Even though war is synonymous with brutality, however, the course of war does not preclude the existence of 'compromises' between warring parties, such as the existence of 'boundaries' that cannot be violated, which are made to prevent the escalation of conflicts from escalating.
In this regard, it is reported that the United States has secretly made modifications to an artillery weapon considered a game changer by Ukraine, namely the M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System).
Quoted from popularmechanics.com (7/12/2022), the United States is said to have secretly modified the HIMARS rocket system so that it cannot be fired at targets that are in Russian territory.
To prevent Ukraine from firing at targets in Russia, the United States secretly modified the "hardware and software" on the HIMARS launchers used by Ukraine. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal last Monday. The HIMARS truck was also modified to ensure Ukrainian troops could not fire non-GMLRS rockets originating from other countries.
The HIMARS GPS-guided armored trucks and rockets have played an important role for the Ukrainian military, in particular to drive Russian troops out of its territory, destroy logistics bases, and cut ammunition supply lines for Russian troops on the front line.
The HIMARS system consists of an armored truck capable of firing up to six rockets at once, and the GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System). The GMLRS has a range of up to 70 km, equipped with a high explosive warhead weighing 90 kg with an accuracy level of 2–5 meters from the target coordinates.
So far, Ukraine has 20 HIMARS units, as well as 13 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) units which are similar to HIMARS, but use track wheels (M270) and can launch twice as many rockets.
The HIMARS/GMLRS system was initially delivered to Ukraine in early June, and has since been deemed successful in crippling Russian troops in Ukraine, leaving them vulnerable to Ukrainian counterattacks that began in September.
The GMLRS' range allows it to engage targets deep behind enemy lines, and Ukrainian rockets have repeatedly struck ammunition depots, headquarters and other targets.
So far, it appears that Ukraine has only struck targets inside Russian-occupied Ukraine. It was long thought that this was the result of an unpublished deal between Kiev and Washington, but it is now clear that the deal, if any, is backed by confidential hardware and software boundaries.
The report from the Wall Street Journal doesn't go into detail about how the "hardware and software restrictions" that prevented the GMLRS rocket from landing on Russian territory worked, but it may be some form of geofencing.
Geofencing is the ability to lock a system using GPS navigation from a realtime location. Drone operators, for example, can program drones to enter sensitive airspace, national parks or other locations by providing GPS coordinates for places to stay away from.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that the HIMARS trucks being delivered to Ukraine had other limitations, such as having been modified so they could not fire the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).
The ATACMS is the 'brother' of the GMLRS, with a warhead weighing 226 kg and a range of 300 km. Ukraine has repeatedly asked Washington to provide ATACMS. But it has been rejected by President Joe Biden, fearing the hefty missiles could further escalate the war.
Although the US Government has refused to supply the ATACMS, it is likely that other ATACMS operators, including NATO allies, may decide to donate ballistic missiles to Ukraine instead.
Using geofencing to prevent Ukraine from attacking Russia raises other concerns, such as what if a foreign power could hack into the US weapons network and geofence it from hitting the target at all?
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