Drone Fratricide Witnessed Over Ukraine
- Defensemirror.com
bureau
- 11:13 AM, March 1, 2023
Shooting
down or incapacitating one's own drones by anti-drone weapons and electronic
warfare systems is being increasingly witnessed in Ukraine.
The
abundance of fixed wing and quadcopter drones being deployed by small battle
groups is causing an identity crisis for both the Ukrainians and Russians.
Often, Drones belonging to the one army but used by a different unit or battle
group are shot down by another unit of the same army.
At the beginning of the special operation, drone usage was in favor of the
Ukraine. The effective use of Bayratkar drones by Ukraine that took out several
Russian tanks in the initial months of the war is a case to point.
However, after a few months, the situation changed due to the flow of civilian
UAVs and foreign (likely Iranian) UAVs to the units of the Russian Army. In
addition, Moscow hybridized its electronic warfare systems to block drones from
transmitting data or receiving navigation signals. Ukraine soon followed suit
with drone detection radars and anti-drone guns from the West, canceling out
the Russian advantage.
Both sides are increasingly relying on drone detection
and suppression systems without in-built systems to differentiate between own
or enemy drones.
According to Russian sources referred to by Topwar.ru, to get over the problem of drone suppression, the
Russian military is attaching fishing line or nylon thread to the UAVs, so that
they can be "reeled in" in case the drones' naviation systems is
hacked into for forcing the UAV out of the control of its operator.
The
growing suppression of drones is recorded even in the near rear, at a distance
of 4-5 km from the battlefield. As the sources explained, it is unlikely that
enemy electronic warfare (EW)equipment is working at this distance which puts
the suspicion on their own or "friendly" EW systems.
There are numerous cases when own drones were mistaken
for enemy UAVs, for example, soldiers from a tank unit intercepted artillery
drones returning from a mission with an anti-drone rifle. Similarly, electronic
warfare stations can also get confused regarding the ownership of the UAV.
According
to the sources, it is time for the heads of the UAV services to take into
account that the different units have their own drones, and the military
leaders that manage EW stations to systematize the use of low-power jamming
stations, mainly anti-drone guns, so that the commanders of neighboring units
are aware of their work.
ALSO READ
New Russian Anti-drone Electronic Warfare Device
Worries Ukrainian Military
February 26, 2023 @ 06:41 PM
A new electronic warfare device that blocks the communication channels of drones is causing concern in among Ukrainian forces.The device, called "Strizh-3" electronic warfare (EW) system works by suppressing the communication and control channel of...
Russia Presents
Lightweight Anti-Drone Gun at IDEX 2023
February 23, 2023 @ 06:10 AM
Rostec subsidiary Ruselectronics holding, demonstrated
a lightweight anti-drone gun named Pishchal-Pro at the IDEX-2023 exhibition in
Abu Dhabi. The product is instantly activated and allows for the operational
suppression of communication channels, control and navigation of...
Homemade Anti-drone Weapon Deployed Against Russian
UAVs in Ukraine
October 7, 2022 @ 01:36 PM
Ukraines military has deployed a homemade anti-drone
weapon – a heavy machine gun welded to steel tubes – in the southern city of
Kryvyi Rih. “We have the skills and the equipment, and we dont lack...
Ukraine Deploys Polish SKY CTRL Anti-Drone System
October 3, 2022 @ 08:55 AM
Ukraines military has put SKY CTRL systems into
service, capable of tracking and jamming all types of drones within a range of
10km. SKY CTRL is capable of detecting any objects within a 10 km radius,...
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.