55ZH6M Nebo-M radar station of the Russian military. Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense Yan Noviko, General Director of Almaz-Antey, said at a forum on new technology in Moscow on May 23: “The Nebo-M radar system is the ‘killer’ of stealth technology. Radar can detect F-22, F-35 relatively easily. Mr. Niviko also said that Almaz-Antey is capable of producing about 30 types of mobile multi-purpose radar, thanks to proper investment in research projects as well as new technology. 55ZH6M Nebo-M is the latest Russian radar, designed and manufactured by the Nizhny Novgorod Radio Engineering Research Institute (NNIIRT) of Almaz-Antey. Along with the Container radar, the Nebo-M surveillance station is considered the backbone of the battlefield radar network on Russia’s land borders. So far, 55ZH6M Nebo-M has been deployed in all the most important directions in Russia. The first Nebo-M complex was delivered to the Western Military District in 2017, followed by combat units stationed in Transbaikalia, Khabarovsk and Primorye. A year later, this advanced radar network was deployed in an air defense unit based in Crimea. The portable Nebo-M system can be rapidly redeployed to other locations by land or air. The new Nebo-M series is capable of detecting aircraft and ballistic missiles at a distance of up to 1,000 km, a big step up from the early Nebo radar systems developed under the Soviet Union. This radar station operates on the principle of active electronic scanning, making the 55ZH6M Nebo-M capable of resisting enemy jamming. When specifically installed to track targets at medium altitudes, Nebo-M radios are sometimes equipped with low-altitude radar systems like the Podlet-E. Is it really something to worry about with US stealth fighters? TASS news agency (Russia) quoted Noviko as saying that stealth technology does not cause difficulties for Russia’s new radar complexes. In theory, this is true, because VHF high-frequency radars like the 55ZH6M Nebo-M can identify an F-35 or F-22 in flight. American stealth fighter F-35. Photo: Reuters American experts say that there are many things to confirm in the Russian statement. Identifying a new target is the first step and part of the process of catching and killing the target with many stages. After locating the target, for example the F-35, the requirement for the radar station is to fix the target, track, and “catch” successfully before transferring the parameters to the unit tasked with destroying the target. target. According to General Dan Flattley, a former F-35 pilot of the US Air Force, in order to destroy the F-35, Russia must build a chain of target destruction. This task is usually performed by Russian anti-aircraft missiles, such as the Russian S-400 defense system. Until now, whether the S-400 is capable of destroying the F-35 or F-22 stealth fighters is still a subject of debate. Technically, it is clear that the 55ZH6M Nebo-M watchdog can identify the US 5th generation fighter. But that’s only part of the battle sequence. Locating is one thing, but whether Russian air defense systems can destroy the F-35 and F-22 is another story, because many factors are involved. If “detect” but not have the ability to “precise attack”, the radar’s performance does not make much sense. US stealth technology only needs to overcome the “destroy” limit of Russian missiles to be considered successful.

However, progress in military science has not stopped, in order to reduce the casualties to soldiers on the battlefield, some countries are experimenting with new forms of combat with the creation and use of systems. automatic robot. In terms of strength, they have the ability to replace a mechanized company. Russia is also not lagging behind the general trend. At present, Russia owns a number of robot combinations of different classes: Platform-M and Nerekhta weigh only 1 ton, Companion weighs 7 tons and finally heavy vehicles remotely controlled. 15 tons of Vikhr, built on the basis of the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle. Field tests have shown that the most successful option is the Uran midsize robot program, which aims to shape the appearance of a versatile and inexpensive multi-functional platform that can be easily modified for create final dedicated versions on that basis. Unfortunately, during the mission deployment in Syria, the Uran-9 robot and the Uran-6 revealed many shortcomings, leading to the need for corrections. Until 2019, the only real result of the program was that the Uran-6 remote bomb clearance vehicle was received by the Russian engineer force. The Uran-9 combat robot begins to return to the active part of the Russian Army Then came the modernized Uran-9 infantry escort robot platform, the first version of which was briefly tested in Syria. Today this combat vehicle is equipped with a 30 mm automatic cannon, 4 Ataka anti-tank missiles and six Shmel-M thermo-missile launchers. The Uran-9 robot complex is capable of destroying any armored vehicle at a distance of up to 5 km, as well as handling reconnaissance missions, suppressing enemy laser navigation systems and smoke curtain settings. The Russian army has begun to set up an experienced unit equipped with the aforementioned robot complex. According to the current plan, after the completion of the production of the order and the training of the operator, the handover of the Uran-9 to the combat units will begin. After the above process, it is likely that the Uran-9 robot will return to the Syrian battlefield to re-evaluate the shortcomings that caused it to be “disgraced” that has been completely overcome or not.