Ukraine's electronic arsenal tackles Russian drone threat
Ukrainians have deployed electronic weapons to the front lines to combat the Shahed drones. In a recent attack, 46 drones lost communication due to Ukraine's electronic warfare efforts. This number surpasses those destroyed using conventional methods, raising the question: Has an effective new method against Russian attacks emerged?
8:52 AM EDT, October 27, 2024
Every day, 30-40 reconnaissance drones fly over Ukraine, searching for depots, dispersal points behind the front lines, or scouting communication routes. Following them, nearly a hundred strike drones often target locations in Ukraine.
Destroying these drones with expensive missiles is economically unfeasible. To counter this threat, Ukrainians have formed mobile anti-aircraft groups—light units equipped with off-road vehicles armed with heavy machine guns—even those that are over a hundred years old.
Ukrainian soldiers particularly commend the water-cooled, twin-mounted Maxim machine guns, model 1910/33, which can sustain continuous fire for extended periods. This solution, developed in the USSR in the 1930s for armored trains and Red Fleet ships, has proven effective due to its qualities, ammo belt feeding, and the ability for prolonged fire.
In addition to solutions from the Great War era, Ukrainians employ the latest anti-drone systems. Thanks to these systems, intercepting small drones—often derived from civilian technologies—is not a major challenge for either side. Soldiers use special emitters to disrupt the operator's signal, forcing the drones to land and be captured.
An example of such technology is the Lithuanian EDM4S SkyWiper, referred to by Ukrainians as the "orc killer". The Ukrainian Armed Forces have over a hundred of these systems, which emit an electromagnetic pulse with a range of about 2-3 miles. The simpler the system it targets, the greater its range. However, neutralizing larger, specialized aircraft presents a greater challenge.
Radio electronic warfare
More sophisticated drones require more advanced systems, which are typically mounted on off-road vehicles rather than carried by individual soldiers. These systems enabled Ukrainians to intercept 46 Shahed 136 drones. During the same attack, 42 drones were shot down using machine guns.
"The primary method of countering drones involves jamming their communication with the operator or taking control of them. By accessing the aggressor's frequency, we can deceive it by introducing erroneous, false data. This way, the operator believes they are still controlling the drone while it is already in our possession," says Zenon Łupina, an expert in electronic defense technologies.
The effectiveness of these systems depends on several factors, including knowledge of the drones' flight paths, recognized frequencies, and guidance methods.
"There are generally four detection systems: radio, optical, radar, and acoustic. They help identify the drone among other objects in the sky. This is just the first stage of UAV neutralization. American and Polish systems are used on the front in Ukraine, for example," explains the expert.
"The ability to neutralize drones also depends on the advancement of drone technology itself, as UAV manufacturers continuously enhance their systems to counteract improvements in anti-drone technology, such as advanced software. This is the case, for instance, with the Polish Hawk system," notes Łupina.
