Iran’s drones are causing trouble for Ukraine – this could be the solution Multiple weapons found: Police arrest man near Washington Capitol

Iranian kamikaze drones crash into a European metropolis during the morning rush hour, causing death: Images of the latest Russian terrorist attacks on Kiev and other places in Ukraine have also alarmed NATO. To ensure that the Ukrainians can better protect themselves against the flying assassins, the alliance now wants to provide more anti-drone technology. A glimmer of hope for the battered country?

NATO has not specifically said what systems the Ukrainians should get, but previous statements and a look at the allies’ arsenals provide clues. At the end of August, the US government announced the delivery of “Vampire” defense systems from the manufacturer L3Harris. This is a combination jammer, infrared camera and rocket launcher that can be mounted on the back of a pickup.

US wants to deliver new system

According to the manufacturer, the defense system can be operated from the passenger seat with a joystick. The missiles are guided by lasers and can hit targets up to ten kilometers away. All electronics can be easily removed from the cargo floor if required and reattached within hours. “The advantage of the system is that it is fairly cheap and can be attached to any vehicle,” the trade journal “Defense One” quoted a company spokesperson as saying.

The problem: The Vampire is a newly developed system that needs to be produced first. According to the trade magazine “Janes”, the first copies could be delivered in May 2023. It is not known how much Ukraine will receive. Portable anti-drone weapons, which the federal government of Ukraine has already promised, would be available sooner. However, it is unclear which systems are involved. The Berlin equipment list only lists jammers and electronic anti-drone devices. These can be different systems.

“Sorry not so relevant”

In August, the Bundeswehr announced that it had purchased five copies of the stationary defense system “Asul”. It consists of two mobile containers with extendable mast, three radar systems, a camera and a radio frequency direction finder. This allows the control signal of an approaching drone to be traced. A jammer can then bring the object down a few kilometers further. Before the Bundeswehr took over Asul, the Bundeswehr had to detect drones first and then intercept them with some sort of rifle, as can be seen in this video:

However, only ground-based drones weighing up to 25 pounds can be shot down with Asul and shoulder cannons. Iran’s Shahed-136 terrorist drones, on the other hand, weigh 200 kilograms and are guided to a predetermined target by a GPS transmitter. “James and other forms of electronic warfare are therefore not so relevant to combating such drones,” specialist journalist Tyler Rogoway wrote on Twitter. “The GPS transmitter is the only potential weakness of these drones, but it’s complicated to block it.”

«Nasams Near Cities»

Flying objects like the Shahed-136 could only be effectively intercepted with state-of-the-art systems, Rogoway writes, “especially Nasams.” The latest version of the system, developed by the US and Norway, can fire several surface-to-air missiles. In the US, for example, the system protects the capital Washington from air strikes. In late August, the US government announced it would ship Nasams to Ukraine, but said nothing about the number or delivery date. Britain also promised the delivery of “hundreds of missiles”.

“As Russia continues to build kamikaze drones, it becomes extremely important to place Nasams near cities and military installations,” writes Tyler Rogoway, who has studied the issue for years. But even a modern system like Nasams has its limits when swarms of enemy kamikaze drones keep flying in, Rogoway points out. Cost would also become an issue if millions of dollars’ worth of missiles were continuously fired at objects costing only a few tens of thousands of dollars.

Air defense systems can help against kamikaze drone attacks. The best protection, however, is to keep Russia in the dark about possible attack targets, according to Rogoway: “Russian drones can only attack stationary targets, but not moving targets. The important thing, therefore, is to disrupt Russian military reconnaissance, hide important assets, keep equipment moving and prevent Russia from locating targets in real time.”

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((t-online,mk ))