Kolchuga radar complex. Kolchuga (electronic intelligence station). Comparison with similar systems

10.03.2020

The capabilities of the Kolchuga radio intelligence station can amaze the imagination of even a person who is knowledgeable in technology. Suffice it to say that three such stations combined into a complex, as reported in the press, are capable of blocking the front up to 1000 kilometers. The maximum detection range, depending on the mode of operation, is from 200 to 600 kilometers.

By the radiation of radars and other systems, Kolchuga is able to accurately determine aircrafts and set the mode of operation of their radar stations. The complex provides accurate information about the location, course and speed of the target, which makes it possible to carry out target designation for air defense systems without unmasking them by the operation of the radar. At the same time, the complex can accompany up to two hundred targets, providing information on digital displays in real time. This is an outstanding technical achievement, which was not only developed by our engineers, but also manufactured in Ukraine.

Technologically implemented in the equipment of the Kolchuga radio-technical intelligence complex, domestic scientific, technical and design solutions in the field of passive radar are what, figuratively speaking, do not allow developers and relevant state functionaries responsible for introducing stealth technologies into modern weapons . That is, technologies aimed at implementing cherished dream all generals - make their own planes, ships, tanks and other samples military equipment"invisible" to technical means enemy. Nevertheless, you can change the shape of any type of military equipment as much as you like (as, for example, it was done in the American F-117 and B-2 aircraft), so that the enemy’s active radar signal reflected from it scatters in different directions, practically not returning in the opposite direction , or apply various absorbing coatings on this sample - so that the energy of the same signal turns into thermal energy, but not a single sample of modern military equipment can fundamentally exist without its own radar. Without a radiation antenna, he is, figuratively speaking, a "blind man", at least not capable of performing combat missions for his intended purpose. Therefore, on board each ship, aircraft, as well as in the composition of ground complexes, there are always means of active radar. In the process of performing combat missions, these means necessarily work and emit radio signals. Moreover, for each type of military equipment, such signals differ in their parameters from the signals of other types of military equipment, and, consequently, the combat vehicle on whose board the emitted radar is installed can be recognized.

Usually, from the abstract formulation of a scientific and theoretical possibility to its concrete practical implementation directly in the "metal", the distance is huge, sometimes even insurmountable. In order to pass it, that is, to carry out scientific research, develop appropriate algorithms, repeatedly test technical and technological solutions on research samples, as well as establish mass production, the specialists of the Special Design Bureau of Radio Engineering Devices, JSC Topaz, Donetsk National Technical University, state company It took Ukrspetsexport and Investments and Technologies Company eight years (1993-2000). modern conditions an informational advantage between strategic means of attack and defense that continues constantly, if not directly on the battlefields, then at least between the respective leading research and development institutions of the modern world. The relatively inexpensive Ukrainian radio intelligence station "Kolchuga", which is mass-produced by the State Joint-Stock Holding Company (GAHK) "Topaz" and is capable of detecting and recognizing almost all active radio equipment known at that time, installed on land, sea and air objects, reduces practically to not all those multibillion-dollar funds that were and are being spent on the creation of weapons using stealth technologies.

After the US military operation in Iraq in 1991, when qualitatively new F-117 stealth fighters built using stealth technologies were used for the first time in combat operations, it seemed to many that in the confrontation between air attack and air defense (air defense) the ultimate winner was eventually decided. Having carried out 1272 sorties, these American aircraft had a 100% (!) survivability, destroying about 40% of high-priority ground targets in areas with saturated Iraqi air defenses. At the same time, the success of American air offensive operations was ensured mainly, which is characteristic, not by overcoming, but by suppressing the enemy's air defense system. To do this, first discovered radar stations operating in active mode (this is quite simple, given their powerful radiation), after which appropriate weapons were used against them, which are more than enough in the modern arsenal of weapons. That is, air defense systems built on the basis of only active radar were actually only able to confirm the presence of a massive air raid, because the attacking side destroyed them already in the first hours after the start of hostilities.

