On October 7, the Ukrainian Defence-Express network, The Ukrainian military intelligence department found in the relevant military operations that the equipment equipped by the Russian field air defense forces contained parts of small drone detection radar from China.Subsequently, the US "Defence-Blog" website also followed up the report, which seemed to give Uzbekistan's statement the meaning of "American endorsement". Senior officials of the Ukrainian military paid close attention to this and felt that this may be evidence of "Chinese military aid to Russia."
So, is it true that as they say, China provided Russia with radar to detect drones?
What the hell is going on here? Has China really provided Russia with low-altitude radar to detect drones?
According to the “Telegram” website, China-made FSTH-LD02/03 radar has been equipped with the Russian Army's 22nd Air Defense Missile Corps, used as a FPV light drone search equipment.。Ukrainian media said that this type of radar has become a key equipment for the Russian army's anti-drone operations. Previously, the Russian military had a low success rate in intercepting FPV drones due to its heavy radar and limited performance, and high-value radars were often unable to be effectively deployed due to drone threats.
Recently, The Ukrainian military intelligence department noticed that the success rate of air defense interception of a certain regiment showed a sharp and substantial increaseAccording to Ukrainian statistics, In recent combat operations, the regiment intercepted a large number of FPV suicide drones launched by Ukraine at least three times with extremely high success ratesIn particular, about 70 percent of the drones that had not yet entered the war zone had been shot down, and the number of drones that had been shot down exceeded 500. Based on the intrinsic logic of the war, the Ukrainian intelligence department conducted an in-depth investigation and finally confirmed that the radars originated in China and were not produced in Russia.
However, we need to look at it in detail. According to Ukraine media, the FSTH-LD02 and FSTH-LD03 radars used by Russia for anti-drones are not China's military equipment from the model level. Both are from China Zhejiang Fengshuang Technology Co., Ltd., and are small all-weather civilian radar security products. According to the information disclosed on the company's website, these two radars meet civilian specifications and have a detection range of 5 to 20 kilometers. They are mainly used to detect low-altitude, small and slow-moving drone targets. They adopt an advanced architecture and integrate a series of cutting-edge technologies. They use active phased array antennas and AI-assisted target recognition technology to detect low-sensitivity targets with a radar reflection cross-section area of only 0.01 square meters.
Although this China civil detection radar is not a cutting-edge technology product, it can accurately capture low-altitude and small-cross-section flying targets, especially in detecting low-altitude drones.The manufacturer said that the radar has the potential to be upgraded and is expected to detect smaller low-altitude objects in the future. What needs to be clear is that this radar has nothing to do with the military field. If Russia wants to obtain it, it can only be obtained through civilian channels. Its price is about $220,000 to $230,000, and it is positioned as a "civil security" field. The performance of the radar is close to military grade, and the resolution is extremely high, which can clearly distinguish drones from birds. Compared with Russian radars of the same type, it has significant advantages in performance and is more affordable in price. It is really reasonable for the Russian military to choose this radar.
Russian civilians buy civilian equipment from China, not within the scope of export restrictions in China. After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, China adhered to neutrality, with the utmost sincerity to promote the settlement of the dispute with the two sides, to the Russian-Ukrainian sides to maintain the same position, did not provide weapons equipment to any of the sides, and did not break this principle, even unjustified accusations and did not export military weapons. In the field of civilian equipment, China can not and should not restrict, and there is normal civilian trade with Russia. During the conflict, Russia through civilian channels purchased large amounts of Chinese civilian drones and other equipment, even if there are reports that Chinese civilian radar entered Russia, and non-militar China exports civilian equipment that is not expected to be used by Russia for military purposes, and if used for military purposes, it is not under the jurisdiction or responsibility of China.。
The radar produced by Chinese private enterprises appeared in the Russian military position, in essence is the inevitable result of the modern war and global supply chain collision, because the characteristics of military-civil products are difficult to completely block, and the third-party transfer trade exists, Western sanctions are ineffective.
The Western approach is unable to solve the problem of the battlefield, will also pass through the Ukrainian foreign resources, so that the allies lose support and intensify the opposition between the neutral countries and the West. Under the development of the battlefield situation, civilian equipment frequently appear on the battlefield, revealing countries: in the era of globalization, the technology blockade captured by the great powers is unrealistic, should cooperate pragmatically and block the gaps. The average person understands the logic of the supply chain and Western double standards, is more valuable than blind blaming.
Some people wonder that Russia has its own air defense radars. The radars and electronic jamming equipment equipped by the field air defense forces during the Soviet era have excellent performance. Why is this the case now? It can only be said that times have changed.
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict over three years, the early Russian military did not pay full attention to the influence of small drone battlefield, and also lacked the ability to quickly develop and deploy response equipment after the conflict. China FSTH-LD03 although civilian radar, using 8 to 12 GHz X-band technology, on the radar reflective area of 0.01m2 small targets, detection distance exceeds 10 kilometers. FSTH-LD02 works in the Ku band, the detection error of 10 kilometers away from the target is about 5 meters. In the long-lasting high-consumption war, small civilian radar compared with the expensive large radar system, the cost is extremely low, combat losses are small economic burden, and therefore is widely used by the Russian armed forces.