Russian Radar systems

Looks like the base vehicle is the same as used for transportation of the Tochka tactical ballistic missiles (9P129).

Its internal capacity to store ballistic missiles should make plenty of room for the folding arm.

The basic vehicle should have rather good cross country performance and be fully amphibious, but otherwise I know little about this new application for the vehicle.

The Credo-1E system has a rather different appearance and is a radar system while this system seems to have an optical ball turret.
The Credo system has variants mounted on modified BTR chassis and MT-LB chassis but I have never seen it on the 9P129 before.

The large square box below the ball turret probably contains mechanical stabilisation equipment and probably a gyro and likely does not contain a radar, so I would think this is not a Credo system at all... in the sense that Credo is a radar system, like Fara.

The recon model of the BMP-1 and the BMD-1 has optics and a radar mounted in the turret... perhaps this is part of the replacement for those vehicles with the optic component likely radically improved.

Just looking at the vehicle itself I was going to suggest the possibility of it having two arms one with optics and one with radar, but looking at the size of the folding arm at max extension in the top photo I rather doubt there is room. With a top quality thermal imager like Thales Catherine sight it is likely this system has a similar detection range to the Credo radar against some targets. If it contains a quality digital TV camera with high zoom it should offer excellent performance. Park it in the middle of a forest and poke the sensor ball above the tree line... any threat and you can drop the arm and move... artillery fire is much less effective within a forest as the trees absorb fragments and reduce blast effect.

The vehicles that normally carry Credo are used for spotting enemy artillery and calculating the origin of fire for counter-battery "attention". This vehicle could perhaps perform the mission based on the visible signature of a launch/attack, but maybe it will operate with a radar vehicle too.

I am guessing.

Interesting photos though. Thanks.

Develop tools and artillery reconnaissance. Currently set up new means of radar (radar Credo-1C "," Aistenok "," Zoo-1M), audio (ACP-7M), opto-electronic (PDP-4A) and air artillery reconnaissance (reconnaissance complex " fescue), which for several years comes to the troops.

From:

http://vpk.name/news/46729_Bog_voinyi_v_novyih_dospehah.html

So perhaps this is PDP-4A?

Presumably they are all based on the same vehicle with different packages at the end of the arms and different electronics in the vehicles.

I guess if they plan to operate it down roads in forests or amongst buildings or thick bush then you have a recon sensor popping up from nowhere with little chance of engaging the actual vehicle.

The radar models would be used to detect and track incoming artillery fire and determine their source. I expect the electro optics model will be used for passive detection of things like helos and low flying aircraft without a huge risk that the vehicle could be attacked except from directly above.

I would think a UAV might be better but from the information I posted below these vehicles are for air artillery. Would that mean air defence artillery?
The mention of audio recon I suppose could allow the vehicle to detect a tank division by its engine noise or aircraft.

Maybe they improved the vehicles cross country performance, but with road mobile units I think working in pairs will be needed in some areas just to ensure you have a vehicle to help you out of deep mud or deep snow if you get stuck.

Nice find Austin.

They seem to be expanding the number of radars in the L band range... I suspect that with the use of L band wing mounted radar in T-50 and Su-35 and perhaps Mig-35, (though I have not got confirmation of the latter I suspect they could use it too), that the Russians believe it might be useful... at least against LO fighters like Rafale and Typhoon, and also perhaps the F-35 and even F-22.

This makes ground based mobile radars as this very interesting... especially with Pantsir-S1s operational ceiling variably described as 10,000m and 15,000m, as the latter would probably mean that for normal operations the F-35 will not be able to fly over a Pantsir battery.

This anti stealth role is also useful for Pantsir as it does not rely on radar guidance or terminal homing, and has not forward facing optical ports so DIRCMs on the target will have a hard time stopping the missiles.

I wonder if those first Russian Pantsir-S1 batteries have those battery radars or only command posts.

I would expect that only batteries operating on their own would use this sort of radar, though it might be included as part of an anti stealth addition for use with older S-300 systems.

I would think the very first Pantsir batteries were deployed with S-400 batteries but I would expect production of Pantsir will be rather faster than production of S-400 so I would think the extra batteries will be deployed to S-300 batteries to replace systems like the SA-3 that are widely used to help defend such systems.
I would think the radars supporting the S-400 would offer pretty good coverage and that these new radars might be more use in Pantsir batteries supporting older SAM systems and also for Pantsir batteries operating alone... say defending a small airfield or something.

I think this AESA radar will be very hard to jam and even if it is
jammed, CP could share picture with other radars from IADS and deliver
targets to Pantsirs.

Jamming an L band radar would be difficult... for the same reason it is rather hard to jam datalinks... many of which operate in the L band.

Interesting.

Looks a bit like the new search radar on Pantsir-S1 but not as deep.

Also interesting that it seems to be attached to the turret of the BTR and that it is on an enlarged forward hull.

It seems to be based on the GAZ-59039 which is used as an amphibious ambulance/medical vehicle with a tent attachment.

I doubt this will include the tent.

Clearly they wanted wheeled mobility for this radar as the MTLB would likely offer easier access and more volume capacity.

This will be very effective in dealing with LO targets at long range , the only thing they need to add is a Bi-Static Radar like Barrier-E , Passive Radar Detection Kit and Passive EO system.

Technically any radar system can simply listen and be used in the passive radar mode.

The system would need to operate with other similar systems so one radar emits radar waves scanning for targets while the other radars simply listen... tricky to do without a C4IR system.

This way the radars will act as passive radars and also as bi static radars.

I am just wondering if Russia managed to detect a B-2 aircraft so far ?

Do you think the US would fly their B-2s close to Russia to let them test their radar equipment against them?

Would the Russians reveal that they could detect a B-2 if they did?

A British team detected a B-2 at the Farnborough Airshow with EO/Thermal equipment for the Rapier 2000 system, and the Aussies claim to have detected a B-2 with their OTH-B radar at Jindalee.

I don't think everyone but the Russians will be detecting B-2s...

Yes, detection with longer wave radars is one thing, but most engagement and tracking radars use higher frequencies that these stealth aircraft are less visible to.

A bit like the Early 1960s with the U-2... detecting it is not enough, you need something that can go up and kill it too to be a proper air defence.

Certainly even an Su-25 could be used to intercept either the B-2 or F-117 let alone a real fighter, but the problem is what if it turns out to be an F-22?

The solution is obviously coming with the S-400, Su-35S, and PAK FA.

This radar however is an important piece in that finding the target and following its movements and passing that info to S-400 batteries and flights of Flankers and PAK FAs is the first part of a successful interception.