German military aid bolsters Ukraine's air defences with Cheetah PRTLs and TRML-4D radars

Ukraine has received two TRML-4D radars and three self-propelled anti-aircraft Cheetah PRTL systems purchased by Germany from Jordan. They are part of a larger package that includes armoured equipment and ammunition.

Due to the exhaustion of its own anti-aircraft resources, Ukraine is now essentially reliant solely on the support of Western countries. One of the most crucial assets is modern radars, without which it is impossible to monitor the airspace around critical infrastructure facilities, for example.

The second issue is the low-cost elimination of Shahed drones and cruise missiles, where cannon-based anti-aircraft systems like the Gepard perform excellently, and the former Dutch Cheetah PRTL are their superior twin. The cost of a series ranges from a few thousand to over 10,000 euros depending on the number of missiles fired.

TRML-4D radars are modern constructions with antennas made using AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) technology, i.e., with an antenna with active electronic scanning. This allows the detection of even difficult objects and is very resistant to electronic warfare systems.

According to the radar's manufacturer, Hensoldt, they can detect and track up to about 1,500 objects with an effective reflective surface of 0.001 square metres at a distance of up to 250 kilometres. Moreover, it is a 360-degree radar that can handle attacks from multiple directions, a challenge for the sectorial Patriot system radar, which can only operate within a 120-degree range.

However, in the case of very challenging targets, where updating the target's position below a second is insufficient, the radar can illuminate the area with a continuous beam, which unfortunately limits its detection angle to 100 degrees. Additionally, the radar software allows for the classification of targets into cruise missiles, drones, and aeroplanes and helicopters.

Such target segmentation enables a connected anti-aircraft system such as NASAMS or IRIS-T SLS/SLM to prioritise targets and defend a specific object more effectively.

After exhausting the possibility of acquiring Gepards, Germany, along with the USA, decided to buy 45 former Dutch Cheetah PRTL systems from Jordan at a significantly inflated price.

These vehicles are very similar to the Gepards but have different radars, and the Dutch units were upgraded to versions CA2 and CA3 to improve communication and speed up target engagement. Additionally, a muzzle velocity sensor was implemented, and they were certified to use FAPDS-T (Frangible Armour-Piercing Discarding Sabot - Tracer) ammunition, which is more effective and has a greater range (5 kilometres instead of 4 kilometres).

Besides that, it is still a Gepard, whose main weapon is a pair of Oerlikon KDA L/R04 35/90 calibre 35 mm automatic cannons with a rate of fire of 550 rounds per minute each (a total of 1,100 rounds per minute) linked to a fire control radar.