Russian troops using newest Zavarukha counter-battery system in special op zone — NPO Alfa

MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. The latest acoustic reconnaissance system Zavarukha, designed to detect enemy firing positions, has been deployed to the Russian special military operation zone in Ukraine, a spokesman for the NPO Alfa Research and Production Association told TASS.

"The latest counter-battery system Zavarukha is the most compact sound reconnaissance system for detecting enemy firing positions. Its microphone array measures no more than 1 meter. The Zavarukha has already undergone combat testing in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), as well as in the Belgorod, Bryansk, and Zaporozhye Regions. The system has demonstrated a high level of detection accuracy: the error does not exceed 400 meters at a range of over 20 km, which is sufficient for supplementary reconnaissance by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). At a range of 12 km, the error does not exceed 150 meters. The maximum confirmed detection and direction-finding range is 27 km," the company said.

Alfa NPO clarified that the system’s battery life is five days. "Thanks to its small size and absolute passivity--the system emits no radiation--Zavarukha features greater stealth. During combat use, the system has detected Ukrainian troops’ firing positions, including various self-propelled artillery pieces such as the Polish-made Caesar and Krab," the source added.

The company also compared the new system to similar systems in service with the Russian Armed Forces. "The Russian army has only two similar systems in service: the Penicillin and the AZK-7M, which are artillery reconnaissance systems mounted on truck chassis, such as the KAMAZ or Ural. Therefore, the use of such systems near the line of contact is virtually impossible as they become a priority target for the enemy and are quickly neutralized. These systems require 20 support personnel and operate for a maximum of 24 hours. The Zavarukha is also 60 times less costly than these systems. In addition, it has superior performance characteristics--for example, our system detects mortars more effectively and accurately," NPO Alfa noted.

According to NPO Alfa, the system features wide-range microphones. "You could say we've somewhat overcome physics by making the microphone array just 1 meter in size, while according to all laws and theoretical data, the minimum microphone base size should be around 100-300 meters," the company added.