The creation in young independent Ukraine, which was then with great efforts coming out of a large-scale systemic economic crisis, of a modern station of passive electronic intelligence "Kolchuga" became more than a fundamental scientific, technical and technological defeat. On the one hand, the advantages of "invisibility" of the attacking side were completely leveled, and on the other hand, thanks to the use of the principle of passive location, that is, the absence of self-radiation, the above disadvantage of insufficient secrecy of the main source of obtaining information from the defending side was radically eliminated. In addition, an attacking object detected by a passive radar cannot in any way learn about the very fact of its detection, and therefore it has no reason to apply measures of its own protection. That is, the information advantage, which was especially significant in modern hostilities, thus turned out to be with the defending side.

Besides performance characteristics The latest modifications of the Ukrainian radio intelligence station for the relevant specialists are really impressive:

The complex of three stations "Kolchuga" allows you to determine the coordinates of ground and surface targets and the routes of their movement on the territory up to 600 km in depth (for air targets at an altitude of 10 km - up to 800 km) and up to 1000 km along the front, which allows you to implement, in in particular, the early warning of the country's air defense systems;

The station has five antenna systems of meter, decimeter and centimeter ranges, providing the sensitivity of the radio path in the panoramic band from -110 to -155 dB / W, depending on the frequency;

The parallel 36-channel detection receiver allows instantaneous frequency-free detection, analysis and classification of signals from radio sources without limiting the input flux density over the entire frequency range from 130 to 18,000 MHz;

The station performs all operations for detecting and recognizing sources of radio emission fully automatically, while a powerful on-board computer performs analysis and numerical processing, as well as recognition of detected targets by comparing their parameters with a data bank, and the results are displayed on a monitor with a map of the area;

Special interfering selectors make it possible to exclude up to 24 interfering signals from the corresponding processing, and tracking selectors make it possible to synchronously select and accompany signals from 32 targets;

For the station to perform all the main tasks of the normal mode, only one operator is needed (two others are included in the crew to ensure round-the-clock operation), who manages the station's operation in an interactive mode with a personal computer.

Since the non-nuclear power of the United States is actually based on military equipment built using stealth technologies, the prospect of, figuratively speaking, "spreading" of the unique Ukrainian radio intelligence stations "Kolchuga" around the world did not at all meet the strategic interests of the latter. The first demonstration of the export version of the latter took place at the SOFEX-2000 arms exhibition in Jordan. Therefore, it was precisely this - actually American - interest that became, apparently, the most significant catalyst for the so-called "mail" scandal.

Such a promising area as passive radar, of course, could not fail to attract the attention of technologically advanced countries. But there is no complete analogue of the Ukrainian station of passive electronic intelligence "Kolchuga" in terms of the totality of operational and technical characteristics (and this can be absolutely unambiguously stated) in the world. In terms of the main parameters, it surpasses all known methods of a similar or similar purpose.

The detection range of air targets of 800 km was achieved only by the Ukrainian "Kolchuga". The American air-based Avax, which is closest to it in terms of these indicators, provides such a range only at the level of 600 km, and the ground systems Vera (Czech Republic) and Vega (Russia) - 400 km, that is, half as much as the Ukrainian product. The lower limit of the operating frequency range in which targets are detected is 130 MHz for Kolchuga, which is the smallest among analogues: Avaxa - 2,000 MHz, Vera - 850 MHz, Vega - 200 MHz.

The Kolchuga has the greatest advantages in terms of those characteristics on which reliable recognition of detected targets depends. This is ensured both by the uniqueness of the corresponding algorithms incorporated in the development, and by their high-tech hardware implementation achieved during serial production. In particular, the standard deviation of frequency measurements - the most informative parameters for determining the types of detected radar stations - is 0.4 MHz for Kolchuga, while for the Russian Vega it is 0.5-1.0 MHz, for the American " Avaksa" - 1.0 MHz, while the Czech "Vera" generally has 3.6-21.0 MHz. The maximum duration of detected pulses measured by Kolchuga is 999.0 µs, compared to 99.9 µs for Avax and 200 µs for Vera. The repetition period of such pulses can be measured by "Kolchuga" up to a maximum of 79,999 microseconds, while analogues are capable of performing such measurements only up to a maximum value of 10,000 microseconds. As a result, the number of radio equipment that are classified upon detection is practically unlimited for Kolchuga, which cannot be said about any of the known analogues. The Ukrainian station algorithmically and programmatically provides for the analysis, systematization, generalization and storage in the database of information about all detected sources of radio emission and about the parameters of the signals emitted by them. The information collected in this database can be used to identify and recognize newly discovered sources of radio emission, as well as to generalize in context with information obtained by other intelligence channels.

