Russia builds giant radar 37 km from Polish border, able to track targets across most of Europe

In brief

• Russia is reportedly nearing completion of a large radar complex in Kaliningrad, about 37 km from Poland.
• The installation is described as an over-the-horizon radar with a range of roughly 3,000 km.
• Work reportedly began in March 2023, and a second site is under construction near Chernyakhovsk.

Construction near Gvardeysk

Russia appears close to finishing a large radar facility in the Kaliningrad region, near the town of Gvardeysk and about 37 kilometres from the border with Poland (Rosja buduje wielki radar 37 km od Polski. Zasięgiem obejmie prawie pół Europy – Rzeczpospolita) (Rosyjski mega radar 37 km od Polski. Pozwoli śledzić całą Europę – RMF24). Satellite images from the company ICEYE show three rows of antenna arms, each more than 500 metres long, surrounded by a double fence (Nowy radar Rosji "zobaczy" niemal całą Europę. Powstaje blisko Polski – Wirtualna Polska). Russia has not officially confirmed the project (Russia's giant new radar in Kaliningrad raises alarm in NATO – DW).

Range and purpose

According to Lithuanian retired colonel Vaidotas Malinionis, the installation is an over-the-horizon radar able to see beyond the curvature of the Earth, with a surveillance range of about 3,000 kilometres. That would cover much of Europe, including Poland, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, as well as Ukraine. Reports say it could also help Moscow intercept satellite communications and detect aircraft movements.

Such radars work by bouncing high-frequency radio waves off the ionosphere, which lets them detect targets beyond normal line of sight. Russian military statements cited in the reports claim the related 29B6 "Kontainer" system can track up to 10,000 air targets at once, including F-35 fighters (В Калининграде строят радар для наблюдения за всей Европой – Charter 97). Defence24 has suggested the Gvardeysk site may be linked to that system, whose main unit is located in Mordovia.

Timeline and second site

Defence24 reports that work at the site began in March 2023. A second large radar site is reportedly being built near Chernyakhovsk, in the same exclave, with a ring-shaped structure over 1.6 kilometres in diameter, also started in March 2023. Its purpose has not been established.

Reaction

Polish and Baltic commentators have pointed to the installation as a concern for NATO's eastern flank, and reports note that Poland and Lithuania are reviewing defence planning in response (Rosja straszy Królewcem. Co kombinuje "niewygodny sąsiad" Polski? – WNP.pl). Specific official Polish reaction and cost figures were not given in the available reporting.