The Russian army is jamming Ukrainian precision bombs with electronic warfare systems

Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) means effectively disrupting the navigation of Russian satellite-guided air bombs, significantly reducing one of the key advantages of the Russian army - its powerful aviation with a large supply of ammunition for winged gliders. However, Russian electronic warfare systems are already 'retaliating', affecting Ukrainian precision bombs, Forbes writes.

"They brought new electronic warfare equipment. They can really disrupt strikes. "The bombs' GPS may disappear," a Ukrainian military blogger notes.

However, Ukrainian forces can rely on munitions whose guidance systems are autonomous.

It remains unclear how widespread and effective Russian jamming is compared to Ukrainian ones. Ukraine still maintains an electronic advantage, rapidly deploying effective electronic warfare systems that can suppress Russian communications.

However, the situation is complicated, as Ukraine can no longer hit Russian targets with 100 percent accuracy using glide bombs such as the French Hammer and the American JDAM.

Recently, Ukrainian Su-27s bombed bridges in the Belgorod region, trying to cut off the supply routes of Russian troops in the border area, where Ukrainian brigades are actively fighting. The success of such operations depends largely on precision air support.

An alternative to satellite guidance

Every military tactic always finds its countermeasures, and for precision bombing, one such challenge is electronic jamming, which disrupts the operation of satellite guidance systems. The main way to combat this is to use navigation systems that do not depend on satellites.

One of the key solutions for this is the inertial navigation system (INS). This is an autonomous technology that determines the location using gyroscopes and accelerometers.

"The future is in autonomous INS“, reports the unofficial Telegram channel of the Russian Air Force fighter-bomber.

The most advanced Ukrainian aerial bombs, such as the American JDAM and the French Hammer, have built-in backup inertial navigation systems.

At the same time, Russian analogues usually show lower accuracy. Analyst Mark Schneider, in his 2022 article for the journal Proceedings, noted that the accuracy of Russian missiles is often ten times worse than the manufacturers claim.

In the face of electronic suppression, both sides are forced to rely on autonomously guided munitions. If Ukrainian inertial navigation systems continue to be more effective than Russian ones, the common use of electronic warfare could work in Ukraine's favor.