Air Defense

PRV-16ML

Also known as
  • PRV-16ML height finder
  • PRV-16 modernization
  • Thin Skin B modernization
  • PRV-16ML mobile height finder

PRV-16ML is Altimus-Tech's modernized mobile height-finder radar for measuring aircraft altitude from target designations supplied by interfaced surveillance radars or automated control systems.

PRV-16ML, Modernized mobile height-finder radar, Air Defense
Image source: Altimus-Tech PRV-16ML Product Page

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Lithuania / Poland
Built by
Altimus-Tech
Type
Modernized mobile height-finder radar
Service note
Altimus-Tech markets PRV-16ML as a modernized follow-on to the analogue PRV-16 height-finder radar.
Designer
Altimus-Tech
Developed from
PRV-16

Specifications

Primary role
Mobile height-finder radar for aircraft altitude measurement from external target designations
Integration
Interfaces with surveillance radars and command-and-control centers including P-18ML, P-14ML, MARS-L, and AMCP Module
Data output
ASTERIX-format data distribution by default
3D complex role
Altimus-Tech 3D complex pairs PRV-16ML with P-18ML, MARS-L, AMBER-1800, or P-14ML two-dimensional surveillance radars
Detection range
Manufacturer table lists 210 km detection range after upgrade for a 2.5 m2 RCS target from 3,000 m to 45,000 m altitude, up from 170 km before upgrade
Low-altitude range
After-upgrade detection figures rise from 35 to 40 km at 100 m, 70 to 80 km at 500 m, and 110 to 120 km at 1,000 m altitude
Height limits
100 m to 45,000 m operating height limits
Elevation limits
-0.5 to 30 degrees operating elevation limits
Measurement mode
Automatic altitude measurement after upgrade, replacing manual altitude measurement in the before-upgrade table
Crew
4 after upgrade, compared with 5 before upgrade
Deployment time
15 minutes for deployment or stowage before and after upgrade
Power consumption
10 kW after upgrade, compared with 15 kW before upgrade
Levelling
Semi-automatic levelling system with stated +/- 2 arcminute levelling accuracy
Modernization Context

Altimus-Tech presents PRV-16ML as a modernized PRV-16 height finder that receives target designations from surveillance radars or automated control systems, measures altitude, and distributes radar data in ASTERIX format. The official upgrade description emphasizes digital signal processing, solid-state components, automatic diagnostics, integrated communications, semi-automatic levelling, and single-vehicle field mobility.

FieldBefore upgradeAfter upgrade
Crew54
Power use15 kW10 kW
MeasurementManual altitude measurementAutomatic altitude measurement
Range at high altitude170 km for a 2.5 m2 RCS target from 3,000 m to 45,000 m altitude210 km for the same target class and altitude band
Deployment15 minutes to deploy or stow15 minutes to deploy or stow

Altimus-Tech's 3D radar-complex material places PRV-16ML as the height-finder option alongside P-18ML, MARS-L, AMBER-1800, or P-14ML two-dimensional surveillance radars. The same complex page separately notes that non-upgraded PRV-16-type height finders can also be paired with an A1000H height-finder extractor.

Variants

PRV-16ML is treated here as Altimus-Tech's modernized PRV-16 height-finder branch. Open sources identify PRV-16/Thin Skin B as the Soviet-era baseline, while Altimus-Tech's 3D radar-complex material also names PRV-16A and PRV-16B as height-finder models that can be used in the same complex context.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
PRV-16Analogue baseline height finder

Altimus-Tech describes PRV-16ML as an upgraded follow-on to the analogue PRV-16; Military Periscope identifies PRV-16 Thin Skin B as a Soviet-era height-finding radar.

Sources: Altimus-Tech PRV-16ML Product Page, Military Periscope PRV-16 Thin Skin B Overview

PRV-16ARelated PRV-16-family height-finder model

Altimus-Tech lists PRV-16A among different height-finder models that can be used in its 3D mobile radar complex.

Sources: Altimus-Tech 3D Radar Complex Product Page

PRV-16BRelated PRV-16-family height-finder model

Altimus-Tech lists PRV-16B among different height-finder models that can be used in its 3D mobile radar complex.

Sources: Altimus-Tech 3D Radar Complex Product Page

3D Radar Complex Sensors

Altimus-Tech presents PRV-16ML as the height-finder element that can work with selected two-dimensional surveillance radars inside its mobile 3D radar-complex concept.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
P-18ML, Modernized long-range VHF surveillance radar, Air DefenseP-18MLVHF surveillance radar

Altimus-Tech lists P-18ML as one of the two-dimensional surveillance radars that can provide the range-and-azimuth layer while PRV-16ML supplies height measurement.

