In modern warfare, drones have become one of the key tools of reconnaissance, fire correction, and the engagement of targets. At the same time, the development of electronic warfare assets has forced a new look at the question of protecting drones from detection and suppression.
EW Against Drones: What It Is and How It Works in Combat Conditions
Electronic warfare (EW) is a set of technical and tactical measures aimed at detecting, suppressing, or disrupting the operation of the enemy’s radio-electronic assets. EW is used to disrupt control and navigation channels.
When it comes to EW against drones, the following main areas are meant:
- the radio-electronic detection of control and data transmission channels;
- the suppression of control signals between the drone and the operator;
- the impact on satellite navigation (GNSS/GPS);
- the creation of conditions for the loss of control or the forced landing of a UAV.
A feature of modern EW is its mobility and adaptivity. Systems can quickly change bands, operating modes, and the tactics of application, which complicates the protection of drones by standard methods.
How the Detection of Drones Takes Place
Any drone that transmits or receives a signal leaves a radio-electronic trace. EW systems analyze the radio-frequency environment, recording characteristic activity connected with control, navigation, and data transmission.
The most common methods of detection:
- the analysis of control frequencies between the drone and the operator’s controller with the identification of typical communication protocols;
- the interception of telemetry and the video signal, which makes it possible not only to record the presence of a UAV but also to assess its type and operating mode;
- the determination of the direction to the source of radiation (direction-finding) with the subsequent refinement of the position of the drone or operator;
- the detection of the activity of navigation modules, in particular satellite navigation signals, which are used for stabilization and route building.
It is important to understand that not only the drones themselves are vulnerable but also the operators. The ground control station often emits a significantly more powerful and stable signal than the UAV in the air, so it is precisely the operator that often becomes a priority target for EW assets and accompanying fire engagements.
Camouflaging Drones From EW Assets
The protection of drones is not reduced to a single technical solution. Only a comprehensive approach that combines technical settings, tactics, and the discipline of the operator is effective. Such an approach is especially relevant within the bounds of new units: mobile groups, FPV teams, the corps system of the AFU, where drones are applied dynamically, in conditions of the constant change of the situation and the active operation of EW assets.
The main approaches to reducing the risk of detection:
- reducing the time of active communication between the drone and the operator;
- using non-standard or variable frequencies;
- minimizing the transmitter power without losing controllability;
- planning routes taking into account zones of active EW;
- short flights with a clear task, without «hovering» in the air.
Protecting Drones as a Component of Tactical Effectiveness
Protecting drones from radio-electronic detection is one of the key factors of the successful application of UAVs. An awareness of how EW assets work, by what methods the detection of drones is carried out, and how to correctly organize the work of operators directly affects the survivability of drones and the safety of the units that use them.
Sources Cited
The material has been prepared on the basis of scientific sources, in particular:
- Manual on electronic warfare in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. – Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyiv.
- Problematic issues of the tactics of actions and the comprehensive support of the state’s military formations and law enforcement bodies in conditions of martial law: collection of abstracts of a scientific-practical conference – NA NGU, Kharkiv.
