Ukrainian Unknown Drone Strike Disables Russian Radar in Kursk Region

Ukrainian Defense Forces have struck a Russian mobile UHF radar in Russia’s Kursk region using an unidentified drone.

Footage of the attack was published by the Dosye Shpiona Telegram channel.

According to the report, the strike took place on April 20, with an aircraft-type drone directly hitting the radar’s equipment module.

The impact likely destroyed or permanently disabled the radar system. Judging by the video, the target was a mobile 2D UHF radar — either the P-15 or its more advanced variant, the P-19. Dosye Shpiona channel claims it was a P-15.

If confirmed, the incident suggests two possibilities: either Russia has been forced to restore outdated systems due to a shortage of modern radars, or it is deploying obsolete equipment in the form of decoys.

P-15 and P-19 Radars

The P-15 radar, operating in the UHF band (835–870 MHz), was developed in the early 1950s and adopted in 1955. Designed to detect low-altitude targets, it served in radar posts of radio-technical formations and control units of air defense artillery and missile forces. The system could detect targets at ranges up to 160 km.

Mounted on a single ZIL-131 truck with its antenna array, the P-15 could be deployed in 10 minutes.

The radar featured limited electronic counter-countermeasures, including rapid frequency retuning and basic passive jamming compensation.

Over its service life, the P-15 underwent several upgrades — P-15M, P-15M2, P-15MN, P-15N, P-15U among others.

In the early 1970s, the P-15MN variant was extensively modernized, resulting in the P-19 radar (1RL134), officially adopted in 1974. The P-19 maintained the 160 km detection range, with improved coordinate accuracy of 1,800 meters and azimuth precision within 1.5 degrees.

Unlike the P-15, the P-19 system was split between two vehicles: one carrying the receiving, transmitting, and communication equipment, the other transporting the rotating antenna and power units.

The P-19 series continued to evolve through versions such as the P-19-2, P-19-5, P-19Sh, and P-19Sh3. The system’s final development stage led to the 35N6 Kasta radar.

Already by 2008, Russian military sources noted that “harsh climatic conditions and the long service life of the P-15 and P-19 radar stations have left most units in need of major refurbishment.”

Earlier this year, the Ukrainian Armed Forces published video evidence of a precision strike disabling a Russian Kasta radar station.