Washington, US
US-made satellite-guided advanced munitions, including precision-guided artillery, rely on GPS signals for accurate targeting. However, Russia's sophisticated jamming technology has effectively disrupted these signals and diminished the effectiveness of these weapons on the battlefield and has resulted in a notable shift in Ukraine's military strategy, reports said.
Quoting senior Ukrainian military officials and confidential assessments obtained, a Washington Post report highlighted Ukraine's urgent need for upgraded weaponry to counter Russia’s sophisticated electronic warfare capabilities.
Russia’s jamming of guidance systems on advanced Western weapons, such as Excalibur GPS-guided artillery shells and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), has prove deteriorating for Ukraine's defences.
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The concept of "one shot, one target," which has long been a hallmark of US military precision, is facing challenges in the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia. This development has resulted in Kyiv urgently seeking help from the Pentagon to obtain upgrades from arms manufacturers.
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"The Excalibur technology in existing versions has lost its potential," the Ukrainian assessments concluded, said the report. The success rate for Excalibur shells dropped to less than 10 per cent before Ukraine dropped its use last year. It initially achieved over 50 per cent accuracy but this is no more the case with Russian GPS jamming.
Russia expands use of electronic warfare
A senior US defence official commented, "Russia has continued to expand their use of electronic warfare, and “we continue to evolve and make sure that Ukraine has the capabilities they need to be effective.”
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However, Ukrainian officials said the response process is too bureaucratic, complicating the path to urgently needed adjustments. “I’m not saying no one was worried about it before, but now they’re starting to worry,” the report quoted a senior Ukrainian military official as saying.
“As we share information with our partners and our partners share with us, the Russians definitely also share with China,” the official said, adding, “and even if they don’t share with China … China monitors events in Ukraine.”
Six months ago, after Ukrainians reported the problem, Washington ceased providing Excalibur shells due to the high failure rate. In contrast, the US provided a patch for aircraft-dropped bombs called JDAMs, which Ukraine continues to use.
The confidential Ukrainian reports, prepared between fall 2023 and April 2024, revealed the extent of Russian jamming's impact on Western weaponry.
(With inputs from agencies)