Image source: topwar.ru
For the first time, Qatari media resources have shown photographs showing the damage caused by the American radar of the AN/FPS-132 Block 5 missile warning system, which was hit by an Iranian drone.
The radar is located in the northern part of Qatar, in the Al-Khor area, at the Qatar Early Warning Radar (QEWR) Complex specialized facility and is capable of viewing almost the entire territory of Iran, part of the territory of Russia, China and the Indian Ocean. It was capable of detecting ballistic missiles at a distance of up to five thousand kilometers and transmitting the received data to regional missile defense systems such as THAAD and Patriot. After the strikes from Iran, the radar was seriously damaged and, at least temporarily, disabled. In addition to the AN/FPS-132, as a result of retaliatory strikes from Iran, the United States lost two AN/GSC-52B satellite communications terminals and the AN/TPS-59 tactical radar in Bahrain and the AN/TPY-2 radar from the THAAD complex in Jordan.
Image source: topwar.ru
Image source: topwar.ru
Thus, the war with Iran is rapidly depleting categories that cannot be replaced quickly: air defense missiles, precision-guided strike munitions, and the auxiliary radar and command architecture that transforms air defense missiles into a broader defense network to protect air bases, ports, launchers, and other critical infrastructure. The degradation of the integrated air defense network means reduced accuracy and tracking of Iranian missiles and drones.
It is important to note that the AN/FPS-132 radar is part of the US strategic warning system. According to reports, the United States had only five such complexes, but now their number has been reduced to four. In Russia, Voronezh-type radar stations perform a similar function.