In the course of painstaking, long and persistent work on the development and implementation of the Kolchuga complex into mass production, numerous scientific, technical, design and technological tasks were set and solved, and high-tech production facilities were created for the manufacture of modern element base of high-frequency radio electronics, microwave technology, antenna mirrors and other components, which in their totality ensured unsurpassed characteristics of a Ukrainian product that is unique in design and high-tech in execution. The novelty of the technical solutions used in the Kolchuga complex is protected by eight patents, and its mass production is protected by 12 technological know-hows.

In terms of its effectiveness, the Ukrainian "Kolchuga" surpasses all complexes that are somewhat similar to it. However, the point is not only in this very efficiency, which in itself is also very important, but in a principled approach to solving the problem of detecting and recognizing ground, sea and air objects. To understand the essence of things, it is necessary, at least briefly, not to talk about the ways in which the development and implementation of modern weapons models went.

In this marathon, companies have relied on the so-called stealth technology. In other words, they exploited the age-old dream of any military to make their weapons invisible, and therefore invulnerable. To do this, they went all out: they changed the geometry of the wing, used various absorbing materials, and so on and so forth. Needless to say, they did a lot. Except for one thing - to do without locators on this technique. Without them, she is blind and deaf. In past local wars, these same locators first of all detected enemy air defense systems, destroyed them, and only then completely dominated the sky. It was not particularly difficult to do this: the enemy's air defense, discovering itself, actively searched for the enemy itself.

Without sending any signals, conducting passive electronic intelligence, "Kolchuga", working on the principle of tropospheric propagation, not only detects, but also recognizes the object. In her memory are all their samples. At the same time, the attacking side does not suspect at all that they are caught, as they say, in the heat of the moment. Firstly, she has nothing on the screens, and secondly, the "Kolchuga" is not in direct line of sight, but 600-800 kilometers away, and if so, it means that there seems to be no reason to take measures to protect oneself.

For persuasiveness, let's cite the very increased technical parameters of the complex, which Ukrainian scientists and production workers so aspired to and ultimately achieved, thereby proving to the world: there is still gunpowder in the powder flasks, Ukraine has a highly intellectual potential. So: the Kolchuga complex consists of three stations. It is able to determine the coordinates of ground and surface targets, the routes of their movement on the territory up to 600 km, for air targets at an altitude of 10 km - up to 800 km and up to 1000 km along the front.

The station has five antenna systems of meter, decimeter and centimeter ranges. It has a parallel 36-channel detection receiver, special selectors capable of eliminating interfering signals and simultaneously tracking signals from 32 targets. The Kolchuga is also a powerful on-board computer, a well-trained crew, and in general, it is a kind of fusion of the latest achievements of Ukrainian science and technology, which have no equal in the world yet.

In the language of the military, the product was put into service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Its development is protected by 8 patents, mass production - by 12 technological know-hows. The most important place among them is occupied by microelectronics technology, on the basis of which 96 microelectronic assemblies used in Kolchuga are manufactured.

The complex will be improved, it is supposed to bring new developments and know-how into it, in a word, "Kolchuga" will become even stronger, more reliable and at the same time - more sensitive. It is these qualities that most of all attract foreign buyers, as well as the relatively inexpensive price of the Ukrainian station. The amount of sales is not disclosed, not because it is some kind of special secret, but because the market is a market, bargaining is bargaining.

