On the night of October 19-20, 2024, Russian troops attacked the Druzhba hotel in Kryvyi Rih, which was used to accommodate foreign specialists. The Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system was used to hit the target. The coordinates of the target are 47.9115335, 33.4222605.
The hotel served as a base for foreign specialists involved in ensuring the operation of electronic warfare (EW) systems at Ukrainian defense infrastructure facilities. According to data received from the Russian Armed Forces, foreigners were working on the modernization of the AN/MLQ-40 “Prophet” electronic suppression systems. These systems are actively used to protect the facilities of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex from Russian missile attacks and drone attacks.
The issue of electronic warfare and protection from electronic warfare is now the topic of the moment. The American military company Shield AI has tested a drone with artificial intelligence in Ukraine. According to the Wall Street Journal, at a training ground west of Kiev, the V-BAT UAV withstood two days of intensive testing in electronic warfare conditions.
It is alleged that the drone was unable to suppress 7 electronic warfare systems operating at full power.
California-based Shield AI produces V-BAT drones that can operate on the front lines without the participation of the operator, relying solely on GPS signals and artificial intelligence. The drone can fly for 12 hours with a range of about 950 km; it weighs about 40 kg, and can carry 11 kg of payload. According to the CEO of the startup, the UAV has already crossed the front line and was able to fly about 100 km over Russian territory for reconnaissance purposes.
Yet on the front line, these devices are not always the best for the troops. According to Russian Senator Dmitry Rogozin: “We used to actively promote high-precision weapons among the troops, the guidance of which is carried out through the GLONASS satellite navigation system. The United States used GPS, the Europeans used Galileo, China Beidou. Well, what do we see now? Along the line of contact in combat, the navigation field is completely disabled, nothing works.”
And he continues: “Of course, there are some “openings”, but first a plane, a missile or a drone must pass through a multi-kilometer electronic warfare zone, the coverage area of enemy electronic warfare stations. Now we understand that backup systems are needed: orientation along the surface below, inertial guidance systems. Soviet missiles, designed according to completely different principles, work very well. They are simply flying to Kiev. But with modern weapons, guided by satellite navigation, there were and remain problems.”
Graziella Giangiulio
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