Russian Anti-Stealth Radar in Iran
By Cameron Curtis,
In a previous article, Why World War II Radars Can Detect Modern Stealth Aircraft, we pointed out that World War II vintage radars, with low frequencies and long wavelengths, were capable of detecting modern stealth aircraft, including the B-2, F-22, and F-35. Russia never stopped developing these long-wave VHF radars and has built some truly capable systems. In The Anti-Stealth Kill-Chain: Is the F-35 Untouchable? we discussed the mobile Nebo-M, which Russia has deployed to Syria. Russia has also deployed eight Rezonans-NE long-wave systems to Iran, where they form a defensive anti-stealth and anti-ballistic missile shield.
Unlike the Nebo-M, the Rezonans-NE is not mobile. Figure 1 shows the perimeter of a Rezonans-NE. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a typical Rezonans-N installation. It consists of four fixed walls of receiver antennae that make the installation look like a fort. Note the N version is supplied to Russia’s armed forces; the NE version is for export.
The four receiver arrays (the walls) give Rezonans a 360-degree azimuth coverage to fix the direction of a threat. The receiver masts determine the target’s elevation. Together, Rezonans uses these inputs to draw a three-dimensional picture of the battlespace. The Lira-VME IFF radar is a separate device for friend-or-foe identification
Notice the structure of the installation. The receiver arrays look like matrices with lots of open spaces. This becomes important when we consider damage assessment. A nearby explosion scatters shrapnel and debris in all directions – most of it will pass harmlessly through the spaces in the receiver arrays. More importantly, the blast wave will pass through the structure like through a ventilated sail. Should any part of a receiver array be hit, the remainder of the array will continue to function until the damaged section is repaired.
This video, Russian Provision of Anti-Stealth Radar to Iran, introduces Russia’s deal to provide Anti-Stealth Radar to Iran. Indeed, depending on the features restricted in the export version, Russia can choose to escalate horizontally by upgrading Iran’s Rezonans-NEs to Rezonans-Ns simply by swapping modules flown in on AN-124 heavy lift aircraft. The Rezonans-Ns probably have greater range and discrimination power.
Many analysts believe there are thousands of Russian technical specialists in Iran at this very moment, operating and working with Iranians on anti-stealth radars and S-400 missile systems. Their role is comparable to the US soldiers operating THAAD batteries in Israel.
Rezonans Capability
Figure 3 is an example of a Rezonans-NE plot. One of the tell-tale indications that we are looking at an export version is that the screen symbology is in English, not Cyrillic. If we zoom in, we see the data conveyed makes sense – frequency ranges and power levels for four 90-degree sectors of azimuth.
Rezonans will detect aerial targets (aircraft and drones) at ranges up to 400 miles and up to 800 miles for ballistic targets. This performance is somewhat less impressive than the Nebo-M. Rezonans is capable of tracking 500 targets simultaneously.
The key feature of the Nebo-M and Rezonans-N is that they are able to detect and track stealth aircraft. The questions is, can the stealth aircraft be reliably targeted? The long wave radars effectively detect stealth aircraft at long range, and track them, but might not be able to provide sufficient resolution to guide weapons to the target. Russia is continuously improving this capability. In one case, the long wave radar are integrated with S-300 or S-400 batteries and cue the missile systems’ targeting radars. In another case, the Nebo-M and Rezonans guide an air defense missile close enough to the target for the missile’s on-board seeker head to lock on and kill the enemy.
Damage from the Attack of October 25/26
The Israeli attack and its challenges have been extensively covered here NSA Leak Cause Feeble Israeli Attack on Iran and here Israel’s Air-Launched Ballistic Missiles Strike Iran. We mentioned in those articles that the Israelis attacked with 40 ROCKS and 16 Golden Horizons. The shorter-range ROCKS were directed at Iranian air defense sites. The longer-range Golden Horizons were probably intended for a decapitation strike. Their targets were changed when the NSA leak spoiled the first plan.
Figure 4 shows battle damage to a Rezonans-NE radar site from a ROCKS strike. The ROCKS was probably equipped with a high explosive blast warhead.
The images show that the Rezonans-NE receiver arrays are still relatively intact and probably functional. The IFF radar has been destroyed and damage has been inflicted on the command and control hut.
Just a few days after the attack, at least one Russian AN-124 heavy transport aircraft arrived in Iran. It was likely bringing replacement parts for the Rezonans. It also may have been delivering additional Russian Flanker variants for the Iranian Air Force In any case, it will not be long before that radar is fully functional.
The Israelis have not provided evidence of their extravagant claim that all of Iran’s S-300s were destroyed and Iran is now “naked and defenseless.” In fact, due to the NSA leak, and the mobility of the S-300s and their radars, all the S-300 systems would probably have been moved before the attack. The Israelis could not have re-mapped them unless the radars were turned on, or “lit up.”
It is likely the static Rezonans sites made the most inviting targets, yet only two out of eight Rezonans installations were damaged. So most of the incoming missiles were intercepted or missed.
When Russians strike Patriot and IRIS-T batteries and radars, they either use Kinzhals or Iskanders. The latter are armed with cluster warheads. Air defense sites, whether missile launchers or radars, are not generally hardened targets. A cluster munition deployed in an airburst is more likely to inflict damage over a wide area. The ROCKS missile, landing in the center of the Rezonans installation, took out the IFF radar, but the blast effect passed through the receiver arrays without causing significant damage. Credit where credit is due – the ROCKS missile struck the Rezonans installation dead center.
Conclusion
Israel’s claims that its strike of October 25/26 left Iran bereft of air defense are wildly extravagant. Iran’s anti-stealth radar forced the strike package to turn back early, and many missiles were intercepted. The strike package, apparently sized for a decapitation strike, was too light for the revised target deck of air defense assets and missile factories.
However, me must give credit where credit is due. The Israeli ALBMs are extremely accurate when they get through. Incidentally, the fact that they damaged two out of eight Rezonans sites is actually consistent with interception ratios Russian air defense is demonstrating in Ukraine. Russian air defense in Ukraine is intercepting eight to nine out of ten ATACMs and Storm Shadows. This ratio has improved over the course of the war as the Russians acquired expertise in jamming our missiles’ guidance. Excalibur GPS guided shells have been reduced from near 100% effectiveness to just 5% effectiveness over the same period.
These observations make sense, considering the ROCKS and Golden Horizons are new to the Russian systems. The Russians and Iranians have not had time to adapt. In particular, ROCKS utilizes a combination of GPS/INS (INS refers to Inertial Navigation Systems) guidance to defeat systems that jam GPS.
We are awaiting more information on these systems and their capabilities.
This essay first appeared in SOFREP
About the Author
You may reach Cameron at: [email protected]
Cameron Curtis has spent thirty years in the financial markets as a trader and risk manager. He was on the trade floor when Saddam’s tanks rolled into Kuwait, when the air wars opened over Baghdad and Belgrade, and when the financial crisis swallowed the world. He’s studied military affairs and warfare all his adult life. His popular Breed series of military adventure thrillers are admired for combining deep expertise with propulsive action. The premises are realistic, the stories adrenaline-fuelled and emotionally engaging.
Check out the books here: Cameron Curtis’s Amazon Page
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