Direct proof of use
The Ground Master 200 appears in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War as a French-supplied Ukrainian air-defense radar. On February 1, 2023, the French and Ukrainian defense ministers signed an agreement at Thales's Limours site for a GM200 radar intended to strengthen Ukraine's anti-aircraft defense against Russian air raids.
Associated Press coverage of the same handover described the radar as a French-made GM200 being supplied to Ukraine and reported Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov's statement that it would improve Ukraine's air-defense radar network. The public record supports transfer, delivery, and air-defense fielding; it does not identify a specific public intercept or engagement attributed to a named GM200 radar.
Sources: French Ministry Ukraine GM200 Purchase, AP Ukraine French Radar Gift
Timeline
The first public milestone was the February 2023 Franco-Ukrainian agreement for a GM200 radar. SIPRI's arms-transfer database later recorded Ground Master-200 air-search radars ordered by Ukraine from France in 2023, with deliveries recorded in 2023 and 2025.
In June 2024, Thales signed a further agreement with Ukraine for a second complete air-defense system. Public reporting on that agreement identified the package as a ControlMaster 200 system that included a GM200 air-surveillance radar, radio communications, command-and-control equipment, and portable weapon-allocation terminals.
Sources: French Ministry Ukraine GM200 Purchase, SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, Defense Post Second Air Defense System
Role in Ukrainian air defense
In Ukrainian service, the GM200's documented role is air-defense surveillance and cueing rather than direct fire. AP reported that the radar was presented as capable of detecting missiles, aircraft, drones, rockets, artillery, and mortar threats, and that its 250 km range could cover Kyiv and the surrounding region if deployed for that purpose.
The 2024 follow-on ControlMaster 200 package shows the radar being treated as part of an integrated air-defense network. The system was described as supporting detection, identification, and neutralization of airborne threats and as interoperable with very-short-range and extended-short-range air-defense systems.
Sources: AP Ukraine French Radar Gift, Defense Post Second Air Defense System
