On the night of July 27, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine struck a rare Murmansk-BN coastal shortwave EW system near Cape Fiolent in temporarily occupied Crimea.
Read more: Ukraine's K-2 Brigade Hunts russian Fuel Trains Deep Behind the Front (Video)
This is the first known strike against the Murmansk-BN since the start of the full-scale invasion. Although these systems had been deployed near Cape Fiolent since russia's occupation of the peninsula in 2014, they were spotted there again after the start of the full-scale invasion.
Given Ukraine's sustained campaign against russian radars, air defense systems, and EW assets, it was only a matter of time before the Murmansk-BN was struck.
The Murmansk-BN is designed to detect and jam shortwave communications, with a claimed—but unverified—maximum range of 5,000 km. In addition, it is capable of jamming satellite navigation systems.
The Murmansk-BN deployed in russia's Kaliningrad region has been linked to disruptions of satellite navigation across the Baltic states. As a result, thousands of aircraft and ships have been affected in recent years. Flight disruptions have forced some aircraft to divert or cancel flights, while in some cases airports have even had to suspend operations.
The strike on the Murmansk-BN in temporarily occupied Crimea could improve satellite navigation for Ukrainian drones and reduce interference with shortwave communications.
As for the Murmansk-BN itself, it consists of several vehicles. It includes four 32-meter-tall folding antenna masts (two mounted on KamAZ trucks and two on trailers), a signal jamming vehicle, presumably a separate vehicle with a generator to power the system, and a command post.
In other words, this is far from a compact system that can be quickly deployed and relocated. Setting up and configuring the Murmansk-BN is expected to take about 72 hours. During this process, in addition to erecting the masts, a network of thin cables is strung between them to form the antenna array.
Judging by the published footage, the drone struck only the trailer-mounted antenna mast, which, for unknown reasons, had been deployed separately from the rest of the system. In other words, at the time of the strike, the system was likely not operational and had not even been fully deployed.
Read more: russia Finally Launches Its New Yasen-M SSN After Nine Years, It Can Carry 40 Kalibr or 32 Zircon Missiles
