Russian trench radar can detect FPV drones at distance of 8 km, says expert

The Russian military is using the MSL 20045, a compact trench-based radar system, capable of detecting FPV drones at a distance of around 8 km.

Source: Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of defence and a radio technology expert

Details: The portable system is produced by STC LLC, based in St Petersburg, whose most well-known product is the Orlan reconnaissance UAV system. The company is subject to sanctions from Ukraine, the United States, Canada, Switzerland, the EU, the United Kingdom and Japan, according to its profile on the War&Sanctions website run by Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.

Flash explained that the MSL 20045 enables Russian forces to detect fixed-wing drones with high precision at distances of up to 15 km and FPV drones at up to 8 km.

"It has a 45-degree scanning sector," he said. "A single control station can handle up to eight of these radars simultaneously. Unlike the airspace monitoring system, this radar operates in a different frequency range of 5.0-5.9 GHz."

The Russian trench radar is a rectangular unit measuring 65 by 35 cm mounted on a tripod. Flash noted that Russian troops "keep these systems well hidden" at their positions.

Background: Ukrainska Pravda reported earlier that an improvised surface-to-air missile system based on a Ural lorry had been spotted in the Russian city of Oryol. Russia is also beginning mass production of a ring-wing FPV drone, which may have a flight range of up to 50 km.

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