U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the sale to Iraq of four Kolchuga radar for $100 million by a Ukrainian company would provide a major boost in Baghdad's air defense capability.
The investigation into the reported sale has disclosed that China also obtained four of the Kolchuga radar systems from the Ukraine, according to the current edition of Geostrategy-Direct.com.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman denied that China had resold the radar to Iraq.
The radar uses a passive sensor system that its manufacturers claim is capable of tracking radar-evading stealth aircraft.
A report by a team of British and U.S. government experts stated that
Iraq may have procured at least four Koluchga radar stations from Ukraine.
"If Iraq acquired a Kolchuga system, it would increase the threat to
Allied aircrews operating in the northern and southern no-fly-zones as well
as to ground and maritime forces operating in the region," the report said.
The Kolchuga provides identification, early warning and location of
radio frequency emissions from land, sea, or air platforms. The radar, which
can locate communications and navigation emissions, is designed to detect
radar emitters.
An official of the Ukraine export company Ukrspetsexport told reporters in Kiev last week that the four radars were sold to China earlier this year and that the radars are currently deployed "on Chinese territory."
The Ukrainian government claims that the sale was never completed. However, in March the head of the Ukrainian export company Valery Malev was killed in an automobile accident, shortly before Ukraine's parliament announced it was conducting an investigation into weapons sales to Iraq.
The report, based on a week-long visit by the U.S.-British team to Kiev on
Oct. 13, expressed strong suspicion that Baghdad purchased the
upgraded Kolchuga-M radar.
"The main threat comes when Kolchuga stations are operated in combination
which would, potentially, allow Iraq to passively track allied aircraft or
geolocate ground and naval radar forces and provide enhanced early warning
of allied operations in general. However, both Kolchuga and Kolchuga-M would
enhance Iraq's strategic intelligence gathering capability."
The first Koluchga radars were manufactured by Ukraine's Topaz in 1987.
In 1999, Kiev Topaz produced the Kolchuga-M and the Kolchuga-E systems. The
E version was exported to China and its capabilities were not revealed to
the U.S.-British team.
"Kolchuga can assist in the production of the Electronic Order of
Battle, as well as providing early warning, target classification and
limited tracking," the report said. "Both variants of Kolchuga search for
electronic emissions. Multiple Kolchuga stations can coordinate to allow
triangulation of emitters. Kolchuga-M has an improved capability to do this
by using computer-to-computer data communications."
All variants of the Kolchuga are comprised of an operations vehicle, a
support vehicle and an electrical generator set. The report said the
Kolchuga-M has increased frequency coverage, better man-machine interface,
the addition of modem connectivity between stations and an improved data
processing capability. Iraq, the report said, could not upgrade the standard
Kolchuga radar to the improved M model without assistance from Topaz.
The report said the Kolchuga-E could have better technology than the
M model. But the improvement has not been translated into bolstered
capability.
The Kolchuga was believed to have been sold to Iraq through Jordanian
intermediaries, which represents the Kiev-based Ukrspetsexport. One prospect
is that the radars were sold through China. The U.S.-British team said it
did not receive documents that the radars sold to Beijing were delivered to
China.
The report said Ukraine sold a Kolchuga radar to Ethiopia in a deal
brokered by an Israeli-based firm, identified as LR Avionics, located in Tel
Aviv. The U.S.-British team interviewed a representative from LR Avionics
and the report expressed satisfaction with the meeting.
