Ukraine uses Sentinel radar mock-ups to deceive Russians

To deceive invaders, the Ukrainian military uses mock-ups of US Sentinel counter-battery radar systems.

One such mock-up was seized by the Russian military in Avdiivka in mid-February.

The mock-up of the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar shown shows visible damage from debris. Presumably, Russians mistook this mock-up for a real radar and used ammunition to destroy it.

The Russian Defense Ministry’s reports often include “destroyed” radar systems.

It is highly likely that many of these systems were mock-ups.

The main task that is solved by using mock-ups is to divert the main attack from real equipment, as well as to mislead the enemy about the real number of military equipment located in a certain area of the territory.

Counter-battery radar systems are priority targets for Russians.

The Sentinel radar system has a short range, but it effectively helps air defense to intercept approaching threats such as missiles and UAVs.

The AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel is an X-band electronically steered pulse-Doppler 3D radar system used to alert and cue Short Range Air Defense weapons to the locations of hostile targets approaching their front line forces.

The maximum range is 75 km, but effective range is limited to 40 km.

The antenna uses phase-frequency electronic scanning technology, forming sharp 3D pencil beams covering large surveillance and track volume.

It uses a rotating platform with a high scan rate (30 RPM) to provide 360 degree coverage.