Ukrainian soldiers have raised concerns about the effectiveness of Western-supplied weapons against Russia’s electronic warfare capabilities.
The “Achilles” drone battalion, part of Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade, specializes in UAV strikes and reportedly uses around 3,000 first-person-view drones each month. Despite this intensive use of drone technology, they are deliberately avoiding some Western-made weapons and the most advanced drones, as they simply cannot perform under current battlefield conditions.
“The best examples of weapons,” such as systems like the GPS-guided Excalibur artillery shells, don’t work “at all,” Rustam Nurgudin, the executive officer of the battalion, stated during a recent briefing held in London, organized by UK Friends of Ukraine for defense companies and journalists.
The main issue, according to Nurgudin, is the susceptibility of these sophisticated Western systems to Russian electronic warfare tactics. Russian forces have been actively using GPS spoofing techniques to protect their units, making it extremely challenging for GPS-reliant systems to be effective.
Spoofing attacks essentially deceive GPS receivers by broadcasting a signal that is slightly stronger than those sent by GPS satellites. These fake signals are altered to mislead the receiver into determining an incorrect position, controlled by the attacker.
Spoofing begins by sending a signal that initially suggests a correct position, before gradually shifting to a location dictated by the attacker. A rapid shift would likely result in the loss of signal lock, at which point the spoofer would only serve as a jamming device. To succeed, attackers must accurately know their target’s position, allowing them to structure the spoofing signal with precise delays.
This level of precision in electronic warfare means that systems like the Excalibur artillery shells, or even GMLR rockets —relying heavily on GPS for accuracy—struggle in the field when faced with Russian countermeasures. Ukrainian forces are instead focusing on more rudimentary drone technology and tactics that can better withstand interference from Russian spoofing and jamming operations.