OMM Newsroom
Russia has built a large radar installation in its western exclave of Kaliningrad that could detect aircraft, missiles and naval vessels up to 3,200 kilometres (2,000 miles) away, Anadolu Agency reported, citing British media.
The system could extend Moscow’s surveillance capabilities across northern and western Europe, including the United Kingdom, according to a report published Monday by “The Times”, which cited satellite imagery.
The installation is near the town of Gvardeysk in Kaliningrad, a heavily militarised Russian territory bordering NATO members Poland and Lithuania. The facility has three radiating arms of antenna masts, each 500 metres (1,640 feet) long, the report said.
The configuration suggests it could be an over-the-horizon (OTH) radar, a technology designed to detect targets beyond the range of conventional radar systems’ line of sight.
OTH radars use high-frequency radio waves that can reflect off the ionosphere, allowing them to detect potential targets at much greater distances than conventional systems.
The radar’s reported range is estimated at between 885 and 3,200 kilometres (550 to 2,000 miles), potentially enabling Russia to monitor military activity across large parts of Europe.
Kaliningrad is strategically important to Moscow because of its position on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania, both NATO members.
