One of the serious problems facing the Ukrainian military is dealing with electronic warfare (EW) carried out by Russia. For a long time, Russia has been known to be able to jam various radio signals, including GPS signals, which has undoubtedly contributed to the failure of Ukrainian troops in carrying out their combat operations.
Well, not long ago, Ukraine claimed to have found a solution to deal with jamming actions by Russia.
Ukraine claims to have invented a new radio system that is immune to Russian jamming. The device works under EW emphasis and is made entirely of affordable commercial components. Soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have used a handheld radio called the Himera G1 on the front lines of battle.
Currently, the Ukraine-based manufacturer HIMERA is testing a new product that will be especially helpful for drone operators.
Quoted from Defense Express, it is said that basically this device is a military standard modem that applies FHSS (Frequency-hopping spread spectrum) technology and consists entirely of components available on the commercial market. That way, it will make these modem devices cheap and easy to produce in quantities of "tens, hundreds, even hundreds of thousands a month".
This radio modem device is designed to relay signals, it can be attached to a drone flying in the air or any pole to raise it above the surface.
“The idea of this modem is that the pilot operating the helicopter can stay in a place that no one knows about – hundreds (meters) or even kilometers away from where the drone receives commands,” said a HIMERA representative.
This modem can work effectively even in enemy electronic warfare conditions, HIMERA said. This device will be especially useful for operators of small, explosive-equipped drones (kamikaze drones) – as the relay function will increase the operational range of these explosive drones while keeping the pilot safe from detection by enemy signals intelligence systems.
“The modem is very difficult to jam and detect in the electromagnetic spectrum. It can actually be quite far from the pilot, so this way we also protect them; they work practically 'invisibly'," said HIMERA.
In addition to developing new communications equipment, HIMERA is currently supplying Ukrainian troops with encrypted military radios aimed at tactical communications at the “platoon to squad” level.
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov on Tuesday announced the launch of HIMERA technology. Fedorov, who also serves as Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation, wrote on Telegram that Himera radio is “a unique technology that functions despite the enemy's electronic warfare,” according to Ukrainska Pravda's translation.
“Russia cannot block radio signals or decrypt them,” he said, adding: “Radio can also be integrated into situational awareness systems or used as a GPS tracker to locate and evacuate troops.”
