Ukraine conflict shows Russia outperforms NATO in electronic warfare?
(Baonghean.vn) - The New York Times reported that the Russian Armed Forces are quickly adapting to new challenges and introducing innovations in tactics, in the context that Western weapons are proving vulnerable to Russian electronic warfare systems.
RT news agency reported that the New York Times reported that Western powers and China are closely monitoring the electronic warfare competition on the battlefield between Moscow and Kiev.
On the battlefield, electronic signals are used to disrupt communications with drones and troops, pinpoint targets and fool guided weapons systems, while in the Ukraine conflict, electronic warfare methods are being improved in real time, the New York Times reported.
When the conflict broke out in May 2022, the Russian military emerged as one of the world’s most skilled electronic warfare experts, using powerful jamming capabilities and guided missiles to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. As the conflict continued for several years, Russia innovated and improved on this advantage, creating smaller, more agile mobile electronic weapons, according to the New York Times.
US military expert James A. Lewis said: "The Russians reacted faster than we expected. This will be a concern for NATO."
To counter Russia’s electronic attack and defense know-how, Ukraine is turning to private startups. The idea is to help the country’s technicians quickly develop electronic warfare capabilities, test them, and deploy them to the front.
“In Russia, the whole system is more structured. Ukraine is trying to catch up, but it will take some time,” said Yury Momot, a Ukrainian electronic warfare developer and former Soviet officer.
Last summer, Quantum CEO Alexander Berezhny met with NATO commanders and told them about the problems Kiev was facing in the field of electronic warfare, the New York Times reported.
"We told them that perhaps 90% of the American and European systems that were transferred to Ukraine were not ready to solve problems in electronic warfare," Mr. Berezhny said.
The New York Times said that the US and Europe are concerned that Western systems are not responding quickly enough to the possibility of electronic warfare with Russia.
Chinese experts also detailed which Russian electronic attacks were most effective against NATO systems, and where Russia failed. In a November 2022 report, a Chinese defense think tank described how a Russian electronic attack fooled NATO detection capabilities to force Ukraine to reveal the location of its troops.
"The Russian military's ability to intercept drones far exceeds that of the US military," a report by a Chinese defense think tank said.
According to one of Ukraine's drone operators, the improvement of electronic warfare systems in Ukraine is not happening fast enough. The operator explained:“Even if you make your drone invisible, your controller and antenna will still send out signals. So it's impossible to completely hide it.”
