Russia Equips Geran Kamikaze Drones with EW Systems to Counter Interceptors

Russia has equipped Geran-type kamikaze drones with an electronic warfare system designed to jam the analog video link used by Ukrainian interceptor drones.

Serhii Flash, an adviser to the President of Ukraine on the development of defense technologies, reported this after examining the system found in the wreckage of one of the drones.

The EW system found on the Shahed detects the video transmitter signal of a Ukrainian interceptor drone as it approaches. The system’s receiver identifies the interceptor’s operating frequency and instructs the EW transmitter to generate interference in the same frequency band.

According to a preliminary assessment, the jammer’s signal is approximately five times more powerful than the drone’s video transmitter, causing the ground-based operator to lose the video feed and the ability to accurately guide the interceptor toward its target.

The system consists of a VTX transmitter, a VRX receiver, and control electronics. It operates with an analog video signal in the 5.8 GHz band.

During testing, the system detected a test VTX and activated the jammer approximately three seconds later, causing the analog video signal to disappear. After the test transmitter was switched off, the system took about five seconds to enter standby mode. In this mode, it consumed approximately 2W, and up to 33W when activated.

Possible countermeasures include interceptor drones equipped with terminal guidance systems, digital communication links, or video transmitters operating on non-standard frequencies.