Swedish Giraffe Radars Improve Ukraine’s Early Warning Against Russian Missiles and Drones

Sweden's Saab-built Giraffe radar systems have strengthened Ukraine's air defense by tracking aerial threats ranging from supersonic fighters to low-flying drones, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry on June 23.

The ministry detailed the radar line and its role in monitoring Ukrainian airspace on its official website, describing the systems as a centerpiece of national defense.

"The Giraffe family of Swedish radar stations has performed well in Ukraine and become one of the priorities of our defense strategy," the ministry stated.

Giraffe is a line of air-surveillance radars produced by the Swedish company Saab. The family spans several variants, including the PS-90, PS-100, Giraffe 1X, Giraffe AMB, and Giraffe Mk IV.

Each system scans the surrounding airspace through a continuous 360-degree sweep. Depending on the variant, the radars detect airborne targets at ranges up to 100 kilometers and altitudes up to 20 kilometers.

That coverage lets Ukrainian crews follow a broad spectrum of targets. The radars detect supersonic fighters, cruise missiles, and helicopters, as well as small, slow, low-altitude drones that many systems struggle to detect.

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Early detection across that envelope feeds Ukraine's layered air defense, giving interceptor crews more time to react to incoming Russian strikes.

The radars reflect a widening defense relationship between Kyiv and Stockholm, in which Sweden supplies advanced systems while Ukraine provides rare battlefield data from high-intensity air defense operations.

Kyiv has also moved to acquire Swedish Gripen fighter jets armed with long-range Meteor air-to-air missiles, capable of engaging aircraft at distances beyond 200 kilometers.

Kyiv intends those weapons to push Russian warplanes back from the front and curb their glide-bomb attacks, and it has signaled plans to buy as many as 150 of the jets

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