File image.
An advanced man-portable battlefield surveillance radar has been spotted with Russian special forces in the city of Mariupol.
On April 28, Russian sources released a video showing service members using the radar, known as the Fara-VR, to detect and track movements in the Azovstal steel plant. Hundreds of Azov nationalists are still holding up in the plant, where thy have been also keeping an unknown number of civilian hostages.
The Fara-VR J band radar was designed to detect moving ground targets, including people and vehicles, around the day with a range of up to ten kilometers. The system can track at least three targets and determine their coordinates, speed and direction of movement with the capability to automatically identify their type.
The radar, which weighs 12 kilograms only, can also be mounted on different types of heavy machineguns like PKP Pecheneg and Kord, as well as automatic grenade launchers AGS-17 and AGS-30.
In Mariupol, the Fara-VR surveillance radar was used to provide the coordinates of nationalists moving in the Azovstal plant for infantry fighting vehicles.
Man-portable radars like the Fara-VR provide better situational awareness in the battlefield, especially when used with other surveillance systems like drones.
The Azovstal plant remains under a tight siege by the Russian military and the armed forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic. Azov’s positions in the plant are being targeted on a daily basis. Nationalists are already running low on ammunition and food. With no hope of a breakout, they will likely surrender soon.
