An artist’s impression of Shahed-136/ Geran-2 drones swarming an airport. These UAVs are very insidious as they are difficult to detect and to shoot down. Used in swarms, they are a real challenge for Ukrainian forces. (Photo: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine) Ukrainian Army V/UHF communications unjammed. Secondly, the fratricide forces the Russian Army to use EW sequentially as opposed to being used continuously when the manoeuvre force is at work. A Russian Army tactical unit may commence manoeuvre with heavy V/UHF jamming for a set amount of time. This will then be followed by artillery fires and then armour, dismounted and mounted infantry manoeuvre. EW is far more effective if used throughout the manoeuvre but Russian Army electromagnetic fratricide seems to prevent this. A further problem for the Russian Army is that their tactical and operational level EW systems are physically large and tend to be used when stationary. A battalion-level EW unit supporting a motorised rifle brigade/division of mechanised infantry typically deploys to that unit’s area. They set up their equipment and provide a bubble of EW coverage around that unit’s area of operations. As and when the brigade/division moves, so will its organic EW battalion. The battalion will pitch up at a new location and begin providing coverage afresh. Russian Army EW units are thus relatively easy to spot and hence engage. Alongside the physical destruction of EW equipment, the Russian Army’s EW force has suffered losses of EW cadres through death, injury and desertion. According to the oryxspioenkop.com website tracking Russian and Ukrainian equipment losses, the former has lost ten EW systems, had one damaged and three captured. This is 6% of the circa 230 EW systems the army is thought to have deployed into Ukraine. To compound matters some of the equipment deployed is simply not fit for purpose. This is the case for the Russian Army’s Repellent-1 electronic warfare system. The apparatus is designed to detect and jam UAVs at ranges of up to 19nm (35km) but simply does not work. Furthermore, the three captured Russian EW systems will no doubt be examined in minute detail to reveal shortcomings and vulnerabilities for exploitation by Ukrainian forces. Conclusions While the Russian Army’s EW capabilities have seemingly underperformed in some areas, they should not be written off. As the UAV and ballistic missile aspect of the war indicates they can still prove a formidable opponent. In concert with its Ukrainian allies, NATO should glean as much information as it can about the Russian Army’s current and projected EW capabilities. This will help ensure existing NATO and allied capabilities can prevail should the Russian Army unleash all its electromagnetic wrath. a radio signal mimicking the radar echo of the missile. This is intended to frustrate the ability of Ukrainian air defence radar operators to discriminate the actual warhead from these decoys. Tactics like these can make it difficult to intercept the missile. Tactical Communications The Russian Army has intensified its deployment of ground-based EW systems as the front has largely solidified in eastern and southern Ukraine. Local sources told the author that up to ten EW systems are deployed at the tactical level across every 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) of the Russian front. The same sources disclosed that the army struggles to avoid electronic fratricide. Ukrainian Army Very/Ultra High Frequency (V/ UHF: 30 megahertz to three gigahertz) communications are targeted by Russia’s jammers. Nonetheless, these often jam the Russian Army’s own tactical communications. This has had two effects: it has caused the army to scale back its use of EW to avoid fratricide. However, this also leaves Hot Spots MT 2/2023 · 15 Part of a Russian Army Krasuhka electronic warfare system captured by Ukraine. Part of a Russian Army IRL-257 Krasukha-C4, most probably its command-and-control shelter, lies on its side captured by Ukrainian forces. This equipment will yield important information to NATO on vulnerabilities inherent in Russian Army electronic warfare equipment. (Photo: Twitter) f
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