Ukraine's Electronic Warfare Units Intercept Russian Hypersonic Missiles

An invisible electronic battle is unfolding at the heart of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as both Moscow and Kyiv engage in unprecedented attacks and defenses of communication signals. This technological arms race has led to innovations that the United States and other Western militaries are actively seeking to replicate.

Earlier this year, two Russian ballistic missiles traveling at hypersonic speeds were reportedly intercepted by an elite Ukrainian jamming unit known as 'Night Watch.' According to the unit's claims, its Lima system emitted radio signals that diverted the missiles, causing them to crash into the Dnipro River. During these events, navigation applications on several phones in Kyiv displayed users as being located in Peru, a side effect of the GPS spoofing employed by the unit.

The Pentagon is investing heavily in new technologies to counter these capabilities. Lt. Col. Matt Sherburne, the U.S. Army’s chief for electronic warfare capabilities development, described the situation as a "new era of spectrum warfare." While electronic warfare (EW) is not a new concept, its prominence waned in the West after the Cold War. However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has re-centered its importance on the modern battlefield.

Spectrum Warfare on the Front Lines

Electronic warfare involves locating or disrupting enemy communication frequencies and protecting friendly signals from interference. This can involve broadcasting signals to drown out, confuse, or replace an adversary's communications. Ukraine’s Night Watch division utilizes its Lima system to emit signals over a 120-mile range, designed to reroute drones, missiles, and guided bombs. The system is credited with redirecting the ballistic missiles that struck the Dnipro by broadcasting spoofed satellite navigation signals.

The Lima system has become a critical component of Ukraine's air defense, particularly as Russia intensifies long-range strikes and Ukraine faces shortages of expensive interceptor missiles. In one instance last November, Night Watch reported intercepting a hypersonic Kinzhal missile, previously described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as invincible. Officers from the unit explained that Lima projected a false navigation signal, causing the missile to alter its course and break apart due to its own speed.

While Kyiv does not disclose the exact frequency with which EW, rather than in-flight failures, is responsible for downing enemy ordnance, the effectiveness is evident. One officer from Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces stated that Lima thwarts between 70% and 95% of radio-controlled drones detected in his team's operational sector. Ukrainian manufacturer Phantom Defence claims its systems have detected over 11,500 Russian drones in the past year, neutralizing approximately 65% of them.

The demand for such technology has surged, with Ukrainian companies like December1 seeing thousands of their systems sold monthly, a significant increase from previous years. The company's Damba systems production has risen from hundreds to potentially thousands per month.

A Renewed Focus on Electronic Warfare

The vulnerability of radio signals has been exploited in conflict for over a century, dating back to early 20th-century experiments by the British Royal Navy. During World War II, both the UK and Germany engaged in jamming and spoofing aerial navigation signals. The Cold War saw advancements in both military communication technology and the means to disrupt it.

However, in the post-Cold War era, the Pentagon's focus on electronic warfare capabilities diminished, partly due to facing less technologically advanced adversaries in conflicts like Afghanistan and Iraq. U.S. officials indicate that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has served as a significant wake-up call.

Joshua Ransford, who served as a U.S. Marine in Iraq, noted that he did not prioritize electronic warfare due to the limited capabilities of adversaries at the time. Upon joining the international legion of Ukraine's armed forces in 2022, he found himself on a vastly different battlefield where his GPS signals and radio frequencies were immediately jammed by Russian forces. Russia also employed drones capable of locating Ukrainian positions by detecting their electronic emissions.

In today's interconnected warfare, jammers have a wider range of targets, including mobile phones, satellite navigation systems, guided weapons, drones, and traditional radio and radar. By 2022, electronic warfare was identified as one of the Pentagon's top three procurement priorities, alongside long-range munitions and drone/missile defense technologies.

Evolving Countermeasures and Future Developments

China is also expanding its electronic warfare capabilities, with experts noting the establishment of EW units on artificial islands in the South China Sea. As NATO increases defense spending, spectrum warfare has become a lucrative field for Western defense contractors, offering technologies like decoy pods for naval vessels and aircraft, drones that detect enemy electronic emissions, and equipment to confuse adversary radar.

The race to develop technologies that can evade jamming is equally intense. Some ships communicate via lasers, which are difficult to intercept, while both sides are exploring fiber-optic cables to connect drones directly to operators. Artificial intelligence is also being integrated into drones for autonomous targeting.

However, limitations exist: lasers have short ranges and are weather-dependent, fiber-optic drones are slower and less maneuverable, and AI-enabled navigation over long distances remains a challenge.

Ukraine's Night Watch unit continually works to stay ahead. After discovering that some Russian drones and missiles were using Chinese-made Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas capable of detecting and evading jamming signals, the unit collaborated with Cascade Systems to develop Lima Quant, which uses advanced algorithms to counter these antennas. Russia has responded by increasing the number of these antennas on its weapons.

While electronic warfare is not a complete substitute for advanced missile defense systems like the Patriot, it offers a cost-effective and readily available alternative. Each Lima unit costs significantly less than a single Patriot PAC-3 missile. The Pentagon is closely observing these developments, with Col. Josh Koslov, the U.S. Air Force’s director of non-kinetic operations, stating, "If you are not winning in the spectrum, you are going to lose the war."