Recent days have seen several very significant Russian equipment recovery reports by Ukranian ground forces. One system particularly is worthy of note. This is the Barnaul-T Command Post vehicle equipped with an air defence radar, communications and data link.

The Barnaul-T carries the GRAU designation 9S932-1 and has the acronym MRU-B. The radar’s GRAU identity is 1L122 and is understood to have the NATO nickname of Foxhole, but this vehicle is not alone. Since the introduction of the Barnaul-T in 2009 several variants have emerged both in carrier platform, radar and probably improved communications. The radars have been identified as 1L122-1E (the E possibly implying its availability for export), 1L122-2E and 1L122M, also known as Ghibka-S and Garmon, the latter of which has been translated as Harmony, Harmonium and Accordion!  The radar variants all look the same at the antenna level, but there are probably improvements at the signal and data processing level, yet to be identified. But it is within the communications facilities that resides an item of particular interest.

The Barnaul-T system is designed to integrate with several surface-to-air missile systems where its radar’s output is used to cue the weapons onto hostile targets, for which it probably employs an omni-directional data link. As the Russians have retreated, they have abandoned much of their equipment and three Barnaul-T systems have been recovered. It is now the analyst’s task to establish the frequencies, modulation and codes employed to cue the weapons, which in turn will enable the countermeasures developers to create jamming and spoofing solutions, and perhaps, even an interference mode that will turn a launched weapon around and attack its own launcher! But that is perhaps wishful thinking. Watch this space.
Apr22