Russians Develop Anti-Drone Protection System for Tor Air Defense System

The Russian company Kupol has unveiled a concept for a protection system designed to shield the Tor air defense system from attacks by Ukrainian drones.

Armored vehicle researcher Andrii Tarasenko reported on this.

The proposed system combines electronic warfare tools, drone signal detectors, and both 360-degree and directional jamming modules. The detectors are installed diagonally, at the front and rear of the vehicle, and are linked to a control unit and power supply.

The system operates in two independent modes. The first is an omnidirectional mode, which provides full 360-degree protection of the combat vehicle by jamming FPV drone control signals at ranges of up to 500 meters.

In this mode, a hemispherical jamming field is created, covering 360° in azimuth and up to 90° in elevation. It can either emit interference continuously or switch on automatically when drone video transmission signals are detected.

The second mode is sector-based and is designed to counter reconnaissance drones at much greater distances – up to 5 km. For this, a set of directional antennas is used, mounted on the tracking radar antenna and synchronized with its movement. This allows the jamming system to automatically aim in the direction of the tracked target.

The directional module is equipped with jamming generators using vertical polarization, operating in the 415–5860 MHz frequency range with a power output of at least 2 kW. It enables effective suppression of drone control and navigation channels at long distances.

The placement of electronic warfare components on the combat vehicle’s hull has been designed with several constraints in mind: they must not obstruct the operational zones of the radars, increase the vehicle’s dimensions, or interfere with the system’s own equipment.

It is worth noting that military air defense systems – Tor, Buk, and Pantsir – are increasingly becoming targets of Ukrainian tactical, operational-tactical, and FPV drones.

In particular, just a few days earlier, various units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine destroyed two Buk-M1 air defense systems and four Tor-M2 systems (in two separate incidents) across different directions. Such cases are becoming increasingly common amid the development and scaling up of Ukrainian kamikaze drone production.

The high level of losses is forcing the Russian side to look for new ways to counter this threat. At the same time, it is possible that such solutions may prove ineffective due to the constant changes in control frequencies, as well as the advancement of autonomous flight and guidance systems.

A more effective approach, however, could be to protect these systems with mobile fire groups and to use passive protection measures, including add-on armor elements.