Specifications complex:

Operating frequency ranges in seven bands, MHz 135-470, 750-18000
Receiver sensitivity from antenna inputs (depends on range), dB/W 90-110
Antenna system rotation range beyond azimuth in manual and automatic modes, deg ±300
Speed, min-1: minimum, not more than 0.07, maximum, not less than 1
Sector scanning range in any azimuth direction, degrees 30-240
Instrumental direction finding error (SKP) (depending on the range), deg 0.3-5
Pulse duration measurement range, μs 0.5-31.25
Measurement range of the period of passage of pulses, ms 2-79999
UPC for measuring the duration and period of passage of impulses, μs, not more than 0.1

Absolute measurement error of the carrier frequency (depending on the range), MHz ±11
The number of allocated and accompanied simple pulse sequences with a given period of pulse passage, not more than 32
The number of simple pulse sequences that are excluded from processing is not more than 24
Time of continuous operation, year 24
Power supply voltage, V: from a 3-phase AC network 380±10%, from a trailer power plant
ESD-20-M3 (ESD-16-T/400-1VP) Power consumption, kW, not more than 8
The number of combat crew of the station during round-the-clock work 7
Operating temperature °С ±50

Today, the Ukrainian-made Kolchuga passive electronic intelligence complex is in service with such countries as:

Ukraine from 2 to 4 units;
Turkmenistan 4 units;
China 4-8 units;
Ethiopia 3 units;
Georgia 2-3 units;
Presumably, Azerbaijan is also armed with several units of this complex.

Also, false reports about the sale of these complexes to Iran often appear in world news feeds. These messages are very similar to those that were during the incitement of the conflict in the Persian Gulf. Then Western means mass media announced the sale of 4 Kolchuga complexes to the armed forces of Iraq and accused Ukraine of violating the sanctions imposed against the Republic of Iraq.

The "Topaz" plant is a permanent participant of international exhibitions. According to foreign experts, today the Ukrainian "Kolchuga" has the highest technical characteristics among foreign counterparts. And this is quite understandable: the reliability of the complexes is achieved due to the high technical level production technology, originally designed for the manufacture of complex radio systems. It is clear that the level of scientific and technical design developments also has a superlative degree.

It is interesting that the so-called military acceptance remained at Topaz, the principles of which were tried to be transferred to all plants and factories during perestroika. The acceptance remained where it should be, where it, in fact, has always been. Quality control is carried out at all stages of production. Besides, finished products passes all climatic and mechanical tests.

"Kolchugas" are placed in special chambers, where the temperature varies from plus 50 to minus 50. And nothing, they work like clockwork, as it should be for defensive armor - this is the dictionary interpretation of the word "Kolchuga". - Thermal shocks and other mechanical impacts are another test, but the complexes can withstand it without compromising survivability. Actually, there is nothing unusual in this.

"Kolchuga" is the result of collective work. Over the course of eight years, the Special Design Bureau, Donetsk National Technical University, the Kiev enterprise Saturn, the Poltava enterprise Elsis, and the Zaporozhye plant Iskra worked on the complex for eight years. "Topaz" was able to direct their work, accumulate everything that was developed by partners and, ultimately, give "Kolchuga" new parameters, new opportunities and new functions. For clarity, we note: "Kolchuga" was born in Kursk. The serial production of the first generation of these stations has been carried out by the Topaz association since 1987. However, new times and new circumstances demanded a new potential for the complex, with which, by combining their efforts, the scientists and production workers of Ukraine brilliantly coped, thereby causing a considerable resonance in the world of weapons. Tests of the new complex "Kolchuga" were successfully completed in November 2000, and since then the military circles of many countries have well mastered the "epic word".

Usually, from the abstract formulation of a scientific and theoretical possibility to its concrete practical implementation directly in the "metal", the distance is huge, sometimes even insurmountable. In order to pass it, that is, to carry out scientific research, develop appropriate algorithms, repeatedly test technical and technological solutions on research samples, as well as establish mass production, the specialists of the Special Design Bureau of Radio Engineering Devices, JSC Topaz, Donetsk National Technical University, It took eight years (1993-2000) for the state company "Ukrspetsexport" and the "Company" Investments and Technologies ". constantly, if not directly on the battlefield, then at least between the relevant leading research and development institutions of the modern world.The relatively inexpensive Ukrainian radio intelligence station "Kolchuga", which I is mass-produced by the State Joint-Stock Holding Company (GAHK) "Topaz" and is able to detect and recognize almost all active radio equipment known at that time, installed on land, sea and air facilities, nullifies almost all those multibillion-dollar funds that were and are being spent for the creation of weapons using stealth technologies.

