the device can accurately detect drones within its coverage area and approximate the operator’s location based on the drone’s flight path.

Photos shared online show several Ukrainian drones reportedly intercepted with the help of this radar, including the Leleka-100M2, MiniShark-D, Vector, Heavy Shot, Darts, and Distractor.

Earlier, it was reported that during Russia’s large-scale missile and drone strike on October 5, at least three Chinese reconnaissance satellites from the Yaogan series flew over western Ukraine—the area that sustained the heaviest attacks.

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