Ukraine's digital frontier: Defeating drones with new tech
Ukrainians have deployed electronic weapons to the front lines against the Shaheds. In the latest attack, 46 drones lost communication due to Ukraine's electronic warfare efforts. This exceeds the number destroyed using conventional methods. Could a new effective method against Russian attacks have emerged?
Daily, 30-40 reconnaissance drones fly over Ukraine, searching for depots, dispersal points behind the front line, or scouting communication routes. Following them, almost daily, up to a hundred attack drones head towards targets in Ukraine.
Destroying them with expensive missiles is economically impractical. To defend against them, Ukrainians have formed mobile anti-aircraft groups—light units equipped with off-road vehicles and heavy machine guns, some of which are over a hundred years old.
Ukrainian soldiers highly commend the water-cooled, twin-mounted Maxim machine guns, model 1910/33, which can sustain prolonged firing. This setup was developed in the USSR for use on armoured trains and Red Fleet ships in the 1930s. Due to their features, such as ammo belt feeding and capability for sustained fire, they are quite effective.
Besides solutions known from the Great War era, Ukrainians are using the latest anti-drone systems. Intercepting small drones, often adapted from civilian models, is not a significant challenge for either side, thanks to these systems. Soldiers use specialized emitters to disrupt the operator's signal and, after intercepting, can compel them to land and be seized.
One example is the Lithuanian EDM4S SkyWiper, which Ukrainians call the "orc killer." The Ukrainian Armed Forces possess over a hundred systems of this kind. It emits an electromagnetic pulse with a range of about 3 to 5 kilometres. The simpler the system it disrupts, the greater the range. However, neutralizing larger, specialized aircraft is not as straightforward.
Radio electronic warfare
More complex drones are intercepted using more advanced systems, which are often mounted on off-road vehicles rather than carried by a single soldier. Thanks to these, Ukrainians managed to intercept 46 Shahed 136 drones. During the same attack, 42 drones were shot down with machine guns.
The effectiveness of these systems depends on many factors, including knowledge of the drones' flight paths, previously recognized frequencies, and methods of guiding the aircraft.