After the US military operation in Iraq in 1991, when qualitatively new F-117 stealth fighters built using stealth technologies were used for the first time in combat operations, it seemed to many that in the confrontation between air attack and air defense (air defense) the ultimate winner was eventually decided. Having carried out 1272 sorties, these American aircraft had a 100% (!) survivability, destroying about 40% of high-priority ground targets in areas with saturated Iraqi air defenses. At the same time, the success of American air offensive operations was ensured mainly, which is characteristic, not by overcoming, but by suppressing the enemy's air defense system. For this, radar stations operating in active mode were first detected (this is quite simple, given their powerful radiation), after which appropriate weapons were used against them, which are more than enough in the modern arsenal of weapons. That is, air defense systems built on the basis of only active radar were actually only able to confirm the presence of a massive air raid, because the attacking side destroyed them already in the first hours after the start of hostilities.

Options "Kolchuga", "Kolchuga-M" Characteristics Crew (calculation), pers. 7 people (with round-the-clock work) Maximum
range, m 600 km (ground targets)
800 km (air targets) "Kolchuga" at Wikimedia Commons

Serial production started in 1987. The Kolchuga mobile station is based on two KrAZ-260 chassis.

History of creation and production

The Kolchuga station was designed in the 1980s. It was started at the Kursk Military Institute of the GRU of the USSR. At the same time, the main ideas of the complex were laid down: passive radar in the entire frequency range. In 1987, the documentation for the station was transferred to the Topaz plant in Donetsk. According to the head of the Topaz plant, Yuri Ryabkin, “In the form in which the documents were handed over, the Kolchuga is unsuitable for production ... The specialists of our design bureau completely redesigned the station.” After conducting state tests, the Kolchuga was put into service with the USSR.

In the early 1990s The Armed Forces of Ukraine were armed with about two dozen Kolchuga stations. This number made it possible to fully monitor the electronic environment around Ukraine to a depth of 300-400 km. In the late 1990s and early 2000s deliveries were made in a row foreign countries. In particular, 3 stations produced in 1991 were modernized and delivered to Ethiopia in 2000 through Ukrspetsexport. At the time of 2007, the cost of the station was estimated at 5 million rubles.

After the start of production, development continued, which was completed in 2000. In 2001, the new "Kolchuga-M" was adopted by Ukraine. JSC Special Design Bureau, Donetsk National Technical University, Kiev enterprise Saturn, Poltava JSC Elsis, Orizon (Smila), KP NPK Iskra, Generator participated in the development of the new version of Kolchuga (Kyiv), "KrAZ", Department of Radio Engineering Department of the Faculty of Radio Engineering of NTUU "KPI".

The Kolchuga-M design is protected by 8 patents and 12 technological know-hows. The most important place among them is occupied by microelectronics technology, on the basis of which 96 microelectronic assemblies used in Kolchuga-M are manufactured.

As of 2003, at least 76 Kolchuga and Kolchuga-M stations have been manufactured since 1987. Until January 1, 1992, 46 stations were manufactured by order of the USSR Ministry of Defense, 14 of which were intended for Ukraine. From 1992 to 2003, 30 Kolchug and Kolchug-M were built: 18 stations were supplied to the RF Armed Forces, 8 to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and 4 were sold to China. At the same time, for 5 years from 1996 to 2001, "Kolchugas" were not produced in Ukraine.

In 2004, the product "Kolchuga" was awarded the State Prize of Ukraine. The team of the enterprise for the development of "Kolchuga" was awarded four international awards.

According to Yuri Viktorovich Ryabkin, director of the Donetsk State Joint-Stock Holding Company (GAHK) Topaz, in 2007 there was not a single workable complex on the territory of Ukraine:

There is not a single full-fledged complex in the whole country ... For 16 years of independence, there was no money in the state budget for the purchase of Kolchuga. In Ukraine, there is virtually no internal market for weapons and military equipment.

