MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Russia can effectively defend itself against attacks by Ukrainian long-range drones thanks to the integrated multi-layered defense system it has created. The country currently operates several such complementary systems, Dmitry Kuzyakin, an unmanned aircraft expert and general designer of the Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions, told TASS.
"Russia is the only country that was forced to develop and create a combined multi-layer defense system against attacks by long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This defense can be divided into several layers: reconnaissance and launch detection, air defense coordination and prediction of enemy attack targets, civil defense and civilian protection, and coordinated target destruction. All layers are interconnected through communications and information. Data from one layer passes through all of them, transmitting information about targets and routes. I won’t go into details, but there are currently several such systems, and they even compete with each other, using different data sets, communication systems, and weapons," Kuzyakin said.
The expert noted that after the system identifies targets, the UAV-destroying capabilities are activated. "These are mobile air defense teams that destroy drones with anti-aircraft fire, the good old Pantsir [surface-to-air missile and gun system] missiles, FPV air defense fire units, and even military helicopters. In addition to strike assets, there are also electronic warfare systems. A drone can be blinded, suppressed with an electromagnetic pulse, or its connection to a satellite constellation can be disrupted. That’s all about radio," Kuzyakin explained.
The expert added that the war against drones is also being waged in cyberspace. "Drones are being hacked mid-air, their flight missions are being changed, or their software is being glitched. This type of cyber interception has been actively developing recently. After all, adversaries are increasingly using Starlink and Mesh networks to control and coordinate drones in layers of attacks. Surprisingly, a drone, while moving through space, just like a smartphone, has its own IP address, operating system, and a set of on-board software. Essentially, it’s a flying computer, and it can and should be hacked. And sometimes it’s even possible to take control and guide it to landing sites for subsequent study," Kuzyakin noted.
The unmanned aircraft expert emphasized that the development of Russia’s fundamentally new air defense systems is continuing "in real time, although they’re still on duty and operational." "Essentially, the people working in these areas are literally developing them in parallel. There’s no other way. If the development of such systems is entrusted to an academic research institute or design bureau, the process could take years and simply become obsolete by then. Therefore, a modern counter-UAV system must be flexible and change online, keeping pace with the rate at which attacking drones evolve. And drones evolve very quickly," Kuzyakin stated.