Ukraine’s destruction of a Russian 1L119 Nebo-SVU radar in the Kherson region has removed one of Moscow’s most prized long-range sensors from the battlefield, dealing a blow to an air defense network already under sustained pressure. The strike, carried out with Ukrainian drones, also reverberates beyond the front line, because the Nebo family’s VHF technology has inspired foreign systems such as China’s JY-27A, which Beijing promotes as a counter to stealth aircraft. As Ukraine refines the art of hunting high-value radars, the vulnerabilities exposed in both Russian and Chinese designs are becoming harder for their operators to ignore.
How Ukraine hunted the Nebo-SVU in Kherson
The Armed Forces of Ukraine identified the Russian 1L119 Nebo-SVU radar in the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region as a priority target, treating the system as a critical node in Russia’s long-range air surveillance grid. Ukrainian forces used reconnaissance to fix the radar’s position before launching a precision strike that left the installation irreparably damaged. Ukrainian officials assessed that the destroyed Nebo-SVU, part of the broader Nebo line of sensors, represented a significant financial loss for Russia and degraded its ability to track Ukrainian aircraft and missiles over southern Ukraine.
Separate reporting underscores how carefully orchestrated the attack was, noting that three strike drones were used, three strike drones deployed against the Nebo-SVU radar and its supporting infrastructure. Ukrainian sources noted that the system’s price tag could reach about 100 million dollars per unit, turning the strike into a rare instance where relatively inexpensive unmanned aircraft eliminated a piece of equipment worth orders of magnitude more. One account noted that Ukrainian General Staff data indicated the drones destroyed the antenna but also hit auxiliary elements such as generators and the 1PA1M6 command post that were critical to the radar’s operations.
A broader Ukrainian campaign against the Nebo family
The Kherson strike fits into a wider pattern in which Ukrainian forces have systematically targeted the Nebo series and associated air defense assets across occupied territory. Earlier, Ukrainian drone units reportedly struck a Russian NEBO mobile radar system in occupied Crimea and a patrol boat in Donetsk, showing that Ukrainian operators were willing to engage Russian NEBO platforms wherever they appeared. The report on these actions highlighted how Ukrainian drone units were able to reach both the Russian NEBO radar in Crimea and the naval target in Donetsk despite Russian attempts to shield them.
More recently, Ukrainian forces targeted a Russian Nebo-U radar, a Pantsir-S1 system, and a UAV facility in another coordinated operation that underscored Kyiv’s focus on the entire kill chain of Russian air defense. In that strike, Ukrainian planners hit a Nebo-U Radar, a Pantsir-S1 System, and a UAV site, demonstrating that they were not only hunting sensors but also the missile and gun batteries that rely on them. The account of this raid noted that Ukrainian Forces Targeted the Nebo Radar and Pantsir System as part of a broader push to dismantle Russian air missile and gun defenses that protect key logistics hubs.
Drone warfare and the $4 billion hole in Russian air defenses
The destruction of the Nebo-SVU in Kherson is emblematic of a larger Ukrainian effort that has inflicted heavy financial and operational losses on Russian air defenses. Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, has released footage and assessments indicating that its operations in 2025 tore a roughly 4 billion dollar hole in Russian air defense capabilities, with numerous radar and missile systems documented as destroyed or disabled. In that material, officials emphasized that Systems ranging from launchers to surveillance assets had been hit, and that Russian radar equipment in particular had suffered serious losses.
Frontline commanders have described how drones are increasingly used to dismantle these defenses in concentrated bursts. In one notable period, Ukraine destroys six Russian air defense systems in 48 hours with drones and long-range strikes, a tempo that left Russian units scrambling to plug gaps. A commander identified as Commander Brovdi stressed that Ukraine was using drones to destroy Russian systems that had been designed to shoot those very drones down, and that the 48 hour window of intense strikes showcased how unmanned platforms could overwhelm traditional radar guided defenses when used in sufficient numbers and with accurate targeting data.
Special operations units have played a central role in this campaign. Ukrainian Alpha Forces strike deep, crippling Russian air defenses in what has been described as a 4 billion dollar blow, combining long-range drones and other precision weapons to hit radars, launchers, and command posts far behind the front. Accounts of these missions note that Ukrainian Alpha Forces have repeatedly struck Russian positions in depth, and that Long range operations of this kind are steadily eroding Moscow’s confidence in the survivability of its most advanced air defense assets.
From Nebo-SVU to JY-27A, the global stakes of radar vulnerability
The Nebo-SVU belongs to a class of VHF long-range surveillance radars that are designed to detect aircraft at significant distances, including targets with reduced radar cross sections. China has invested heavily in similar concepts, with The CETC radar family using VHF radio waves and truck-mounted arrays that can be folded for rapid deployment and evacuation. Reporting on these systems notes that The CETC designs, operating in the VHF band, are marketed as tools for tracking stealthy fifth generation fighters that might otherwise slip past higher frequency radars.
Within this ecosystem, the JY-27A has emerged as a prominent Chinese VHF long-range surveillance and guidance radar, fielded by The People’s Liberation Army and promoted as an anti stealth asset. Technical descriptions emphasize that the JY-27A is a VHF system with a large phased array, and that its Total Production remains undisclosed, which adds to the aura of secrecy around its deployment. One reference notes that the People’s Liberation Army relies on VHF technology in the JY-27A to extend detection ranges against low observable aircraft, even as battlefield experience in Ukraine raises questions about how such large, high value radars can be protected from modern drones and precision strikes.