Specifications

External images
Electronics "Kolchugi-M"
	Picture of the station from the inside (indefinite) . Archived from the original on December 2, 2012.
	Picture of the station from the inside (indefinite) . Archived from the original on December 2, 2012.

"Kolchuga", working on the principle of tropospheric propagation, is capable of not only detecting, but also recognizing ground (above-horizon) and air targets. A variety of patterns of intended targets are stored in the system's memory. The Kolchuga system is difficult to detect, since the system conducts reconnaissance in a passive mode, that is, it does not emit radio waves itself. In any case, "Kolchuga" cannot be detected by traditional methods of electronic intelligence.

The Kolchuga complex consists of three stations. It is able to determine with high accuracy the coordinates of ground and surface targets, the routes of their movement at a distance of up to 600 km inland and 1000 km along the front, and for air targets flying at an altitude of 10 km - up to 800 km.

The sensitivity of the radio path is from -110 to -155 dB / W in the panoramic swath. This is provided by five antenna systems designed for different (meter, decimeter and centimeter) wavelengths.

"Kolchuga-M" controls pulsed and continuous radiation at frequencies of 135-170, 230-470 and 750-18000 MHz. The system is equipped with a parallel 36-channel detection receiver and electronics capable of eliminating background signals and simultaneously tracking signals from 200 targets.

Comparison with similar systems

	"Kolchuga-M"	85V6-A "VEGA"	Vera-E	CETC DWL002/YLC-20
Appearance		A photo	Photo Photo	A photo
Year of adoption	2001	n/a	2004	2006
Chassis	KrAZ-260	Ural-4320	Tatra 6x6	North Benz 6x6
Operating frequency range, GHz	0.135-0.170; 0.230-0.470 and 0.750-18	0.2-18.0 (expandable to 40.0 possible)	1.0-18.0 (can be extended from 0.1-1 to 18-40)	0,380-12,0
Maximum number of tracked targets	200	60-100	200	n/a
Air target detection range (Н=10 km), km	800	400	450	n/a
Standard deviation of frequency measurement, MHz	0,4	0,5-1,0	3,6-21,0	n/a
Deployment time, minutes	n/a	5-10	60	60
Station cost	24 million (2011)	n/a	4-10 million (2005)	n/a

Footnotes

Participation in exhibitions and tenders

The first demonstration of the export version of Kolchugi-M took place at the SOFEX-2000 arms exhibition in Jordan. In 2001 a new version"Kolchugi" participated in the World Arms Exhibition in Abu Dhabi. "Kolchuga-M" was re-demonstrated in Jordan at the SOFEX-2002 exhibition. In September 2002, the US State Department and Western media announced the sale of 4 Kolchuga complexes to the Iraqi armed forces through Jordan and accused Ukraine of violating the sanctions imposed against the Republic of Iraq. This information led to the "mail scandal", but was not subsequently confirmed.

"Kolchuga-M" was demonstrated in April 2002 in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur at international exhibition armaments and military equipment DSA-2002 (Defense Services Asia) - one of the largest in the region. Ukrspetsexport presented Ukrainian-made weapons, including Kolchuga-M, to potential customers in the Asia-Pacific region.

In October 2002, the complex was presented in Greece at the international exhibition of arms and military equipment Defendory International-2002. The system aroused great interest of visitors and exhibitors.

In March 2003, Ukrspetsexport demonstrated at the sixth international arms exhibition IDEX-2003 (International Defense Exhibition) the development of armaments and military equipment for about 40 enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine. The Kolchuga-M system became one of the most popular stands of the exhibition and attracted the attention of specialists and potential customers.

The Kolchuga-M system won the tender for the electronic intelligence system held by the PRC in 2001. The main competitor of the complex was the Zoo system, exhibited Russian company Rosoboronexport. According to the results of the comparison, Kolchuga-M demonstrated significantly higher performance characteristics. In January 2002, a contract was signed between Ukrspetsexport and China for the supply of four Kolchuga-M installations within a year.

