On September 15, 2026, Ukrainian military reported the destruction of a Russian mobile radar complex, the 'Nebo-M,' located near the Millerovo military airfield. According to the 429th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade 'ACHILLES,' the strike was carried out in a joint operation with the 43rd Separate Artillery Brigade, using a domestically produced RAM-2X loitering munition as the means of destruction. According to military statements, the target was located approximately 175 km from the line of contact, demonstrating the depth at which Ukrainian units are capable of engaging the enemy's rear-area targets.
How the strike was carried out
The operation to destroy the radar complex was conducted by the 429th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade 'ACHILLES' together with the 43rd Separate Artillery Brigade. The munition used was the RAM-2X loitering system produced by Ukrspecsystems, which, as noted, is a participant in the NAUDI program. The use of a loitering munition rather than a cruise missile or a suicide attack drone indicates a tactic of striking a costly and relatively radar-stealthy target at long range using autonomous guidance.
What is the 'Nebo-M' and why it matters
The Russian 'Nebo-M' radar complex is designed to detect aerodynamic and ballistic targets at medium and high altitudes. According to Ukrainian military data, it can detect aircraft at ranges of up to 500–600 km, while the stated range for detecting ballistic targets reaches 1,500 km. Low-observable aerial targets, according to the same sources, are detected by the radar at distances of 200 to 400 km. The approximate cost of a single such complex is estimated at around $100 million, making it one of the most expensive elements of the Russian air and missile defense system.
Strategic significance of the Millerovo airfield
The Millerovo military airfield, near which, according to the UAF, the struck complex was located, is used by Russian forces, in particular, as a launch site for strike and decoy drones targeting Ukrainian regions. The destruction or damage to the radar cover in the area of such a node, by the logic of Ukrainian military, makes it harder to detect and intercept their own drones and reduces the effectiveness of Russian air defense in that sector.
Contradictory data
Fact-checking revealed discrepancies in the chronology and in the identification of the target. Some publications (including materials dated April 2026) link the 'ACHILLES' brigade's strike on a 'Nebo-M' radar worth around $100 million to an earlier event, while the September 15, 2026 reports tie the destruction of the complex to a strike in the Millerovo area at a distance of 175 km from the line of contact. Thus, open sources do not rule out confusion between two similar episodes or the duplication of a single event under different dates. It should also be noted separately that during the same period there were reports of damage to another complex — the 'Nebo-U' in the Feodosia area (Crimea), which, according to the General Staff, covered southern Ukraine and Crimea; this is a different radar modification and a different geographic object, and conflating it with the strike on the 'Nebo-M' near Millerovo is incorrect. Independent third-party confirmation of the destruction of the complex is not available as of the time of publication — the information is based on statements by Ukrainian military.
Broader context
The strike on the 'Nebo-M' fits into a broader campaign to destroy elements of Russian air defense and industrial facilities that support its operation. Earlier, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense published information on 54 Russian enterprises under the ownership and management of the 'KRET' concern of the state corporation 'Rostec,' while, according to the GUR, a third of them still are not subject to sanctions by any country in the sanctions coalition. The combination of these factors shows that the fight for radar cover and air defense infrastructure remains one of the priority directions of Ukrainian forces' actions.
