The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on November 6 that the nation had extended the range of its jammers transported by drones to 100 km. Drones, as a platform for electronic warfare and not just a target, mean that the sight of a flying robot in flight can signal impending strikes, as well as a sudden inability to seek help.
“Russia has been using a cell phone jammer mounted in a drone for several years now,” said Samuel Bendett, research analyst at the Center for Naval Analysis. UAVs operate in a two- or three-vehicle nacelle with a ground station, grouped collectively in a “Leer-3” system.
“When these UAVs fly as a team, one plays the role of signal relay and communications, while the other plays the role of jammer,” said Bendett. “These Leer-3 systems have been around for about two years.”
What changes is the range of the jammer. The Orlan-10 UAVs already have a range of 75 miles, which means that with the latest jammer update, the UAV pod can interfere with signals up to 135 miles from the drone’s launch location. TASS reports that the distance of 60 miles is 3.5 times longer than the initial distance.
In addition, Bendett stated that it was possible that this capability, or an earlier version of it, had already been in conflict.
“Ukrainian forces claim to be tracking Leer-3 systems in eastern Ukraine, while there is potential evidence of Leer-3 use in Syria,” Bendett said. “Russian forces are constantly training with Leer-3 UAVs as part of the suppression, identification and destruction of their opponents’ signals and cell communications, as well as the eventual destruction of enemy forces. In fact, this type of training is one of the official [tactics, techniques and procedures] for electronic warfare and other forces of the Russian army. ”
The progress of electronic warfare is one of the key elements guiding the development of autonomous systems for armed forces. For the moment, drones are conducting an electronic war against cellular communications, but it is not difficult to imagine the same doctrines applied with new technologies. In this scenario, it is easy to imagine other vehicles being transformed into jamming machines on future battlefields … and perhaps even current ones