IRIA News

U.S. media reports have revealed that several American-made precision-guided weapons are proving ineffective on the battlefield in Ukraine due to Russian jamming technology. Russian electronic warfare systems have severely diminished the accuracy of Ukraine’s relatively new long-range missiles, the report claimed.

According to the report, Kyiv has stopped using certain types of Western weapons after experiencing a significant decline in their accuracy. Russia’s electronic interference issue has affected satellite-guided weapons, particularly Excalibur artillery shells, and HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) systems. Over the past year, Ukraine has been using the U.S.-supplied GMLRS rockets, with a range of over 70 kilometers, to target and disrupt Russian supply lines and assembly points.

HIMARS launchers, which were considered an important addition to Ukraine’s defense during the first year of Russia’s invasion, “became completely ineffective,” by the second year as the Russian electronic warfare deployment disabled satellite signals, and HIMARS, according to a senior Ukrainian military official said.

The report initially published by the Washington Post is based on confidential Ukrainian assessments that cite senior Ukrainian military officials. A senior U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon anticipated that certain precision-guided weapons would be defeated by Russian electronic warfare and collaborated with Ukraine to overcome this. However, Russia’s use of electronic warfare continues to increase.

Russian electronic warfare also hampers the efforts of Ukrainian pilots, making them feel constantly targeted. “There are no open windows for the Ukrainian pilots where they feel that they are not at gunpoint,” the report says. However, modern F-16 fighters with advanced navigation systems have enabled the Ukrainian Air Force to counter Russian aircraft more effectively.

Regarding HIMARS, the article notes that in the first year, they successfully destroyed command centers and warehouses of Russian weaponry. However, in the second year, Russian electronic warfare began jamming them resulting in declining efficacy. Kyiv still deems its HIMARS missiles relatively more efficient, as Russian jamming only makes them miss by 15 meters or more.

Between fall 2023 and April 2024, Ukraine’s military command prepared reports and shared them with the U.S. and other allies, aiming to develop solutions and establish direct contact with weapons manufacturers. In interviews, Ukrainian officials described an overly bureaucratic process that had hindered the urgent adjustments needed to improve malfunctioning weaponry.

The report corroborates comments made by former Ukrainian army chief General Valery Zaluzhny who called the Excalibur shell a prime example of a Western weapon that lost effectiveness because its targeting system uses GPS, which is particularly susceptible to Russian jamming.

William LaPlante, the Pentagon’s acquisition chief, did not name the weapon but said last month that an adapted weapon “didn’t work for multiple reasons,” including jamming and other tactical, logistical issues.

Weapons affected by Russian jamming

Some of the U.S.-developed weapons affected by Russian jamming include:

• Aircraft-dropped Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range (JDAM-ER)
• M30/M31 GMLRS rocket launched from M142 and M270 HIMARS
• Excalibur 155mm shells launched from howitzers

The Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB), jointly developed by Boeing and the Swedish company Saab, have also been affected by Russia’s jamming of GPS (global positioning system) signals, according to military reports.

Washington has now stopped supplying Excalibur shells to Ukraine, however, even before the U.S. ceased supplying Excalibur shells, Ukrainian operators had largely stopped using them as the success rate of these shells reduced sharply over months.

Russia disrupting Internet

Just before Russian troops advanced across Ukraine’s northern border this month, members of Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade lost a crucial resource. The Starlink satellite internet service, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which soldiers rely on for communication, intelligence gathering, and conducting drone attacks, had slowed to a crawl.

Since the early days of the war with Russia, Starlink has been vital to the Ukrainian military. Without full service, Ukrainian soldiers reported that they could not quickly communicate or share information about the surprise attack and had to resort to sending text messages. This issue was experienced across the new northern front line, according to Ukrainian soldiers, officials, and electronic warfare experts.

Russia’s ability to counter high-tech munitions has significant implications for Ukraine and its Western allies. It is a key factor in Moscow’s forces regaining the initiative and advancing on the battlefield. It also presents an alarming situation as it serves as a model for other U.S. adversaries to develop new cyber warfare technologies.