The Kolchuga-M complex was demonstrated during MAKS-2009 in Russia.

"Kolchuga-M" was shown in September 2010 during the Africa Aerospace & Defense (AAD) exhibition of aviation equipment and weapons.

In February 2011, Kolchuga-M was presented as part of the 10th anniversary exhibition of weapons and military equipment IDEX-2011 in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.

Since 2012, the TOPAZ enterprise has been fulfilling an order for the supply of the Kolchuga-M CRR to Azerbaijan. The contract for the supply to Azerbaijan of products manufactured at the Donetsk defense plant "Topaz" was concluded in the period 2009-2010.

In service

Ukraine Ukraine- 19 Kolchuga and Kolchuga-M stations, as of 2009
Vietnam Vietnam- 4 stations "Kolchuga", as of 2013
Georgia Georgia 2008
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan- since 2002, in 2004 there were 3 Kolchuga-M stations
China China- 4 Kolchuga-M stations, as of 2002
Ethiopia Ethiopia- 3 Kolchuga-M stations, as of 2002
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan- a number of Kolchuga-M stations, as of 2013
Israel Israel- a certain number of Kolchuga-M stations, as of 2018.

Notes

UKRAINE REPORTED TO THE USA ONLY ON 72 OF THE 76 KOLCHUGA SYSTEMS PRODUCED (indefinite) .
Arms billion
"Kolchuga" - a blow to American combat capability (indefinite) . zubr.in.ua (November 29, 2006). Retrieved January 23, 2010. Archived from the original on March 17, 2012.
R. Poberezhnyuk.// Weekly "2000". - 2007. - No. 52 (396).
"Kolchuga" has been updated - "Mirror of the week. Ukraine" No. 35, 09/21/2007 (indefinite) . Archived from the original on June 24, 2013.
Station RTR "Kolchuga-M" (indefinite) . Archived from the original on December 2, 2012.
Mainland
The army received the first electronic warfare systems produced in Zaporozhye
(indefinite) . Archived from the original on December 2, 2012.
ELECTRONIC INTELLIGENCE STATION "KOLCHUGA-M" on the website "Ukrspetsexport" (indefinite) . Archived from the original on December 2, 2012.
Electronic intelligence station Kolchuga-M, military-informer.narod.ru (indefinite) . Archived from the original on December 2, 2012.
ELECTRONIC INTELLIGENCE STATION "KOLCHUGA-M" (indefinite) . Archived from the original on December 2, 2012.
Three-coordinate station of electronic intelligence "VEGA" (indefinite) . Archived from the original on December 2, 2012.
Czechoslovak passive electronic intelligence stations (indefinite) . Archived from the original on December 2, 2012.
Radio intelligence station Vera on the manufacturer's website (indefinite) . Archived from the original on December 2, 2012.
Technical characteristics of the electronic intelligence station Vera (indefinite) (unavailable link - story) .
PLA Emitter Locating Systems/ELINT Systems (indefinite) . Archived from the original on December 2, 2012.
VERA S/M Passive Surveillance System (indefinite) . Archived from the original on December 2, 2012.
The right to fair arms (indefinite) . Archived from the original on December 2, 2012.
MFA AND PROSECUTION GENERAL CALL US LIARS (indefinite) .

Creation of the SRR "Kolchuga-M"

The active use of stealth technologies in the construction of military equipment comes down to one thing - to reduce the radio visibility of our own military equipment. But the saying, as old as the world, “for every sword, there is also a shield” justifies its centuries-old existence. "Kolchuga", as a means of electronic intelligence, was precisely developed in order to counter the new possibilities of reducing radio visibility. The principle of operation of the SRR "Kolchuga-M" is based on the passive processing of the radio signal of enemy radar equipment. These funds are mandatory for any military equipment in the performance of their immediate tasks for their intended purpose. Although the signals from such tools are quite diverse, they exist and you can use them to identify the object on which these tools are installed. This principle, although simple in presentation, turned out to be difficult to solve in reality. From theory, creation of a concept, development of algorithms for execution and calculation, projects and research to the implementation of all this in a working product, it took the specialists of Topaz OJSC about eight years. Work on the project began in 1993. In 2000, work on the construction of a new radio intelligence station was completely completed (in the variant for export deliveries, and in 1998 Kolchuga-M was ready for production for the Ukrainian army). More than six enterprises and design bureaus participated in the work on Kolchuga-M. Today, it is able to detect almost all active RTS of any media. The main purpose is an air defense element. Passive detection of attacking military equipment nullifies the elements of "stealth technologies" installed on them. In addition, the detected objects will not be able to learn about their discovery and, accordingly, take action or detect the Kolchuga-M itself.

