Oleg Burunov
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The Russian army’s state-of-the-art electronic warfare systems are capable of significantly hampering the planned counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces, David T. Pyne, an EMP Task Force scholar and former US Department of Defense officer, told Sputnik.
On April 15, the Russian Armed Forces commemorate the Day of the Electronic Warfare (EW) Specialist, which has been celebrated since 2006, in line with a decree issued by President Vladimir Putin. The holiday dates back to April 15, 1904, when the enemy’s communication system was jammed during the siege of the Fortress of Port Arthur amid the Russian-Japanese war.
Since then, Russian EW troops have turned into a force to be reckoned with, something that was once again confirmed by recent Pentagon leaks that in particular contain sensitive information on the conflict in Ukraine, where Russia continues its special military operation.
According to one of the leaked documents recently cited by US media, American-made smart bombs, known as Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), "are falling victim to Russian electronic jamming in Ukraine, causing them to miss their targets."
"That is a very significant development, though not at all surprising, given Russia’s robust capabilities in electronic warfare particularly in long-range GPS jammers which are second to none and their military doctrine of establishing electronic superiority and supremacy at the beginning of any conflict," Pyne pointed out.
When asked how Ukraine's planned spring offensive can be affected by Russian EW systems, the scholar suggested that they could be used "to jam Ukrainian satellite guidance and positioning signals, making Ukrainian military forces unable to use precision guided munitions."
"This likely helps to account for why the leaked top-secret documents indicate that the US does not believe the upcoming Ukrainian spring counteroffensive in the Zaporozhye region will make more than modest gains," Pyne added.
Touching upon the Russian EW systems on the whole, he explained that "what makes them unique is their ability to jam not just enemy communications and radars but also satellite guidance and positioning signal ranges far longer than Western EW jamming systems, reportedly up to ranges of as much as 200-500 kilometers."......More Below
