According to a report by British intelligence, Russian Armed Forces have placed pyramidal radar reflectors in the water around key bridges in Kherson, including the recently damaged Antonovsky Bridge. Pyramidal radar have also been placed around the railway bridge over the Dnieper River, in Kherson.
Radar pyramid reflectors, also known as radar Ghost shields, are installed with the aim to deflect missiles. The radar reflector is of simple construct – flat intersections are made on metal surfaces with an angle of 90 degrees.
The principle of their operation being with guided missile typically using radar guidance systems which emit radio waves which are reflected back by these radar reflectors, deflecting a strike from the guided missile. This reflection creates a very strong disturbance confusing the radar system of the guided missile. As a result, the missile is led to attack the radar reflector while missing its primary target.
Despite these efforts, it is uncertain how effective are these countermeasures since the GMLRS missiles fired by the M270 and M142 do not use simple radar systems, thus they cannot be confused with radar reflectors. Their guidance is based on GPS and not “target seeking radar”.
Such countermeasures would have an effect if Ukraine launched the Harpoon or Neptune anti-ship missiles; but again, these missiles are intended for weapons systems at sea, not infrastructure sites.
What is to be noted that with Russia looking for ways to protect key infrastructure sites, it probably suggests that they understand the combat capability of HIMARS and the M270, which are effective at short and medium distances.
Both systems are mobile, and can easily change positions, complicating the task of neutralizing them.
