The 1RL239/1RL239M ARK-1/ARK-1M Rys is a Soviet tracked artillery-locating radar family on the MT-LBu chassis, built to detect mortar, artillery, rocket-artillery, and tactical-missile firing positions for counter-battery work. The baseline ARK-1 entered Soviet service as the 1RL239, while the ARK-1M modernization added independent power and updated command equipment before late-Soviet production ended.
Russian General Staff history of the Soviet-Afghan War describes ARK-1 artillery radar reconnaissance systems in Afghanistan, where mountain conditions limited their effectiveness in finding enemy artillery but the radars were used to adjust Soviet artillery fire, especially at night.
Militarnyi reports that Ukrainian artillery units began combat operations in 2014 with inherited ARK-1 / 1RL239 radars. Russian and Russian-backed force context is separately documented by a November 2014 1RL239 "Lynx" sighting near Donetsk, ANNA News identification of an Eastern Military District ARK-1M crew in the full-scale war, and Militarnyi, WarSpotting, and Oryx reporting on a Russian 1RL239(-1M) / ARK-1(M) loss near Zavodivka in Kherson Oblast.
Role detailsThe ARK-1 family is an artillery reconnaissance radar rather than a direct-fire weapon. Its job is to observe projectile trajectories, calculate likely firing or launch coordinates, and pass those coordinates into artillery fire-control channels.
Mortar bombs, artillery shells, rocket-artillery projectiles, and tactical-missile launches.
Four-person crew on an MT-LBu tracked chassis with amphibious mobility inherited from the vehicle family.
ARK-1M added independent power-generation and command-transceiver improvements over the original ARK-1.
Russian General Staff history treats Soviet-Afghan War radar use as terrain-limited for finding enemy artillery, while still useful for adjusting Soviet artillery fire at night.
NTV and ANNA reporting describe a Russian ARK-1M crew relying on frequent moves after radar emissions and counterfire made the vehicle a visible target.
Primary support: ArmForc ARK-1 1RL239 Rys; Russian General Staff Soviet-Afghan War study; ANNA News ARK-1M combat use report; NTV Eastern Military District artillery reconnaissance report.
The designation split is between the original ARK-1 / 1RL239 and the modernized ARK-1M / 1RL239M.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| ARK-1 / 1RL239 | Baseline artillery reconnaissance radar | Accepted into Soviet service in 1977 as the ARK-1 artillery radar complex with GRAU index 1RL239. Sources: ArmForc ARK-1 1RL239 Rys |
| ARK-1M / 1RL239M | Modernized radar complex | The modernization added a D-21A1 power station and 1A30 command transceiver equipment, with service acceptance in 1983 and production from 1985 to 1991. Sources: ArmForc ARK-1 1RL239 Rys |
The radar mission equipment is mounted on the larger MT-LBu member of the MT-LB tracked vehicle family.
| Compatible item | Item type | Compatibility evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Tracked armored chassis family | The ARK-1 sources identify MT-LBu as the selected chassis, and the linked MT-LBu catalog page covers the larger specialist carrier used for radar, artillery command, electronic-warfare, and support bodies. Sources: ArmForc ARK-1 1RL239 Rys, MVRsimulation 1RL239 model |
A Soviet Council of Ministers decision initiated the Rys artillery radar project, with OKB Arsenal in Tula assigned as lead developer.
Sources: ArmForc ARK-1 1RL239 Rys
After state trials in 1976-1977, the system was accepted as the ARK-1 artillery radar complex and assigned the 1RL239 index.
Sources: ArmForc ARK-1 1RL239 Rys
The modernized ARK-1M / 1RL239M completed state trials and entered service with revised power and data-exchange equipment.
Sources: ArmForc ARK-1 1RL239 Rys
Foreign Policy reported a 1RL239 "Lynx" radar traveling with a 1RL232 near Donetsk, while Interpreter and InformNapalm coverage framed the sighting as part of Russian-supplied equipment for Russian-backed forces.
Sources: Foreign Policy 1RL239 eastern Ukraine sighting, Interpreter Kremlin Dirty War Ukraine, InformNapalm Leopard and Lynx Ukraine
NTV reported Russian Eastern Military District artillery-reconnaissance radar activity on the Ukraine front, describing trajectory-based firing-position calculations, repeated movement to avoid counterfire, and a radar station that had continued operating after multiple shelling incidents; ANNA News later identified the radar in that report as ARK-1M.
Sources: NTV Eastern Military District artillery reconnaissance report, ANNA News ARK-1M combat use report
ANNA News identified an ARK-1M counter-battery radar on an MT-LBu chassis in use by an Eastern Military District artillery-reconnaissance unit during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Sources: ANNA News ARK-1M combat use report
Militarnyi reported that Ukrainian forces hit a Russian ARK-1 Rys counter-battery radar near Zavodivka in Kherson Oblast, attributing the strike to an M982 Excalibur precision artillery round.
Sources: Militarnyi ARK-1 Rys Kherson radar report
WarSpotting listed a destroyed Russian 1RL239(-1M) ARK-1(M) Rys near Zavodivka in Kakhovka raion during the full-scale Russia-Ukraine War; Oryx also lists one destroyed Russian 1RL239 Ark-1(M) counter-battery radar.
Sources: WarSpotting 1RL239 ARK-1M Zavodivka loss, Oryx Russian equipment losses
