Russia's Volna Kupol Garant EW System Blinds US Starlink Satellites
Quick Look
- Russia's Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare system is designed to 'blind' US Starlink satellites used by Ukraine by emitting interfering signals, preventing them from detecting ground users.
- An expert stated the system targets the satellite itself rather than drone-satellite communications.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Russia has deployed its Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare system, which is capable of interfering with and potentially disabling US-made Starlink satellites used by Ukraine. This system targets the satellites directly rather than communications links.
MOSCOW, June 17. /TASS/. Russia’s cutting-edge Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare system uses interfering signals to ‘blind’ satellites of the US-made Starlink cluster used by the Ukrainian military and prevents the possibility of hearing users from the ground, unmanned aircraft systems expert, chief designer of the Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions Dmitry Kuzyakin told TASS.
"If the Starlink satellite constellation is used for strikes on Russia, if our citizens are killed and the California-based company does nothing, then the Volna Kupol Garant system is deployed. This is a system that does not aim to disrupt communications between a drone and a satellite. It is designed to suppress the operation of a satellite itself. To this end, it literally blinds it in radio frequencies by parasitic signals, denying it the possibility of hearing users from the ground," the expert explained.
Starlink satellites are located just 500 km from Earth, while the Volna Kupol Garant is a highly capable system with a directional phased-array antenna, he said.
"Starlink is, undoubtedly, a full-fledged participant in the war against Russia. It is not so easy to suppress satellite communications installed on drones. Antennas are directed into the sky and a drone flies and that is why it is difficult to expose antennas with electronic warfare. An electronic warfare system needs to be located between a drone and a satellite, which is very difficult to implement. Nonetheless, there is no task that Russian specialists cannot cope with. If communications between a drone and a satellite cannot be disrupted, then why not disrupt the operation of the satellite itself or even put it out of service?" the expert pointed out.
Although Starlink was initially developed as a solely civilian project, drone operators of the Ukrainian army began quite quickly to use it as a communications tool on Ukrainian combat drones, he said.
"Hundreds of companies from the United States and Europe are directly involved in the Ukraine conflict and complicit in the deaths of our servicemen and civilians. This cannot go on forever. Volna Kupol Garant systems are just the first step in a set of means for destroying any enemy infrastructure," the expert emphasized.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Further development and deployment of EW systems targeting satellite constellations.
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- Effectiveness of Volna Kupol Garant against Starlink.
- US response to EW system targeting Starlink.
- Potential for Starlink to counter EW measures.
