Existing military air defense assets could be used to counter small drones attacking Russian oil refineries, according to the Telegram channel «Voyennaya Khronika».

The channel argues that Ukrainian drones of this type could be detected with the 9S36 radar station equipped with a telescopic mast. The system, according to the authors, has already proven effective in the special military operation zone.

Raising the antenna post on a mast reportedly increases the detection range for cruise missiles by about 45%. For small drones, the gain would likely be lower, the channel noted, but even a 20–30% increase in detection range would be a strong result when organizing the defense of facilities such as oil refineries.

«Voyennaya Khronika» also pointed out that a similar principle is already used when Pantsir air defense systems are placed on high-rise buildings. This improves visibility and allows low-flying targets to be detected earlier. However, there are physically fewer launch systems than radar assets.

For that reason, the authors believe that strengthening the protection of key facilities does not necessarily require pulling scarce radar stations away from the front. One possible option, they say, would be to produce mast-based structures using civilian technologies already applied in drone detection.