Russia-Ukraine War Advances Drone Countermeasure Technology

In early 2023, the next phase of drone/counter-drone warfare erupts on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield. As both sides deployed new and more lethal loitering-type weapons, new and more capable anti-drone systems entered the fray. Russian drones attacked civilian targets in Ukraine, followed by Ukrainian drone attacks on targets in southern and western Russia. These attacks were another catalyst for both sides to rapidly increase the number and effectiveness of their anti-drone capabilities.

According to news reports from the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield, new and more lethal drones began to appear on the battlefield in the final months of 2022, and many Ukrainian anti-drone systems were insufficient to deal with Russia’s roaming munitions. According to a report from the UK’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI): ‘The Ukrainians’ success rate in requesting deployments to defend against drones has been between 50 and 70 per cent, but the drones are still causing considerable damage, even with their relatively small warheads. ‘On 21 December 2022, the Ukrainian president, in a letter to the U.S. Congress acknowledged the threatening nature of the situation in a speech letter, ‘Hundreds of deadly Iranian drones have been sent to Russia, posing a threat to our critical infrastructure.’

For Russia, upgrading its battlefield anti-drone capabilities means shifting the focus from large air defence units to developing a new generation of more mobile systems that specifically target smaller drones. In addition Russia’s state-owned defence enterprise Rostec says: ‘Mass production of new electronic warfare and anti-drone systems will begin in the next few months, with the plan to complete the status tests in one to two months and move to mass production of new-generation air and ground electronic warfare and combat drones.’ Apparently, Russia has been fast-tracking the development and production of a new range of lightweight anti-drone systems capable of engaging small commercial drones, the

Having been deeply involved in the anti-drone field for 30 years, the Grupo SOBO has witnessed and driven the development of anti-drone technology, and is always on the lookout for the latest trends in requirements. Modern warfare must not only focus on developing anti-drone capabilities, but also on effectively dealing with more organised drone swarms, coordinated through artificial intelligence.