Sources: Altimus-Tech PRV-16ML Product Page, Altimus-Tech 3D Radar Complex Product Page

MARS-L, Mobile combined PSR/SSR L-band air-surveillance radar, Air DefenseMARS-LL-band surveillance radar

Altimus-Tech lists MARS-L among the surveillance radars that can be combined with PRV-16ML in the 3D mobile radar complex.

Sources: Altimus-Tech PRV-16ML Product Page, Altimus-Tech 3D Radar Complex Product Page

AMBER-1800, Mobile VHF-band air surveillance radar, Air DefenseAMBER-1800VHF surveillance radar

Altimus-Tech's 3D radar-complex page identifies AMBER-1800 as another surveillance-radar option in the same complex architecture as PRV-16ML.

Sources: Altimus-Tech 3D Radar Complex Product Page

5N84A Oborona-14, Transportable VHF two-coordinate early-warning radar, Air Defense5N84A Oborona-14P-14-family surveillance radar

Altimus-Tech lists P-14ML in the 3D complex; the linked catalog record covers the P-14/5N84A family and its P-14ML modernization path.

Sources: Altimus-Tech 3D Radar Complex Product Page

AMCP Module, Automated mobile air-defense command post, Air DefenseAMCP ModuleAutomated mobile command post

Altimus-Tech lists AMCP Module among command-and-control centres that can interface with PRV-16ML.

Sources: Altimus-Tech PRV-16ML Product Page

Media

PRV-16ML Videos

PRV-16ML Images

PRV-16ML, Modernized mobile height-finder radar, Air Defense - view 1
Source: Altimus-Tech PRV-16ML Product Page
PRV-16ML, Modernized mobile height-finder radar, Air Defense - view 2
Source: Altimus-Tech PRV-16ML Product Page
PRV-16ML, Modernized mobile height-finder radar, Air Defense - view 3
Source: Altimus-Tech PRV-16ML Product Page
Related Weapon Systems
AMBER-1800, Mobile VHF-band air surveillance radar, Air DefenseAir DefenseAMBER-1800Mobile VHF-band air surveillance radarAMBER-1800 is a mobile VHF-band air surveillance radar associated with the LiTak-Tak and Altimus-Tech industrial lineage. The two-vehicle system uses a deployable antenna and solid-state transmitter/receiver equipment to detect and track air targets, then distribute radar data to air-defense users. RUSI identifies Ukraine's related Burshtyn-1800 radar in service during the 2022 full-scale phase, while Lithuania committed funding for six AMBER-1800-family mobile air-surveillance radars for Ukraine under Germany's Immediate Action on Air Defence initiative in 2024.
MARS-L, Mobile combined PSR/SSR L-band air-surveillance radar, Air DefenseAir DefenseMARS-LMobile combined PSR/SSR L-band air-surveillance radarMARS-L is Altimus-Tech's mobile L-band radar that combines primary-surveillance and secondary-surveillance channels on a one-vehicle system. The manufacturer markets it for aircraft detection, interrogation, track generation, radar-data distribution, and air-defense support, including use as a low-altitude surveillance radar, radar-field gap filler, and target-acquisition sensor for upgraded Soviet-legacy surface-to-air missile packages.
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Sources

Altimus-Tech PRV-16ML Product PagePublisher: Altimus-Tech | Note: Official product page supporting PRV-16ML identity, manufacturer attribution, modernized PRV-16 lineage, height-finder role, image, integration claims, and published specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Oryx Ukrainian Equipment Losses During the Russian Invasion of UkrainePublisher: Oryx | Note: Lists a Ukrainian PRV-16ML height-finder radar destroyed during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Oryx Russian Loitering Munition Kill ListPublisher: Oryx | Note: Lists a PRV-16ML destroyed by Lancet-3M in the Ukrainian equipment section of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Altimus-Tech 3D Radar Complex Product PagePublisher: Altimus-Tech | Note: Official product page supporting PRV-16ML's role inside Altimus-Tech's 3D radar complex, its pairing with P-18ML, MARS-L, AMBER-1800, and P-14ML surveillance radars, and PRV-16A/PRV-16B height-finder designation context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Military Periscope PRV-16 Thin Skin B OverviewPublisher: Military Periscope | Note: Independent reference supporting PRV-16 Thin Skin B as a Soviet-era height-finding radar, a follow-on to PRV-9, and a system used with air-search and surveillance radars. | Accessed: 2026-07-13