Results for: Electronic Warfare

An elite Ukrainian unit successfully captured a £1 million Russian T-72 tank, suspected of carrying advanced electronic warfare technology. After a daring three-day mission, the tank was seized from a frontline position near Terny in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces believed the tank possessed a jamming system capable of disrupting drone operations. However, upon closer examination, the system proved to be a makeshift arrangement of antennae and transmitters. Ukraine is heavily reliant on first-person-view (FPV) drones to destroy enemy tanks, as over two-thirds of Russian tanks lost in recent months have been taken out by FPVs. While Ukraine’s drone warfare capabilities are impressive, it lacks the quantity and intensity of drones compared to Russia. However, Ukraine aims to procure vast numbers of drones, including 200,000 in 2023 and a million in 2024. Despite the effectiveness of FPV drones, experts emphasize that they cannot replace artillery units, which Ukraine critically needs.

Russia is believed to be using a secret electronic weapon called Tobol to jam signals and disrupt satellite navigation (satnav) of commercial flights over the Baltic Sea. The Tobol, which is housed at a Russian military base in Kaliningrad, is designed to protect Russian bases from NATO missiles by confusing the weapons. However, it cannot stop missiles from exploding. The weapon works by targeting satellites directly in space or by targeting receivers on the ground. Researcher Bart Hendrickx claims that Tobol works by blending a signal with the original broadcast, distorting the information received by users of that satellite. Several countries, including Finland, Poland, and Sweden, have reported GPS disturbances in recent months, which are believed to be caused by Russian interference.

Numerous flights in the United Kingdom have been impacted by electronic attacks suspected to originate from Russia that are disrupting satnav systems and posing safety concerns. Thousands of flights have experienced satnav problems, prompting investigations into the source of the disruptions. Russia’s involvement in electronic warfare and the geopolitical implications of these attacks are being scrutinized.