TTX SRR "Kolchuga-M":

- "Kolchuga-M" can be part of a complex of 3-4 stations, which detects and determines ground and surface-type objects at a distance of up to 600 kilometers, and flying objects at a height of up to 10 kilometers and at a distance of up to 800 kilometers.
- the station uses 5 antennas m / dm / cm ranges with a sensitivity of 90-110 dB / W;
- has a 36-channel parallel receiver with instant object detection without frequency search, which analyzes and then classifies the detected signals in the frequency range of 130-18000 MHz;
- provides automatic detection and recognition, using the power of the on-board computer and a data bank of various parameters with the results displayed on the monitor;
- special selectors made it possible to exclude signals interfering with detection and determination and track up to 200 objects;
- sector scanning range from 30 to 240 degrees;
- bearing error (SKP) 0.3-5 degrees;
- measuring range of pulses in duration 0.5-31.25 µs;
- measuring range of impulses along the passage 2-79999 µs;
- error in measuring ranges (SKP) no more than 0.1 µs;
- frequency error ±11 MHz;
- guarantee period 24 years;
- operating temperatures ±50 degrees;
- round-the-clock combat crew of 7 people, in peacetime 3-4 people;
- used chassis KrAZ-6322REB-01.

For the first time, Kolchuga-M was presented to the public at the Jordanian SOFEX-2000 exhibition. The cost of one station is 5.6 million dollars. There is no analogue of the Kolchuga-M CRR according to the OPH. Significantly surpasses the system in terms of parameters and the closest competitors:
- "Awax" manufactured by the United States lags behind in the detection range by 200 kilometers, the lower bar of the frequency range is 1900 MHz more;
- "Vera" of Czech production, lags behind in detection range by 350 kilometers, the lower bar of the frequency range is 700 MHz more;
- "Vega" Russian production, lags behind in detection range by 400 kilometers, the lower bar of the frequency range is 70 MHz more;
This is where the practically unlimited RTS ceiling follows, which Kolchuga-M can detect and identify. But the specialists of Topaz OJSC did not stop there and are constantly conducting research to improve and modernize the Kolchuga-M SRR. This did not go unnoticed by potential foreign buyers, constant negotiations are underway on deliveries, contracts are being concluded. Constant cooperation with the Donetsk National Technical University and the state holding "Topaz" gives not only new ideas for the development of the complex, but also the influx of new specialists for production.

The creation of the Kolchuga-M SRR is not only the creation of a new air defense element, but also the successful solution of a number of tasks for the modernization of high-tech facilities for the production of high-frequency electronics, the creation of antenna structures and other high-tech machinery and equipment, as evidenced by patented solutions and technological know-how. how.
The demand for the Kolchuga-M air defense system makes it possible to increase jobs at the enterprise, attract young specialists and work on this and others. innovative projects. Next in line is the Mandate communications countermeasures complex, also produced in Soviet times by the Topaz plant. According to the assurances of the designers, the modernized complex will outperform competing counterparts in terms of its characteristics.

It was the success of the Kolchuga-M long-range passive electronic intelligence system, with the full support of Ukrspetsexport, that gave impetus to further development to all enterprises that participated in its creation, including KrAZ, Orion and Iskra.

On the this moment"Kolchuga-M" is in service and used for its intended purpose by the following states:
- Ukraine 2-4 units;
- China 4-8 units;
- Turkmenistan 4 units;
- Georgia 2-3 units;
- Ethiopia 3 units.