(Kyiv) It is been reported that U.S. supplied Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs) in use by Ukraine have failed to withstand Russian electronic jamming resulting in Kyiv ceasing using certain Western-provided armaments after failure rates rose sharply.
Much vaulted weapons such as Excalibur GPS-guided artillery shells and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System(HIMARS) (Along with its larger sibling the M270) have seen their ability to strike on target reduced when faced with Russian EW systems. For example, the Excalibur GPS-guided artillery shells ability to hit its target, fell to less than 10 percent before Ukraine decided to stop using them last year. Similar degradation of targeting has been seen in US supplied Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAMs) however Boeing the manufacture was quickly able to knock out and provide a fix. Another example was the MRLS missiles used by HIMARs and the M270, but as that system is still in use, It can only be presumed that a fix was worked out for this also.
Moscow is using 3 main systems for its Electronic warfare these are:
The R-330Zh is a truck based system designed for detection, analysis, direction-finding, and jamming of satellite and cellular phone communication systems
The Krasuha-4 is a broadband multifunctional jamming system designed to neutralize spy satellites ground-based radars, airborne surveillance radars, and radar-guided ordinance at ranges between 150–300 km, and may also cause damage to enemy radar electronic warfare and communications systems.
Tirada-2: This system is designed specifically to jam satellite communications, including those used by GPS-guided munitions. By targeting the communication links between satellites and ground-based receivers, the Tirada-2 can effectively neutralize the guidance systems of weapons like the HIMARS.
Why does this matter on the larger stage. The US and its allies started swapping it dumb weaponry for smarter ones after the first Gulf War, citing that whilst these new weapons are more expensive, due to the fact they are much more accurate, less weapons need to be procured , (And it allows politicians to play the less collateral damage card due to much smaller warheads used) If Moscow has worked out how to blind such systems , expect others such as China, North Korea, Iran to either develop similar tech or receive it from Moscow resulting in the technological edge the US (and the West) have over everybody else regards military capabilities has been eroded . But what makes this even more damning is this is nothing new, these systems (and Moscow has a lot) have been public knowledge for years
It’s a huge wake up call for the West who will need to find ways to harden their PGMs and questions will have to be raised at how such a vulnerability wasn’t anticipated .
