Espreso. Global

Pokrova system against missiles and Shahed drones: is it really a game changer?

4 November, 2023 Saturday
19:19
client/title.list_title

Ukraine deploys the Pokrova nationwide electronic warfare system to counter Russia's missile and drone strikes. It is able to jam the satellite radio navigation field and suppress it along the entire front line and across most of Ukraine's territory

Defense Express writes that the announcement of the deployment of the Pokrova nationwide electronic warfare system, made by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, is not just of great, but truly strategic importance.

Even though information about it is extremely limited, it is known that its purpose is to "spoof the satellite radio navigation field, suppress satellite radio navigation along the entire line of contact and in most of the territory of Ukraine."

Shaheds will be more affected by weather

All systems that use satellite navigation will not work when it is turned on, not only in the frontline area but almost all over Ukraine. More precisely, they may either not work if Pokrova is set to suppress signals or show incorrect data if coordinates are changed.

From a civilian perspective, this means that all navigators with GPS, GLONASS, and other similar systems will not work at all, or will display incorrect data. Even drivers who use navigation programs will have to use paper maps or memorize routes.

The satellite navigation system will not work for weapons either. This will be extremely crucial for many. For example, the Shahed-136 uses only satellite navigation and a rather primitive inertial navigation system, which, in case of signal loss, allows it to continue flying in a straight line towards the target, but without compensation for wind and with a constant accumulating error.

Spoofing replaces real signals from satellites with false ones. In other words, the conditional Shahed continues to believe that it is flying along the correct route, but in fact, its real position differs from the coordinates it receives.

Can Pokrova be effective against cruise missiles?

It should be noted that the mere suppression of GPS or GLONASS is not something out of the ordinary. Therefore, to ensure the reliable operation of satellite-based guidance systems, Russia is actively installing jamming-resistant Kometa-M systems in its weapons, including Shaheds, cruise missiles, and planning and correction modules for air bombs.

But in September, the head of Ukraine's Main Department of Electronic Warfare, Ivan Pavlenko, said that "we already have the ability to counteract this system."

This means that by deploying continuous satellite navigation jamming fields, the effectiveness of the enemy's use of Shahed-136 drones will be significantly reduced.

The Pokrova electronic warfare system should also help defeat cruise missiles, but not as effectively as in the case of Shahed. The fact is that cruise missiles use much more accurate inertial navigation, as well as DSMAC and TERCOM systems that compare the image of the terrain and relief under the missile during flight with a reference image stored in memory. But without satellite navigation, their accuracy will suffer.

Tags:
Read also:
  • News
2024, Sunday
12 May
17:56
South Korean Intelligence: Russia deployed North Korean MLRS in its war on Ukraine
17:26
Russia's Gazprom records largest annual losses in 25 years: British intelligence reveals why
16:56
Interview
Ukraine must mobilize now to launch counter-offensive in 2025 — Colonel Grant
16:26
Frontline realities: life in  Zaporizhzhia region buffer zone
15:56
"Command is using you": Pro-Ukrainian Russian volunteers court Russian forces
15:26
Exclusive
Russia plans hybrid attacks on EU capitals, intelligence agencies on high alert – Colonel Grant
14:56
Exclusive
 Donetsk region’s fate is being decided in Chasiv Yar - military expert
14:20
Switzerland wins Eurovision 2024, Ukraine places third
13:50
OPINION
May-June: Expect fierce battles
13:20
Russian spy drone crashes in occupied Dovzhansk, Luhansk region
12:50
Leading candidates in Lithuanian presidential elections vow to confront Russian threat
12:20
HUR special operation: Ukrainian drones attack Volgograd oil refinery, two more facilities
11:50
Russia loses military aircraft, 30 artillery systems, over 1,200 soldiers in one day in Ukraine
11:16
Exclusive
Russian troops shell Zaporizhzhia region 542 times in one day - district council member Sysoieva
10:46
Russia drops bombs on Vovchansk: family trapped under rubble, dead and injured reported
2024, Saturday
11 May
20:10
OPINION
West waits for Putin's death, Ukraine — for Russia's collapse
19:55
Exclusive
For effective counteroffensive, there must be excess of resources — colonel Grant
19:41
More than 1,600 missiles, ammunition, and vehicles: UK announces new $626m aid package for Ukraine
19:25
'No one understands why we are fighting": Ukrainian forces capture Russian deputy company commander
19:03
Situation in Vovchansk: over 20 bomb attacks, 2 killed civilians, 441 people evacuated
18:47
Exclusive
Russian tactic is to destroy frontline with artillery and glide bombs - Colonel Grant
18:25
Ukrainian forces shoot down Russian Su-25 attack aircraft
18:00
Exclusive
'Strike wings' capable of flying further than FPV drones are in Ukraine - Ukrainian commander Fedorenko
17:35
Exclusive
Kadyrov soldiers will be eliminated if Russia tries to enter Sumy region -  military expert
17:12
Russia fires on evacuation crew with wounded civilians in Krasnohorivka
16:45
Ukraine's partisans promise real "hot summer season" for Russians in Crimea
16:20
Russian army marks its equipment with new tactical signs: what it means
15:50
Updated
Russians celebrating 10 years of DPR targeted in occupied Donetsk
15:30
Updated
Battles rage for 5 villages north of Kharkiv and Vovchansk, Russia says they are captured
15:09
Exclusive
"Russians in Mariupol are uneasy": City official about attack on Russian military equipment
14:40
Russian military refuse to attack Kharkiv - Atesh guerrilla movement
14:10
Russian troops were stopped 2-5 km from border in northern Kharkiv region
13:45
Review
Concentration of Russian troops, threat of raids towards Kharkiv, situation near Avdiivka. Weekly military review
13:15
Exclusive
Situation in Kharkiv region: Ukrainian forces pushing Russian troops out of “gray zone”
12:44
Updated
Russia's losses: 1,300 soldiers, 55 artillery systems, 15 tanks per day of war in Ukraine
12:17
"Ukrainian army shells civilians trying to leave Kherson": Russian fakes for May 10
11:50
1,775 civilians evacuated from Kharkiv region over past day
11:24
Russians claim attack on Belgorod, Volgograd, Kursk regions: allegedly there are victims
10:55
ISW discloses strategic goal of Russian offensive in Kharkiv region
10:30
Russian attacks kill at least 129 civilians in Ukraine in April — UN
More news