The new artillery reconnaissance system BARAK is being tested in Ukraine

The BARAK artillery reconnaissance system. Photo: ArmyInform

ArmyInform reported that the Ukrainian military received the automated and remotely controlled artillery reconnaissance system BARAK for testing.

The system cannot be detected by any technical means. The BARAK has a precision of ±50m and can determine the coordinates of a heavy machine gun at a distance of up to 12 km and mortars and heavy artillery at a distance of up to 30 km.

Lieutenant Colonel Vitalii Pidvysotskyi. Photo: ArmyInform

Lieutenant Colonel Vitalii Pidvysotskyi has been testing and helping improve this unique invention for almost a year. According to him, the system is almost ready for widespread use in the Armed Forces.

"This development was given to us last summer, after the start of the large-scale war. Under its conditions, we needed to have the most effective countermeasures," said the lieutenant colonel.

The head of artillery of one of the separate motorized infantry brigades in the Donetsk region is currently engaged in testing and improving the system.

The military were not satisfied with the systems they had been using before for many reasons, in particular due to the obsolescence of the Soviet-style systems.

"When we met an Odesa-based researcher and inventor who was previously involved in the development of acoustic reconnaissance systems, we began active cooperation," said the officer about the beginning of the system's creation.

The multifunctional audiometric system BARAK helps determine the exact coordinates of firing enemy guns to adjust counter-battery fire.

The BARAK artillery reconnaissance system. Photo: ArmyInform

To train the program to identify artillery shots, the developers, together with service members, recorded the sounds of Ukrainian artillery systems similar to those used by the Russians directly at firing positions. The team then returned to Odesa to adjust the software, taking into account the errors they found.

The system is now able to detect the exact coordinates of firing artillery units and individual enemy guns at a distance of up to 30 km. The most accurate data can be obtained if fire is delivered at a distance of 18–24 km. It takes no more than five seconds.

The BARAK artillery reconnaissance system. Photo: ArmyInform

The BARAK consists of eight (or more if necessary) small modules with directional microphones, which are located according to certain schemes and configurations along several kilometers. They work around the clock independently of each other, each having a 5- to 7-day power supply. The software is constantly being improved, taking into account various factors affecting the operation of the system.

The BARAK artillery reconnaissance system. Photo: ArmyInform

Among the latest updates made to the system by Odesa-based developers is the ability to detect the flight of Iranian-made Shahed drones, as well as an independent restart of a module or the system when the sounds of shots cannot be detected clearly.

The database of sounds for identifying targets is constantly updated, down to calibers less than 82 mm.