Ukrainian Drone Strike Destroys $100 Million Russian Nebo-SVU Radar in Kherson Region

The Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully destroyed a Russian 1L119 Nebo-SVU radar system in the temporarily occupied Kherson region, reported the Telegram channel Dosye Shpiona  on January 19.

The radar was reportedly targeted on January 18 and belonged to a unit of Russia’s 90th Air Defense Missile Brigade under the 49th Army, stationed in the Krasnodar region (military unit 54821).

According to the report, three strike drones were deployed in the operation to destroy the Nebo-SVU radar. The attack not only rendered the radar system irreparable but also destroyed a diesel power station (DES ED3×30-T400-1PA1M6) critical to its operations.

Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed the strike in its daily report for January 18.

The 1L119 Nebo-SVU is an advanced iteration of the Nebo-SV radar. It is designed to monitor airspace, detect, track, and provide coordinates for aerial targets, including strategic and tactical aircraft as well as low-observable (stealth) targets.

The system is capable of classifying targets and identifying their national affiliation. Additionally, it can pinpoint the source of active jamming signals. The radar operates both as part of integrated air defense systems and independently. According to the Ukrainian military media Defense Express, the price of this system can reach $100 million per unit.

Technical capabilities of the radar include:

• Detection range for a fighter at 20 km altitude: up to 380 km.

• Detection range at 500 m altitude: up to 65 km.

• Deployment time: less than 30 minutes, with a crew of four operators.

• High mobility allows deployment in unprepared positions.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Armed Forces struck the radar equipment of an S-400 missile system in Russia’s Belgorod region.