- Photos appear to show the jammers Russia is putting on its tanks and vehicles to disrupt Ukraine’s drones.
- One video advertises the jammers, as Russian Telegram channels crowdfund to purchase more for Russian troops.
- Both sides in the war in Ukraine are seeking to counter the threat of drones.
To counter the seemingly ever-present threat of exploding drones, Russia appears to be attaching jammers to its tanks and vehicles.
The move is the latest example of electronic warfare on the battlefield, as both sides ramp up defenses to protect troops from the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that have become such a major threat, hunting down top tanks, armored vehicles, supply trucks, infantry squads, and even individual soldiers.
Earlier this week, a Russian Telegram channel shared a photo of a camouflaged tank with a jammer on top of its roof screen, a cage designed to protect against first-person view (FPV) drone attacks.
Observers identified the cone-shaped system as a Volnorez C-UAS EW jammer. The same channel had previously shared multiple other photos of the same jammer system being unboxed and attached to other vehicles, including tanks and pickup trucks.
A video was also posted advertising the system, its production process, and how it successfully jammed Ukrainian drones. One observer said Russian Telegram channels were crowdfunding to buy more of the jammers for Russian units.
While it is unclear how effective these systems are or how many of these jammers are currently in use or where, Russia’s apparent decision to equip vehicles with them speaks to a growing concern about the threat of FPV drone attacks. Tank and other armored crews have previously been seen welding cages on their vehicles as a crude defense.
But even as armies attempt to employ electronic warfare defenses, both sides of war have been racing to develop drones that are resistant to jamming. Such systems might force nervous vehicle crews to look for other solutions.
Such developments also indicate the intensity of the ongoing drone war between Russia and Ukraine. It’s a fight in which unmanned systems are a constant threat that can easily ambush unsuspecting targets.
Ukraine in particular has demonstrated skill in flying FPV drones into small open hatches on tanks or Russian trenches. It’s also developed a domestically made drone with thermal imaging specifically for fast, quiet nighttime raids. The drone is such a threatening presence that Ukraine says that Russia has a evil nickname for it — the Baba Yaga.
