Ukrainian Military Intelligence Takes Out Russian Zoopark-1 Radar Worth $23 Million Using Drones

Ukrainian military intelligence destroyed a Russian 1L219M Zoopark-1 counter-battery radar station, the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported on November 28.

The Russian radar system was destroyed by the “Wings” HUR unit, marking a significant blow to Russian military reconnaissance.

The HUR released a video showing the successful operation. The footage, captured by Ukrainian drones, tracked the movement and deployment of the Russian radar before directing long-range FPV drones to destroy it.

“The enemy tried to flee after the first hits but failed, and the radar burned in the middle of the field,” the statement noted.

The exact location of the strike was not disclosed, but the HUR emphasized they used 4 long-ranged drones that cost around $2,300 and destroyed a Russian station with an estimated cost of more than $23.86 million.

The 1L219M Zoopark-1 is a Russian radar complex designed for artillery reconnaissance and fire control. It detects the firing positions of enemy artillery, rocket launchers, and mortars by tracking the trajectories of their projectiles.

Mounted on an MT-LBu tracked chassis, it can identify 120mm mortar positions up to 17 km away and multiple rocket launchers like the BM-21 “Grad” from up to 45 km.

Earlier, HUR reported the successful elimination of a Russian 48Ya6-K1 “Podlet” radar system near the village of Kotovske in western temporarily occupied Crimea.