Ukraine's Latest Offensive in Countering Russia's Electronic Warfare
Ukraine intensifies efforts to counter Russian electronic warfare with a recent successful strike on a Russian Pole-21 system near Donetsk This highlights a shift from relying solely on drones to building a formidable electronic army A significant achievement in Ukraine's ongoing battle against Russian aggression
In early November, a drone video was released online, allegedly showing a targeted strike destroying three antennas on an apartment block roof. The Ukrainian drone commander who shared the video claimed to have successfully demolished a Russian Pole-21 electronic warfare system near Donetsk on the eastern front.
Ukraine is currently striving to bridge the gap with Russia in the field of electronic warfare.
Kyiv's swift action to neutralize Moscow's battlefield technology highlights the crucial role it plays in the war's future. Electronic warfare, or EW, utilizes the electromagnetic spectrum to disrupt enemy weapons and tactics. Both sides in the conflict are utilizing electronic jammers to interfere with GPS guided targeting systems, resulting in missiles missing their intended targets.
Ukraine's counteroffensive has been ongoing for nearly six months. It has become evident that Russia has not only constructed strong physical defenses, but also formidable electronic ones. As a result, Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines must rapidly adjust to the situation.
According to Pavlo Petrychenko, the drone commander of Ukraine's 59th Motorized Brigade, successfully disabling these systems is crucial for the liberation of more territory. He posted a video on social media, adding to the increasing number of Ukrainian military and media reports documenting successful strikes against Pole-21 systems since the summer.
He informed CNN via video call from near Avdiivka on the eastern front that at the start of the conflict, they utilized electronic warfare to disrupt our communication, including our walkie-talkies, radiocommunications, telephones, and drones.
Pavlo Petrychenko, drone commander with Ukraines 59th Motorized Brigade, says destroying Russia's electronic warfare systems is crucial to Ukraine's war effort.
Pavlo Petrychenko
"When we began receiving foreign equipment, they began using these systems to neutralize our weapons. According to Petrychenko, the use of electronic warfare by Russia is a key element in their defense against the US-provided HIMARS and Excalibur 155, both of which are satellite-guided."
A chink in Ukraines NATO-provided armor
The issue for Ukraine lies in the fact that Russian jammers have exploited the technological advantage of Ukraine's Western-provided arsenal of "smart" guided weapons, turning it into a vulnerability.
Precision-guided missiles and guided multiple launch rocket systems like HIMARS are more susceptible to electronic warfare due to their reliance on GPS for accuracy. In contrast, unguided weapons found in Soviet-era stockpiles of Russia and Ukraine before 2022 do not face the same vulnerability. Moscow's electronic arsenal includes the Pole-21 system, which is designed to jam GPS signals in order to protect Russian assets from incoming drones or missiles. This is just one example of the growing electronic capabilities of Moscow.
Jamming, as well as "spoofing" GPS - a technique that effectively tricks an enemy drone or missile into thinking it's somewhere else - and also disrupts radar, radio, and even cell communications, are all part of the Kremlin's playbook.
Russia has turned the technological advantage of some of Ukraines Western-provided weapons into a vulnerability.
Russian Defense Ministry
In September, TASS, the state news agency, stated that Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced at a government meeting that the production of essential military equipment, such as electronic warfare, had doubled in the first eight months of the year. According to experts and Ukrainian officials, Russia has successfully incorporated electronic warfare into its troops.
In a recent essay, Ukraine's commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny stated that Russia is currently heavily producing what he refers to as "trench electronic warfare." Zaluzhny emphasized that the Russian troops at the tactical level are extensively equipped with this technology, and despite equipment losses, Moscow continues to maintain "significant electronic warfare superiority."
Zaluzhny highlighted that American-made Excalibur shells have seen a significant decrease in their capability due to the sensitivity of the targeting system using GPS to enemy electronic warfare. Pentagon spokesman Maj. Charlie Dietz acknowledged the impact of Russian jamming on certain United States-provided systems, including HIMARS rocket launchers, but emphasized that it has not rendered these systems ineffective.
From drone army to electronic army
Dietz stated that the department has made progress in mitigating these vulnerabilities by conducting significant efforts to re-engineer and modernize these systems. He emphasized that the updates are being swiftly implemented to counteract the impact of EW jamming.
Ukraine has reported a hundredfold increase in domestic drone production this year, which has significantly impacted the battlefield. Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's minister of digital transformation, is now looking to replicate this success with electronic warfare, particularly because drones are frequently targeted by EW.
"In an interview with CNN from Kyiv, Fedorov mentioned that we are not only scaling UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) production, but also scaling EW production and generally changing the approach to the use of electronic warfare," said Fedorov. "The entire doctrine for using this technology is changing on our side."
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is pictured in his office at the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine building in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 28, 2023. (Image credit: Oksana Parafeniuk/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
Ukrainians are confronted with the harsh reality of an ongoing war with Russia, as the battlefield remains at a standstill. This requires not only the incorporation of electronic warfare as a form of defense on the battlefield, but doing so strategically.
Fedorov cautions against overwhelming the battlefield with electronic warfare and instead advocates for the development of remotely controlled EW systems that specifically target enemy equipment. He also warns of the potential danger of having EW systems inadvertently disrupt one's own drones.
The British think tank Royal United Services Institute's November 2022 report highlighted the significant issue of "electronic fratricide" on the Russian side during the early days of the war, leading them to reduce their electronic warfare efforts to prevent sabotaging their own communications on the battlefield.
Fedorov emphasized that Ukraine's top priority is to acquire the technology necessary to program its drones to effectively target enemy electronic warfare equipment on a larger scale.
That would be a game-changer for drone operators like Petrychenko, who admits they are in a game of cat-and-mouse, hunting Russian equipment.
Electronic warfare is being used by both militaries in this conflict.
Russian Defense Ministry
Currently, their best chance is for videos, such as the early November drone strike, to go viral, Petrychenko explained. With numerous Ukrainian troops active on social media, any viral footage like this would serve as a guide, aiding them in recognizing Russian antennas in the field.
It's evident that this is significantly impacting more than just Ukraine.
Kari Bingen, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former principal deputy under secretary for defense at the Pentagon, expressed that the situation in Ukraine offers valuable insight into the nature of modern warfare. She emphasized the integration of electronic warfare capabilities and tactics into conventional force operations as a defining feature of future conflicts.
Pentagon spokesman Dietz also highlighted the importance of electronic warfare, stating that the US is actively reassessing and adjusting its strategies in this area, recognizing it as a fundamental aspect of both current and future military engagements.
Ukraine is making direct investments in electronic warfare and is also encouraging domestic production of drones, following in the footsteps of Fedorov's drone program. He openly acknowledges Ukraine's need for support from Western allies in terms of equipment and expertise.
The technology available in the West is abundant, but the crucial question is how to effectively utilize it. This is a vital consideration as we plan for the next stage of technological warfare. Credit to CNN's Katharina Krebs and Haley Britzky for their contributions to this report.
