South Front
MOSCOW REGION, RUSSIA – JUNE 25, 2019: A ZALA Lancet-3 attack drone developed by Kalashnikov Concern on display at the Army 2019 International Military Technical Forum at Patriot Park. Marina Lystseva/TASS
On April 14, video footage surfaced online showing a Russian strike with a Lancet loitering munition against a 79K6 “Pelikan” radar of Kiev forces.
The radar was reportedly deployed near the city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region. The pinpoint loitering munition strike destroyed the radar and left it on fire.
The 79K6 is a 3D surveillance radar that was developed by Ukraine’s State-owned Enterprise Scientific and Production Complex “Iskra”. The phased array radar, which was first fielded by Kiev forces in 2007, can identify and track different aerial targets at a range of up to 400 kilometers. It can feed coordinates to different air defense systems, including the Soviet-made S-300PS.
High mobility is the main feature of the 79K6 long-range radar, which can be deployed and set up within no more than 30 minutes.
The radar was destroyed by an upgraded version of the Lancet, known as the Izdeliye-51. This version, which features extended wings, has an endurance of an hour and is armed with a warhead weighing five kilograms.
The loitering munition, which was developed by Russia’s ZALA Aero Group, is equipped with a GLONASS-aided inertial navigation system, a laser ranging system and an electro-optical system that can detect, track and lock on static and moving targets.
The Lancet has proven to be highly effective in suppression of enemy air defense operations. Since the start of the special operation in Ukraine, the Russian military has used Lancet loitering munitions to target at least 35 radar, communications and air defense systems of Kiev forces. This number includes only documented strikes.
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