News In Brief World News
News In Brief World News

Ukraine's Drones are Becoming Less Effective as Russia Strengthens its Electronic Warfare and Air Defences

Share Us

404
Ukraine's Drones are Becoming Less Effective as Russia Strengthens its Electronic Warfare and Air Defences
04 Jul 2022
5 min read

News Synopsis

Drones emerged as an unexpected source of victory against Russian forces in the early days of the Ukrainian war. Stories of success dominated the news cycle, with multiple video clips widely shared on social media showing Ukraine's drones decimating Russia's chaotic advances.

Ukraine's improvised drone airforce, which ranged from small consumer drones used for surveillance to the famed Turkish-designed Bayraktar TB2 drones, was credited with destroying Putin's tanks and armour.

However, Russia has learned from the humiliation inflicted by drones during the first months of the invasion. According to experts, the drone wonder weapons are becoming increasingly ineffective as Russia improves its defence systems and downs and jams many of Ukraine's drones.

"What's happening now is that Russia's electronic warfare and air defenses have become better organized and fielded when compared to the earlier months of the war," Samuel Bendett, an analyst and expert in unmanned and robotic military systems, said at the Center for Naval Analysis.

According to Bendett, Russian forces are using early warning radars to identify the drones and electronic warfare systems to jam and disrupt their communication. They also use machine guns and air defence systems, such as the Tor missile system, to shoot down the drones.