Weapon Giant Equips UAVs with Electronic Warfare Capabilities

Weapon Giant Equips UAVs with Electronic Warfare Capabilities

An unmanned aerial vehicle with a camera mounted on board was the focus of a Remote Operated Video Enhanced Receiver demonstration July 28 at the U.S. Air Force Academy. The ROVER is basically a laptop with antennas that receives video captured by a UAV that shows real-time, nearby dangers allowing ground troops to make quick decisions regarding air strikes. (U.S. Air Force photo/Dennis Rogers)

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Global Position System (GPS) satellites are up to 20,000 kilometers away from the earth. This results in that the power of the signal which is received by the ground receiver is very weak, so GPS signal is susceptible to be jammed. Now, unmanned aerial vehicles are getting electronic warfare capabilities.

ZALA Aero, part of the Kalashnikov Group, has recently demonstrated a new device of satellite navigation signal suppression for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The system has been developed for Special Operations forces, and can be used to neutralize an enemy’s equipment that may pose a threat to secured facilities.

“The compact module is placed under an unmanned aerial vehicle’s wing and suppresses the signal of satellite navigation systems within a radius of up to 5km, and also blocks the operation of all devices that use satellite navigational systems for navigation,” the Kalashnikov press office said.

The new Sat-Nav signal suppressing system will expand the range of electronic warfare devices developed by ZALA. It comprises the REX-1 anti-drone rifle, whose design is very similar to a machine gun but it does not fire any rounds. It has an integrated suppression module that masks out signals of GPS, GLONASS, etc; and the ZONT man-portable device.

The new satellite navigation signal suppressing system has undergone successful trials and proven its efficiency, as reported by tass.com.