Direct proof of use
WarSpotting lists a Russian 50N6A multi-functional radar for the 50R6A S-350 Vityaz as visually confirmed destroyed in Donetsk oblast on January 1, 2026. The entry records the side as Russia and includes imagery from the loss record, making the radar component directly visible in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War rather than only through general S-350 service references.
Ukrainian and defense reporting on the same January 1, 2026 Donetsk-region strike described Ukrainian unmanned-systems units hitting a 50N6E multifunctional radar belonging to the S-350 Vityaz air-defense system. Those reports support the incident context and S-350 radar role, while the exact 50N6A designation in this record is tied to WarSpotting's component identification.
Sources: WarSpotting 50N6A Donetsk Loss, Defense Express S-350 Radar Strike, Glavnoe UUS S-350 Radar Strike, Defence Blog Russian S-350 Radar Hit
Timeline
The S-350 radar family's conflict record began appearing in open sources before the 2026 loss. In August 2022, The War Zone reported S-350 components at Taganrog Air Base near Ukraine and cited identification of a 50N6A fire-control radar among the visible equipment. The report described the base as involved in the war and less than 40 miles from Ukraine.
On January 1, 2026, multiple Ukrainian and defense outlets reported a Donetsk-region strike on an S-350 radar, and WarSpotting later recorded the visually confirmed loss as a Russian 50N6A radar.
Sources: TWZ S-350 Near Ukraine Border, WarSpotting 50N6A Donetsk Loss, Defense Express S-350 Radar Strike, Glavnoe UUS S-350 Radar Strike
Operational role
The 50N6A is the multifunction tracking and fire-control radar associated with the 50R6/S-350 Vityaz surface-to-air missile system. Army Recognition describes it as an Almaz-Antey radar that provides mobile 3D search, tracking, missile engagement support, and missile uplink functions for the Vityaz system.
Official Rosoboronexport S-350E data describes the Vityaz system as a medium-range air-defense system for protecting administrative, industrial, and military objects against aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, UAVs, and tactical or operational-tactical ballistic missiles. In the Russia-Ukraine War record, the documented 50N6-family radar use therefore belongs to Russia's layered air-defense, surveillance, and targeting-support equipment rather than to an independent weapon launcher.
Sources: 50N6A Multi-Function Mobile Tracking Radar S-350, Vityaz
