“The Ukrainian army relies on drones for tactical reconnaissance. This was of key importance in the conditions of Russian air superiority. Information from NATO satellites for tactical needs was not always available and up to date. “Recently, the Ukrainian military has complained about the massive deployment of electronic warfare equipment by the Russian army, which hinders the work of both strike and reconnaissance aircraft, ”the American portal Military Watch Magazine reported.
At the time the Russian special military operation began, Ukraine had a number of drones. The main striker was the Turkish Bayraktar TB2, but these were also models of their own design, including Gorlitsa, Leleka, Strepet, Spectator and a number of other UAVs. Already during the operation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine received from the United States Phoenix Ghost and Switchblade unmanned vehicles.
“We must pay tribute to the Ukrainian army. They carefully studied the experiences of all recent conflicts and evaluated the role of drones with both reconnaissance and attack potential. The role of UAVs has increased in many ways over the last decade. These “silent killers” can silently enter attack positions and crash into armored vehicles and manpower, transmitting information to artillery. It is quite difficult to counter them, due to their covertness and also their military-economic nature. Shooting a drone with an S-300 missile is like hitting sparrows with a howitzer,” military expert, reserve major general Vladimir Popov told Gazeta.ru.
In this regard, the General noted that in the tactics of countering unmanned aerial vehicles, short-range air defense systems, including man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), are more in demand. “But the most effective were electronic warfare devices that didn’t shoot down the UAVs with direct fire, making the drones uncontrollable and “dropping” them to the ground,” Popov said.
Sergei Belousov, a member of the College of Military Experts, believes that during the special operation, the Russian Ministry of Defense used almost the entire range of electronic warfare equipment that could reduce the effectiveness of Ukrainian drones.
“One of the most powerful systems that can deprive ships and aircraft of navigation and communication, disable all the electronics of their onboard weapons is the Murmansk-BN. In 2017 this was established in Crimea. Range – to the Mediterranean. It is clear that the entire Ukrainian territory is at his “target”. It is also clear that tracking individual drones is a minor goal for Murmansk. There are other methods that are just as effective. For example, the Mercury-BM complex is effective on an area of 20-50 hectares. Huge areas are being created where UAVs cannot work in principle, ”Belousov told socialbites.ca.
According to Belousov, Krasukha-4 and Moskva-1 systems can be used to neutralize Ukrainian UAVs, which paralyze the offensive and defensive weapons of all types of air and ground assets.
The Krasukha-4 complex suppresses ground-based radars and aviation radio detection and guidance systems. It is also capable of inflicting radar damage to communications equipment. Obviously, it can block the control channels of drones. Moscow-1 complex in passive electronic scanning mode, without emitting radio waves, controls the area within a radius of 200 kilometers, detects not only aircraft and missiles, but also UAVs. After that, he transmits his coordinates, ”said Belousov.
Former GRU officer, reserve colonel, radar specialist Mikhail Lavrenchuk, in turn, notes that the Russian army is armed not only with stationary, but also portable and small-sized electronic warfare equipment.
“These are suitable and effective complexes to be used against drones such as Pishchal, Sapsan-Bekas, Solaris-N. For example, Pishchal weighs only 3.5 kg, outwardly similar to a machine gun with a voluminous case instead of a barrel, in conditions of direct visibility of the target it runs 2 km. Its working principle is based on remote mixing of frequencies of communication and control channels with satellite navigation systems.
“Sapsan-Bekas” “Solaris-N” is already able to detect a drone at a distance of up to 10-15 kilometers. They are heavier, mounted on a car or armored personnel carrier. Lavrenchuk said that the systems are equipped according to the “friendly foe” principle and do not affect the UAVs in the database of the complexes.
The colonel expressed the opinion that the Armed Forces of Ukraine “exaggerated the role of drones.”
“Ukraine made a very strong bet on drones and therefore lost. The Russian military is now diverting electronic warfare equipment against drones. Drones have become a critical link for Kyiv, including in the intelligence sphere. “As soon as this link was broken, the system started to crash.”
– Says the ex-officer of the GRU.