19 novembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial, C4ISR
Russia's Defense Ministry announced Nov. 6 that the nation had extended the range on its drone-carried jammers to 100 km, or over 60 miles. Drones as a platform for, and not just the target of, electronic warfare means that the sight of a flying robot overhead could signal incoming strikes as well as a sudden inability to call for help.
“Russia has been using a UAV-mounted cellphone jammer for a number of years now,” said Samuel Bendett, a research analyst at the Center for Naval Analyses. The drones operate in a two- or three-vehicle pod with a ground station, collectively grouped as a “Leer-3” system.
“When these UAVs fly in teams, one acts as a signal-and-comms relay while another acts as a jammer,” Bendett said. “These Leer-3 systems have been around for about two years at this point.”
What is changed is the range of the jammer. The Orlan-10 drones already have a range of 75 miles, which means that, with the latest update on the jammer, the drone pod can interfere with signals up to 135 miles away from where the drone was launched. TASS reports that the 60-mile range is a 3.5 times increase in distance from the initial range.
In addition, Bendett said there's a chance this capability, or an earlier version of it, has already been witnessed in conflict.
“Ukrainian forces claim to spot Leer-3 systems in eastern Ukraine, while there is potential evidence that Leer-3 was used in Syria as well,” Bendett said. “Russian forces are constantly training with Leer-3 UAVs as they practice adversary signal and cell comms suppression, identification and eventual destruction of the enemy force. In fact, this kind of training is part of the official [tactics, techniques and procedures] in electronic warfare and other forces across the Russian military.”
Advancements in electronic warfare are one of the key components guiding the development of autonomous systems for the military. For now, drones are conducting electronic warfare against cellular communications, but it's not hard to imagine the same doctrines applied with new technology. In that scenario, it easy to picture other vehicles transforming into jamming machines on future battlefields ... and maybe even present ones.
4 décembre 2023 | International, Terrestre
Opinion: U.S. leaders must craft an integrated approach to airpower in the Indo-Pacific that accounts for an inherently unfavorable geography.
9 juillet 2020 | International, Aérospatial
L'Usine Nouvelle consacre cette semaine un important dossier à l'aéronautique civile et militaire. Eric Trappier, président du GIFAS, y accorde une interview (voir synthèse de presse du 2 juillet). Un article détaillé est par ailleurs dédié aux PME françaises qui trouvent dans les activités défense un amortisseur dans le contexte de la crise du secteur aérien. « Notre dualité est un facteur de robustesse », souligne Bruno Berthet, président de Rafaut. Gauthier Connectique, PME exclusivement positionnée sur l'aéronautique civile il y a dix ans, a opéré avec succès sa diversification. « Entre la décision de se diversifier et les premières commandes, il faut compter environ trois ans. Le fait d'avoir déjà comme clients Dassault Aviation, Safran et Thales nous a beaucoup aidés », explique son président, Luc Sevestre. Le cluster Normandie AeroEspace (NAE), qui regroupe plus d'une centaine de PME de l'aéronautique, a également lancé des actions pour obtenir une habilitation et une accréditation défense, et monte des rencontres avec des représentants du ministère des Armées, de la DGA et des grands industriels de l'armement. L'Usine Nouvelle du 9 juillet
22 juillet 2024 | International, Terrestre