2011 Syrian Civil War

92N6A engagement radar in the 2011 Syrian Civil War

Russian 92N6-family S-400 engagement-radar use in the 2011 Syrian Civil War is documented through open-source identification at Khmeimim air base and RUSI analysis of Russian S-400 units at Khmeimim and near Masyaf.

Weapon profile92N6A engagement radar
SideSyrian government and alliesRoleAir DefenseTargeting Support
92N6A engagement radar, Mobile engagement and missile-guidance radar, Air Defense - 2011 Syrian Civil War
Image source: File:92N6E radar at Almaz-Antey factory 01.jpg

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
A 92N6E radar station was documented with Russian S-400 equipment at Khmeimim air base during the 2011 Syrian Civil War.

Sources: InformNapalm Khmeimim S-400 Positions

Russian S-400 units in Syria included 92N6 combat engagement radar coverage at Khmeimim and near Masyaf.

Sources: RUSI Syria S-400 Cruise Missile Analysis

The documented operator context was Russian expeditionary air defense supporting the Syrian government side, rather than a confirmed Syrian-operated 92N6-family transfer.

Sources: RUSI Syria S-400 Cruise Missile Analysis, RFE/RL Russian S-400 Syria Debate

The 92N6E multifunctional radar performs S-400 target search, acquisition, tracking, launch preparation, missile guidance, and data-exchange functions.

Sources: S-400 Triumph Rosoboronexport Profile

Timeline

92N6A engagement radar In 2011 Syrian Civil War

  1. Russia announces S-400 deployment to Syria

    Russia moved the S-400 system into its Syrian expeditionary air-defense posture after Turkey downed a Russian Su-24M; later reporting described the first unit at Khmeimim air base.

    Sources: RFE/RL Russian S-400 Syria Debate

  2. Shayrat strike raises S-400 coverage questions

    After U.S. Tomahawk missiles struck Shayrat air base, RFE/RL reported that Russian S-400 systems in Syria were too far from the low-flying cruise-missile route to engage effectively under the cited geometry.

    Sources: RFE/RL Russian S-400 Syria Debate

  3. 92N6E radar identified at Khmeimim

    InformNapalm identified a 92N6E S-400 radar station at Khmeimim air base from Russian television footage and associated it with nearby S-400 launchers and power equipment.

    Sources: InformNapalm Khmeimim S-400 Positions

  4. RUSI describes Khmeimim and Masyaf S-400 units

    RUSI described Russian S-400 units in Syria at Khmeimim and near Masyaf and analyzed the 92N6 combat engagement radar's role and limits against low-flying cruise missiles.

    Sources: RUSI Syria S-400 Cruise Missile Analysis

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Direct Syria evidence for the 92N6A-family radar comes from sources that identify the 92N6 or 92N6E engagement radar inside Russian S-400 deployments, not just the broader S-400 system. InformNapalm's June 2017 OSINT review of Russian Zvezda footage from Khmeimim air base identified four 5P85TE2 S-400 launchers, a 92N6E radar station, and diesel generators powering the S-400 equipment on the east side of the base.

RUSI separately described Syria-based Russian S-400 units at Khmeimim and at a base near Masyaf in Hama Governorate, and identified the 92N6 as the S-400 combat engagement radar. Its analysis treated the radar as the element that detects and illuminates targets for surface-to-air missile engagements, while emphasizing radar-horizon and sector limits against low-flying cruise missiles.

Sources: InformNapalm Khmeimim S-400 Positions, RUSI Syria S-400 Cruise Missile Analysis

Timeline

Russia deployed S-400 systems to Syria after Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24M in November 2015, placing the system in the Russian expeditionary air-defense layer around its Syrian bases. By April 2017, public debate after the U.S. Tomahawk strike on Shayrat air base focused on why Russian S-300 and S-400 systems in Syria had not engaged the attack, with analysts pointing to location, terrain, and low-altitude cruise-missile geometry.

The first source in this record to identify a 92N6E radar directly at a Syrian site is InformNapalm's 20 June 2017 Khmeimim analysis. RUSI's later analysis then described two Russian S-400 units in Syria, one defending Khmeimim and one near Masyaf, and discussed the 92N6 combat engagement radar as the limiting sensor for cruise-missile engagements.

Sources: RFE/RL Russian S-400 Syria Debate, InformNapalm Khmeimim S-400 Positions, RUSI Syria S-400 Cruise Missile Analysis

Role in Russian air defense

The documented Syrian use was Russian-operated expeditionary air defense for pro-government forces and Russian basing, not a Syrian transfer record for the 92N6-family radar. The parent S-400 system was part of Russia's protective network around Khmeimim, Tartus, and the Masyaf-area position, while the 92N6-family radar served as the engagement and missile-guidance sensor inside that network.

Rosoboronexport's S-400 export description assigns the 92N6E multifunctional radar target search, target acquisition and tracking, target selection, launch preparation, missile guidance, performance assessment, and automatic information exchange with the 30K6E control system. In the Syrian conflict record, those functions explain why the radar is cataloged under air defense and targeting support rather than as an independent strike weapon.

Sources: RUSI Syria S-400 Cruise Missile Analysis, S-400 Triumph Rosoboronexport Profile

Related Weapons by Role

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Sources