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| The Russian-made Rezonans-NE VHF radar was useful against F-35 fighter jets of the United States (US) and its allies |
International Military - Russia is not kidding to create a sophisticated radar to 'disable' stealth fighter aircraft. Russia has reportedly started the Rezonans-NE VHF radar on the hilltop of the Korzunova air base.
Rumors circulated that the Russian-made Rezonans-NE VHF radar was useful against F-35 fighter jets of the United States (US) and its allies. The installation site for the Rozonans-NE radar was first announced in 2020. According to the latest claims, construction work has been ongoing since July 2021, as seen in the latest satellite imagery.
Quoted from the Eurasian Times, the facility is located near Zapolyarny, a mining town about 10 kilometers from Russia's border with Norway. The facility consists of four radar modules that cover 90 degrees and can scan the entire circular area.
According to reports, the complex is without a rotating antenna and has a transmitting antenna feeder device and an elevation antenna, as well as a radar data reception and processing system. Once completed, the radar will have sufficient operating field to monitor the skies over Rovaniemi in Finland and Evenes airport in Norway. These two places are current and future bases for the F-35.
NATO already has a pair of F-35 fighter jets in Evenes. The jet was assigned to the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) mission to intercept Russian aircraft flying out of the Kola Peninsula. The first Finnish F-35s, which are scheduled to enter service in 2025, will be based in Rovaniemi.
In 2020, Rozonans-NE radar systems sold to Iran, according to Russia's state-affiliated news agency, TASS, had effectively located and tracked American F-35 fighter jets just outside the country's borders. The new radar is one of at least six such systems that have been or will soon be installed along Russia's Arctic coastline, from the Kola Peninsula in the west to the Bering Strait in the east.
The radar system can identify and follow even the most complex aerial targets. Rezonans-NE is a high-frequency early warning [VHF] phased array radar. It is intended to detect a variety of existing and potential air targets, including low-observable cruise and ballistic missiles, hypersonic aircraft, and stealth aircraft, in environments with strong electronic countermeasures (ECM) and chaos.
Radar can run in predefined sectors or circular scan mode. In addition to peacetime duties, it can provide information support for air and air defense warfare operations as well as air attack early warning.
The Rezonans-NE has four radar modules, each of which can operate independently and offer control in the 90-degree azimuth sector. The radar module includes transmitter, azimuth, elevation antenna feeder, and power amplifier.
The radar data reception and processing system collects and processes data in four modules. Radar data receiving and processing devices, as well as probe signal generators, are digital devices controlled by special processors. The four-module radar, covering an area of 100 x 100 meters, scans 360-degree sectors.
Yuri Knutov, a Russian military expert, previously stated that Rezonans-NE is a very effective radar system that incorporates artificial intelligence components.
This technology allows the station to simulate an electronic image of the target and precisely identify its type by flight parameters.
The technical capabilities of the Resonance-N radar allow it to identify and target targets at a distance of up to 600 km for aerodynamic aerial targets and up to 1,200 kilometers for ballistic targets.
The system finds targets at altitudes of up to 100 kilometers simultaneously. Radar Resonance-N is being developed in module form. This significantly lowers production costs as all station nodes are assembled into a dedicated container afterward.
The station has a friend-or-foe target recognition system and can function reliably in winds of up to 50 m/s at the lowest and highest temperatures.
During combat operations, the radar is said to be capable of tracking more than 500 targets simultaneously, providing early warning of air strikes and informing aviation and anti-aircraft defense systems of the air situation. This system does not have a rotating antenna, it is usually used to provide complete visibility.
Rezonans-NE is usually installed in the field as a rectangular module. However, the radar can be built in one module, two modules or three variants with 90°, 180° and 270° display segments, respectively, upon customer request.
This system is also exported to several countries. Currently, the system has been acquired by Egypt and Iran. Algeria is also said to be a user of this system. It is assumed that the Egyptian Resonance-NE radar monitors all objects in the airspace over Israel, Syria, and countries other than Egypt.